Retarded-ass Homeowners Association

[ls1camino]

I'm going to start off with the background story taht prompted today's "incident"...

The street I live on used to be a cul-de-sac (sp?), but a few years a go they developed the forest up the street and now it's a semi-major street that is the only way to about 50+ homes. The speed limit on this road is 25mph, but since it is perfectly straight, the high school kids and sometimes adults speed up and down the street. Due to this speeding, my Suburban, my Beretta (now sold), and my roommate's Camaro have been hit...no one ever stopped or left a note (not really surprising). I now park my Trans Am in the driveway and my roommate parks next to me (half in the driveway, half in MY front yard); my Suburban and Mazda3 are still parked in the street. Since they are parked in the street, I park the Suburban normally and the Mazda is parked halfway off the street on the grass (which is county property but is maintained by the neighborhood). Sort of like this (Suburban is like the Mazda and the Mazda is like my Trans Am):



I figured that if anyone was going to hit a vehicle of mine, it best be the Suburban...would probably total their car before it scratched the truck.

Anyway, to the story from today:

So, I've gotten multiple notices from the homeowners association saying that I can't park on the grass cause I would kill it. I ignored them, because I'm really not afraid of a group of stuck-up people who have nothing better to do than boss their neighbors around. Well, today there was a hearing to decide what should be done about me (I heard this from a close friend of mine, who has a parent in the association). So, I showed up at the hosting person's house and informed them that I was wanted to be present to tell them my side of the story (I later found out that I was supposed to be notified to attend, but they "forgot" to send me a letter).

I told them that I was tired of my vehicles being hit by speeders in the neighborhood and that they should be spending more time and effort into stopping people speeding then into petty things like me killing grass. Their counter to my statement about speeders was this:

Them: "You're one to talk about speeding, you own a sports car."
Me: "So, just cause I own a sports car doesn't mean that I speed in the neighborhood. I have 3 younger siblings, I know it's not right to speed in neighborhoods cause there are kids at play."
Them: "..."

They then try to make me look like an idiot by asking me if I have any ideas for slowing people down in the neighborhood. I suggested speed bumps and a larger police presence driving through the community. They said that they can' get a larger police presence cause they don't have the authority to do that (I can sort of understand that). They then said they don't have any money in the treasury to build speed bumps. I lost it at that point...I went off...I demanded to know how they have money to constantly send annoying letters to homeowners about petty violations in the neighborhood and to pay for a landscaping company to come through the neighborhood and cut the grass every week. I told them that if they cut out bothering people and cut the grass themselves they would save a bunch of money a year and would be able to have speed bumps put in in a years time.

They decided to dismiss me as an arrogant kid who knows nothing about how difficult it is to run a neighborhood...

I hate stupid people...I seriously do...

I'm thinking about reporting them to the county for misuse of public funds, but I don't think I'm going to get enough attention for them to care...any suggestions on what I should do?

PS: Sorry for the long spiel

[01 SS Vert]

I also live in a nice neighborhood w/ a HOA and I actually like it. Overall, a HOA keeps things up in the neighborhood and keeps the houses and market value up. I've also lived in neighborhoods without a HOA and before you know it, trash cans stay in front of the house, paint is faided, cars are parked in yards, lawns are not cut, trashed/project cars are in driveways....ect, ect. We even have a rule that you can't have a car parked in the street over night (my friends have broken that many of times though.)

As for your situation, I think you have a real justification due to the speeding and previously wrecked vehciles. I think their call about the grass is weak, however if it's in the rules not to park in the grass, you are obligated to follow them.

I can also relate with ppl thinking just because you are young, that automatically makes you dumb/stupid/irresponsible/ect. Luckily, my neighborhoods average age are late 20s couples w/ no kids (including myself) so it's sort of laid back. I'm deffinetly in the lower scale of lawn care (I cut it, but I don't water or spend hours a week taking care of it)' but it doesn't look like crap either.

I suggest you:
1.) read the HOA rules and confirm you are within rules
2.) research how much speed bumps are to install (I'm curious as well)
3.) find out where the current monthly fees go (in vs. out cash flow)
4.) restate your justification and claim until the speeding stops, your surburban stays
5.) look into adding an additional concrete parking slap next to your driveway

Good luck. As for myself - I wouldn't complain as a neighbor unless it was a true eyesore.

[Sarge]

I have my very own HOA. I am the only member. Well my dog Jackson and I are the only members. We get shitfaced and make up rules.

[2MuchFun]

I have my very own HOA. I am the only member. Well my dog Jackson and I are the only members. We get shitfaced and make up rules.

same here. Me living in a rural area kicks major ass

[Rick99TAWS6]

HOA's, sometimes can get pretty stupid - sold the last home I had due to one which was not active when I moved in but became active a few years later. They then started up and filed a lawsuit against one of the neighbors(whom I did not know) when they started a senior care facility - complained about every little thing and then said I needed to pay them a few hundred bucks because of the suit they filed...... yea right

Sold that place and bought 40 acres - like sarge - in essence my own HOA(home owning *ssholes)

[Spaz]

dig pot holes in the street...

[JonB]

3.) find out where the current monthly fees go (in vs. out cash flow)

This I highly suggest I have known two people in two different developments with Hoa. In which the president was taking a good bit of the money for himself. Needless to say charges were pressed on both of them one did jail time(took over 100,000 over many years) the other was ordered to pay back the money he took(roughly 30,000)

Not really sure how you can go about getting the records but I would think it would be public records that anyone in the HOA can look at if they wish.

[Smkn_TA]

I could never live somewhere with a HOA.

"I've also lived in neighborhoods without a HOA and before you know it, trash cans stay in front of the house, paint is faided, cars are parked in yards, lawns are not cut, trashed/project cars are in driveways...."

You're one of those dicks that bitches about that shit arne't you? God I hate busybody's. My neighbor has a project car sitting in his drive way that has been there for two years. Its cool every once in a while to see him start it up, loud as hell and go up the street and back. Hey, sometimes I don't bring my garbage cans in in the morning. Who cares. If you want to live in a fake place, find a HOA. I like my neighborhood. Couple garages are faded. Who cares. It's called character. People should worry less about other peoples shit and live their own lives. Who cares if he is on the lawn, get over it. My neighbor wouldn't let my dad extend the garage within 3 feet of the property line, cause we needed a signed agreement. So he got within ten feet and now we park a box trailer there all year long. I hate hate hate people bitching!!

Here is what you do, tell them to go fuck themselves and walk out of the meeting. What are they going to do? Have your car towed? Can't do it? Vote you out of the HOA? There is nice publicity, put that in paper I was kicked out for parking slightly on land that wasn't theirs. No one will want to live there. Call them the HOA NAZIS!

[nhraformula]

Here is what you do, tell them to go fuck themselves and walk out of the meeting. What are they going to do? Have your car towed? Can't do it? Vote you out of the HOA? There is nice publicity, put that in paper I was kicked out for parking slightly on land that wasn't theirs. No one will want to live there. Call them the HOA NAZIS!

they can have a car towed if its in the rules that you cant park on the grass.
HOAs have more power than you think. while its easy to tell them to get fucked, they could fuck you rather well with petty shit and if its written in the rules, courts will side with the HOA.

[01 SS Vert]

I could never live somewhere with a HOA.

"I've also lived in neighborhoods without a HOA and before you know it, trash cans stay in front of the house, paint is faided, cars are parked in yards, lawns are not cut, trashed/project cars are in driveways...."

You're one of those dicks that bitches about that shit arne't you? God I hate busybody's.

Hardly....my house is no where near the best jem in the neighborhood nor have I made a single complaint since I moved in (I've had a few due to the camaro since it's loud and I leave for work around 6:30am and wake ppl up). However, from a resale value (after all, for 95% of the nation, their house is their best and most expensive asset), having a clean, neat, and organized neighborhood does make a difference in the long run. My old house, which was built in '81 and isn't in a neighborhood w/ a HOA, now looks like crap. However my parents house is in a older neighborhood and that place still looks great. The HOA is partially set-up in order to help the neighbood values stay up over a longer term period of time. You have a right to vote in your committee members....if you have a problem with them, I suggest you vote them out if you're unhappy with their services.

The fees suck at times, but the majority of my fees goes to keeping the pool and clubhouse in check, and the insurance to have such a building with a high level of liability. So, in all, I'm not one of those prick neighbors but I'm also not against a HOA b/c I have seen the benefits of them over long periods of time and helping your property value stay elevated.

Lastly, things like your box trailer are an eyesore and lowers property values to potential buyers. How do I know? My old neighbor has a red race trailer that never moved from the driveway....it looked like shit and just about everyone commented on it when they visited the house. Also, faided paint on a 1880s house is character......faided paint on a house from the early 90s is called lack of mainintance and up keep. I'd rather live next to a neighbor who keeps care of their assets vs someone who doesn't care at all and let's their crap go to hell (usually this same person has the same mindset for how they take care of their body as well - it goes to hell).

As I said before, I've never made a single complaint, but I like the HOA for the most part due to the clientle it attracts and value it gives in the long run.

[nhraformula]

HOAs have their good and bad sides.

long story short, if your not a fan of HOAs, dont move where there is one, that simple.

[gwballin]

HOAs have their good and bad sides.

long story short, if your not a fan of HOAs, dont move where there is one, that simple.

Agreed.

I, for one, am not going to buy a home that comes with rules attached that I do not agree with.

That said, more power to the people that find HOAs valuable.

[DrMilhouse]

I just forclosed on a house I haven't lived in for a while and didn't pay the HOA. There are $4500 in HOA dues/fees.

I'm soooooo glad to not have to live there. The place was nasty, it was like living in the projects.