Home Owners Association Do-gooders (Rant)

[REWahoo]

Generally, I think HOAs are a good idea. Just look at the places with junk autos parked on the lawn, pink painted homes, refrigerators on the front portch and you would thank the HOA rules. Also, in a lot of places a good HOA increases the property values in relation to homes without them.

I'm on the board of a HOA in a rural subdivision (lot size from 3 to 10 acres). The developer disappeared after most of the lots were sold and no restrictions were enforced for almost 5 years. Now that we have an active HOA, we are having a devil of a time getting people to comply with the most basic restrictions.

An example: I just got through drafting a letter to a homeowner who, even thought the restrictions clearly state you cannot keep livestock on your property, has two cows! Her response to our request she get rid of them: "I'll comply with the restrictions after everyone else does." Sheesh....

 

[youbet]

Generally, I think HOAs are a good idea. Just look at the places with junk autos parked on the lawn, pink painted homes, refrigerators on the front portch and you would thank the HOA rules.

Maybe if you live in an unincorporated area this could be the case. But in our town, and most towns, there are zoing R and R's to contend with that prohibit abandoned cars in the front lawn and that sort of thing as well as the normal building codes and specifications. Our town will come out and enforce if someone complains. But, unlike many HOA's, they aren't busy-bodies obcessing over minute details and worrying about what color undies you're putting on this morning.

In a situation like REWahoo's, the no-livestock regulation could be easily enforced by the town fathers.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Where I live now has unenforced cc&r's, no HOA. There are a few homes that could really use a coat of paint, and one guy the next street over thats decided that his time mowing his lawn is better spent (and i'm not making this up) making wind chimes out of old cd's and beer cans to hang from his eaves out in the front of the house. Couple of dead cars sitting in side yards. 97-98% of it looks pretty good though.

Depends on how high the rental rate and how well the property values are. Pride of ownership makes things work well.

One of my neighbors likes to leave his 5th wheel out front of his house for days at a time, which on a court makes it in front of my house as well. Not the most attractive thing, but he's a good neighbor, good dad and an excellent role model for the kids. With that in mind, looking at his RV out my front windows for a few days here and there isnt making it into the top 20 problems list.

 

[REWahoo]

In a situation like REWahoo's, the no-livestock regulation could be easily enforced by the town fathers.

Our subdivision is located in an unincorporated area so we have no town fathers...just a few neighborhood bastids.

 

[Andre1969]

my biggest problem with the HOA (or rather, condo association) at my old place was the inconsistency of it all. They liked to pick and choose the violations they wanted to go after, and seemed to only go after certain people. Two different homeowners could have the same violation, but if they liked one and not the other, guess who they'd go after?

And sometimes, the board members would be the biggest violators of all!

 

[ShokWaveRider]

We live in a "55 or better" community. It is a gated community and access to our clubhouse is controlled by magnetic cards issued only to residents. The community is run by a Homeowners Association (HOA) that is still under the control of the developer until all houses are completed. For the last two years we have held monthly poker nights in the clubhouse. This is very low stakes - $5 buy-in. The house takes no cut, the game is hosted by a different volunteer each month. Maximum bet is $.25. Now, because of an anonymous complaint to the state Charitable Games Commission, we have been visited by a "Senior Special Agent" from the commission's Enforcement Division. We are pretty sure that the complaint came from a "bible-thumper" resident. The community management agent has suspended any and all gambling in the clubhouse until the HOA attorney researches the issue. The agent stated that Virginia law prohibits gambling in public locations; a poker game in a private home is allowed but not in our clubhouse which is considered a public facility. We are starting a letter writing campaign to our county supervisor and to our state delegate to get this issue settled either administratively, or legislatively, if necessary.

I guess this rant is really directed at the do-gooders who are trying to impose their morality on the community. When they hold bible study sessions in the clubhouse nobody complains but they feel they have the right to prevent a purely social event because it offends their beliefs. I hope that they don't realize that people actually get naked in the locker rooms, we may have to start working out in our street clothes! I can see that the upcoming election of a homeowner board of directors for the HOA is going to get ugly.

Anybody else live under an HOA or Condo association? Have you had these kinds of issues?

Grumpy

Use Chips, Buy them before you go to the club house, settle up once a week at someones home. or take the game to someone's house.

SWR

 

[youbet]

Hey REWahoo......

I was down your way a couple of months ago in the Kingsland and Marble Falls area, staying on Lake LBJ. DW and I went out and looked at some houses and land one afternoon. We liked a development where the HOA was running longhorns on the common property! Individual homes had fences around them and cattle ran amongst them. Now there you are with your HOA trying to get rid of a couple of cows........

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

just a few neighborhood bastids.

As long as they're good sh*ts...

 

[REWahoo]

Hey REWahoo......

I was down your way a couple of months ago in the Kingsland and Marble Falls area, staying on Lake LBJ. DW and I went out and looked at some houses and land one afternoon. We liked a development where the HOA was running longhorns on the common property! Individual homes had fences around them and cattle ran amongst them. Now there you are with your HOA trying to get rid of a couple of cows........

Ain't life grand!

If the restrictions in our subdivision allowed for feed lots cattle ranching, I would have absolutely no problem with it since I wouldn't have bought a lot and built a home here. But since it doesn't allow livestock, I'm one of those weird people who believe residents should live by the rules.

 

[REWahoo]

As long as they're good sh*ts...

I have no idea. Neighborhood restrictions also prohibit hunting.

 

[youbet]

No longhorns..... No hunting..... You pulling our collective leg here? You sure you live in Texas? Next thing you'll be telling us you don't wear a cowboy hat and chaps everyday!

 

[grumpy]

Just got an email from one of the poker regulars - he's hosting a game at his house this afternoon. This is a good alternative but having 6 or 7 players in his home is just not the same kind of social event that our clubhouse poker night was. There we usually had at least 5 table of 6 to 7 players. Everyone brought munchies to share and a good time was had by all. It was a good opportunity to chat with folks I hadn't seen for a while and helped maintain a sense of community. The SOB's who filed the complaint probably never attended any of the community social events. I'm still pissed!

Grumpy

 

[REWahoo]

Next thing you'll be telling us you don't wear a cowboy and chaps everyday!

No cowboys worn here. The name of our subdivision is not Brokeback Mountain.

 

[REWahoo]

Grumpy,

Looks like your HOA situation is a topic of discussion on the HOA Talk board. It doesn't look good for your chances to get the OK to use HOA property for your poker games:

http://www.hoatalk.com/Forum/tabid/55/view/topic/forumid/1/postid/13571/Default.aspx
http://www.hoatalk.com/Forum/tabid/55/view/topic/forumid/1/postid/11101/Default.aspx

You will probably have to register to get access.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

No cowboys worn here. The name of our subdivision is not Brokeback Mountain.

As long as you have a 1970's era Cadillac convertible with the horns on the hood, we can let this little transgression slip...

 

[youbet]

There we usually had at least 5 table of 6 to 7 players.

That makes the situation a little easier to understand. I thought you were talking about one table, five or six guys, playing poker over in the corner of the clubhouse and I was wondering how you even got noticed by the anti-gambling folks. 30 or 35 guys would draw a little more attention, especially with money on the table.

Here in Illinois your poker night would also be illegal. Here, the Catholic church gets past that by getting fund raising permits for their many bingo nights, Vegas nights, etc., over at the parish. They get temporary licenses to sell booze by the drink as well. Might that work for you? Could you run your evening to benefit a local charity, say the Fraternal Order of Police?

 

[SC]

As long as you have a 1970's era Cadillac convertible with the horns on the hood, we can let this little transgression slip...

OT: When I moved to Texas in the mid-90's, I was passed by a white car with big longhorns on the hood. I don't remember the make, but it was angular like an 80's Cadillac. As it passed, I noticed the giant badge on the passenger door. It was the county sheriff!

That was the moment I realized I'd actually moved to Texas, and things really were different here.

 

[REWahoo]

That was the moment I realized I'd actually moved to Texas, and things really were different here.

Yep...

 

[bssc]

Texas was an interesting place. I was surprised to hear that my GF's house had an HOA (in Sugarland) since I thought that they were viewed on the same level as unions and the Communist Internationale.

 

[cj]

We hate, hate, hate HOA's also. Our experience is that the violators get away with whatever they want to, and those who try to follow the rules get screwed. In our last development, 1/4 acre lots or smaller, our next door neighbor put up a HUGE swingset on the edge of his property line, about 10 feet from our screened-in-porch-sanctuary. Never mind that there was plenty of room to put it centered on his lot, or further back. He didn't want to ruin the view out of his back windows! So as we were putting in a request for a modification for something else, we also said that we were going to put up 4 leyland cypresses, to screen the view of the swingset. WE WERE DENIED!!! Said the leylands would ruin the "open view" of the yards. What about the stinkin' huge swingset? Helloooo And, by the way, the neighbor didn't even request permission for the swingset.

Grumpy - I always thought that an over-55 community HOA wouldn't be so bad - no swingset or basketball hoop problems. But DH thinks we'd still have problems with people erecting such things for their grandchildren. Can this happen? One of the reasons I'd want to live in an over-55 place would be to have relative quiet, away from the kids all the time. Does it work??

Anyway, I think the poker game issue is ridiculous. You're not hurting anyone! And my friends consider me a Bible-thumper.

CJ

 

[dex]

I'm on the board of a HOA in a rural subdivision (lot size from 3 to 10 acres). The developer disappeared after most of the lots were sold and no restrictions were enforced for almost 5 years. Now that we have an active HOA, we are having a devil of a time getting people to comply with the most basic restrictions.

An example: I just got through drafting a letter to a homeowner who, even thought the restrictions clearly state you cannot keep livestock on your property, has two cows! Her response to our request she get rid of them: "I'll comply with the restrictions after everyone else does." Sheesh....

Can you make the case that not complying with the rules is costing money when people go to sell?

 

[REWahoo]

Can you make the case that not complying with the rules is costing money when people go to sell?

Yes, we've attempted to show them how their non-compliance is hurting the property values in the subdivision and how it would be in their best interest to follow the rules. Problem is, we're dealing with a single woman in her 50's with a live in boyfriend who is apparently calling the shots (when they aren't screaming at each other). In addition to the livestock, they've also violated restrictions when they built a fence around their property and constructed a separate two car garage. The fence is barbed wire (a no-no) and the garage isn't side entry as required. They have been sent copies of the restrictions multiple times and attended the initial HOA meeting where an attorney discussed the restrictions. They completely ignored both the restrictions and the requirement to have any and all construction approved by the HOA in advance.

The HOA board is wrestling with whether we should try to work with them to reach some sort of compromise (no compromise on getting rid of the cows) or take them to task to set an example for others in the neighborhood.

The whole thing is reminding me of why I wanted to ER from the working world, and making me ask myself why the heck I agreed to serve on the HOA board.

Can you say 'resignation'?

 

[Alex]

Just reading this thread makes my stomach hurt. Now you know why I vow to NEVER again live in an HOA community!!!

 

[deserat]

ooooo - HOAs - yuck! Over 55 is probably worse - too many people with too much time who have control issues - yikes! I have HOA bad stories, too, and will avoid them like the plague.

 

[deserat]

oooo - HOAs -yuck. Over 55 is worse as they have too much time to exercise too much control. Have my own bad story such that I will avoid HOAs like the plague.