Homeowner's Association

[Ed62]

Subject: FW: Home Owners Association


The new home's roof was built 12 inches higher than the HOA's rules
allowed, so Mark Easton, mad about his obstructed view, went to his

HOA to make sure that they enforced the lower roof line rules.

The new neighbor was forced to drop his new roof line, at great expense.

Recently, Mark Easton called on his HOA again, informing them that his

new neighbor had installed some vents on his home. Mark didn't like the

looks of these vents and asked the HOA to investigate. When they went

out to Mark's home to see the vent view, this is what they found...




















Ed

[DUD]

Ed it looks good to Me. Bill

[TB Roye]

Looks like it meets the codes and covanents to me.

Tom

[mater]

Looks like Mark is not the only one that got upset.

[crokett]

I don't see a problem with it.

[balzac.thegreat]

are people not really getting the joke here?

lol

[cwithboat]

are people not really getting the joke here?

lol

Of course we see it, it is childish.
When people wish to move into a community with covenants it is their responsibility to read and accept or go somewhere else. Our community, composed of many retired folks, has a swimming pool. The pool has for years established hours for kids and hours for seniors as well as hours for everyone. Two families are suing the HA to eliminate senior hours as being discriminatory.
Give me a break!

[Uncle Cracker]

An HOA needs rules. But it also needs judgment. Some rights and freedoms are guaranteed by a higher authority than an HOA. When they cross that line, there should be recourse and recovery... and certainly should always be reason. Suffice it to say that I have been on both sides of that fence.

[Tom Slick]

just in case you are curious

http://www.snopes.com/photos/risque/ventcover.asp

It doesn't appear to be an HOA. around here the plans have to be stamped by the city or county. If they missed the fact that it is too tall, they give you a variance, as it was actually their fault.

[sparkeyjames]

Home owners associations are the ultimate urban evil. Just a bunch of busy bodies who want to play power trip. The nosy Rosies will make your life darn near unbearable by constantly calling the association chairperson to report every stupid sniveling little violation however quickly corrected. My employers wife is the association president for their community. She has related several times while visiting hubby at the shop that several of the homeowners there should be strangled to death slowly because they constantly call to complain about anything and everything.

[Schleeper]

Complaining about the HOA, or the deed restrictions, is like complaining about television programs. Don't like 'em, then don't watch 'em. If a development has a homeowners association and deed restrictions (not to mention the nosy Rosies) that someone finds objectionable, why would they want to live there? Move (or don't buy there in the first place!)

[Uncle Cracker]

Complaining about the HOA, or the deed restrictions, is like complaining about television programs. Don't like 'em, then don't watch 'em. If a development has a homeowners association and deed restrictions (not to mention the nosy Rosies) that someone finds objectionable, why would they want to live there? Move (or don't buy there in the first place!)

If rules can be made, they can be changed. All it takes is reasonable people and common sense. When HOA's become instruments only for tin-cup Napoleons to showcase their stupidity and stubbornness, then they've outlived their usefulness.

[Schleeper]

If rules can be made, they can be changed. All it takes is reasonable people and common sense. When HOA's become instruments only for tin-cup Napoleons to showcase their stupidity and stubbornness, then they've outlived their usefulness.

They not only CAN be changed; they SHOULD be changed if:

1. They're no longer reflective of the community's needs/desires, or,
2. They are not uniformly enforced.

In our county, developers are required to set up a maintenance association (same as an HOA) when they build a development. They invariably use boilerplate language that includes deed restrictions long since outdated. We changed a couple of ours, to reflect what we actually wanted.

If the community has the ability to change the restrictions, but they don't, what must one conclude from that? Sounds like the majority of the residents are apparently comfortable with the restrictions.

Contrary to what some people think, homeowners do not possess an inalienable right to enjoy their property in any way they see fit. On the other hand, anyone who buys into a deed-restricted community is legally entitled to protection from (for example): neighbors that want to run an auto body shop in their garage, raise alpacas in their backyard, or turn their home into a boarding house.

I've recently had the misfortune of being "drafted" into serving on our association's board, so I've had experience dealing with "nosy Rosies." I agree that a few of them seem to spend an inordinant amount of time checking out the neighborhood activity. But some are just regular folks who'd rather speak up than be walked on. I'll take them any day of the week, over arrogant, "apologize later" types who believe that it's only a violation if someone complains.

[Russianwolf]

So what do you do when they raise the HOA fees from a reasonable $60 a year (snow removal is the only thing they do really) to $200 per year?

I voted against it, but it was passed anyway. Now, I can't afford to sell my home (prices are down) and am stuck with a rate that's way more than it should be.

The problem is that most of the homes in my neighborhood are owned by people who bought them 20+ years ago with mortgages of $600-700. I bought in 5 years ago and my mortgage is $1600, that $200 doesn't affect them as much as it does me.

They came by 2 years ago at 8AM and told me that they think my fence posts are too tall. There are no covenants about the height of the fence posts. And that my gate didn't match (metal while the fence is wood).

[Ed62]

They came by 2 years ago at 8AM and told me that they think my fence posts are too tall. There are no covenants about the height of the fence posts. And that my gate didn't match (metal while the fence is wood).

That's exactly why I wouldn't live in a community like that.

Ed