home owners associations

[Midnight_Raven]

I was a little concerned I recently purchased a home in an area with a neighborhood associate and thought it was the same thing as a home owners association. Luckily this is a voluntary association so I guess I'm didn't make a mistake moving here. Sounds like HOA are a big PITA!

 

[willabeest]

Which car do you park in your driveway? My inlaws have been having a lawsuit with their HOA for the past three years. They stink.

i can not physically get my tundra and another vehicle in my 2 car space.
the tundra is too wide. i have a 3 car garage. the single space is 1/2 foot too narrow for the tundra. the tundra has to go on the driveway.

of interest - i am not sure if this will work - but if i buy another vehicle and fill up the slots in my garage i may be able to park my tundra in the driveway.
i am going to ask them at the hearing next week.

??maybe a lotus or s-2000!!!??
it has to be small...

 

[ftuhy]

i measured the width of my garage doors. unless i get a lift it simply is not possible.
to do a lift i will also have to change the rails my garage door goes up. this will cost about 400 dollars. lift at costco is about 2200. installation extra.

meanwhile my wife tells me she does not want me messing with the garage doors.

regarding jealousy - i bought this home from the treasury department. the former owner got 20 years for operating a ponzi scheme. i got a really good deal on it. maybe someone hates me because i got the home for 1/2 off ....

I did the lift & garage door rail thing 10 years ago and have never regretted it. I ordered the rails, an extra garage door section (for balance) , the lift, and installed everything myself. You need at least a 10' high ceiling for it all to fit. My 20 year-old Sears garage door opener works fine with the door. I even had to replace the old wood garage doors 2 years ago and the special rails, springs & extra section worked fine.

As to the cost -- you saved all that money on the home purchase, so this is a minimal extra. And it sure is great for oil changes, etc, etc.
:biggrin:
Despite all I said above, start with RSO's advice. Do it calmly and factually at the HOA meeting.

 

[lightguy]

Tomorrow morning, take a photo of every car in every driveway and file a complaint. When they don't take action against every owner, argue selective application of the rules is discriminatory and that the written policies have been amended in effect by the tolerance exhibited toward all the other owners.

This could work two ways.
Either they can allow you to park like the rest or you can really stir the crap and have everyone elses cars parking banned as well.
This will turn your happy little community against you at least those who were also punished.
Or you can get on the board and change the rules.
Buy lottery tickets instead. Your odds are better.
OR you can get a garage lift if you have the ceiling space. You can get them for < $2000 installed. All the benefits of having a lift are freebies.
I park two cars in one spot.

OR you can do what I did. Move.
Screw HOA's.

 

[lightguy]

i can not physically get my tundra and another vehicle in my 2 car space.
the tundra is too wide. i have a 3 car garage. the single space is 1/2 foot too narrow for the tundra. the tundra has to go on the driveway.

of interest - i am not sure if this will work - but if i buy another vehicle and fill up the slots in my garage i may be able to park my tundra in the driveway.
i am going to ask them at the hearing next week.

??maybe a lotus or s-2000!!!??
it has to be small...

Didnt see this before posting above.
Get the lift.
Shop around in the yellow pages. Much better deals.
I got a Rotary lift installed with wheels for $2500.
Wheels allow you to change the entry approach angle so its easier to park.
There are sidewinder motors you can attach to the existing door spring tube so you can take out the center lift opener rail.

2 NSX's !

 

[willabeest]

Didnt see this before posting above.
Get the lift.
Shop around in the yellow pages. Much better deals.
I got a Rotary lift installed with wheels for $2500.
Wheels allow you to change the entry approach angle so its easier to park.
There are sidewinder motors you can attach to the existing door spring tube so you can take out the center lift opener rail.

2 NSX's !

lot of lifts on their web page.
which one are you referring to?
thank you.:smile:

 

[tabasco]

I live in a nice community of 150 homes in Maryland-a mixture of luxury townhomes and ~$1M single family homes. I have been president of our association for about 12 years. We have a minor parking issue in the town home area--we have fire lanes so some of the townhomes do not have direct street parking. We have never had a complaint about parking in a driveway (unless commercial vehicle).

I joined the HOA Board and made changes with respect to it's relationship to the community. My focus is keeping the community as beautiful as possible. We try to keep the original look. I cannot remember the last time we had complaints from one neighbor against another.

Being on the board is not easy and is purely volunteer. I personally have put in 1000s free hours of my time. The hardest thing is to get others to volunteer. I hear a lot of "HOA hate" here. I can understand it if there are power issues, but it is much different here. We all seem to work together well.

I think you should press to have the complainer face you. Other than that do what I did--"if you can't beat em join em"-make changes. Good luck.

 

[willabeest]

I live in a nice community of 150 homes in Maryland-a mixture of luxury townhomes and ~$1M single family homes. I have been president of our association for about 12 years. We have a minor parking issue in the town home area--we have fire lanes so some of the townhomes do not have direct street parking. We have never had a complaint about parking in a driveway (unless commercial vehicle).

I joined the HOA Board and made changes with respect to it's relationship to the community. My focus is keeping the community as beautiful as possible. We try to keep the original look. I cannot remember the last time we had complaints from one neighbor against another.

Being on the board is not easy and is purely volunteer. I personally have put in 1000s free hours of my time. The hardest thing is to get others to volunteer. I hear a lot of "HOA hate" here. I can understand it if there are power issues, but it is much different here. We all seem to work together well.

I think you should press to have the complainer face you. Other than that do what I did--"if you can't beat em join em"-make changes. Good luck.

here is what i got from them
//I apologize for the delay, but as Marianne has already informed you, I have had and extremely challenging schedule this week.

The hearing in question was requested by the Board without reference to a neighbor’s complaint triggering this action. Being that the Board requested this hearing, based upon their own observations, you will have the opportunity to directly address the complainants simply by being in attendance.

I do appreciate your communication with our office. The Board looks forward to meeting with you this coming Wednesday.

Best regards,
//

every fourth home in our community has vehicles parked in the driveway or street. (all night) unless i see 30 people there i think they are picking on me.

 

[tabasco]

here is what i got from them
//I apologize for the delay, but as Marianne has already informed you, I have had and extremely challenging schedule this week.

The hearing in question was requested by the Board without reference to a neighbor’s complaint triggering this action. Being that the Board requested this hearing, based upon their own observations, you will have the opportunity to directly address the complainants simply by being in attendance.

I do appreciate your communication with our office. The Board looks forward to meeting with you this coming Wednesday.

Best regards,
//

every fourth home in our community has vehicles parked in the driveway or street. (all night) unless i see 30 people there i think they are picking on me.

I would do as others here have said and get some pictures, including your driveway. Have them defend why you are the only one there. Where do you live? I cannot understand the BOD acting this way. We have only called one renter and owner to our meeting and that was because the daughter was a menace/bully to the other kids and threatened some with a handful of bullets. The police finally got rid of them. We have a great community--dont know how they got here??

Good luck. Sounds like they have nothing better to do. Tell them to plant some trees...that's what we do a lot of.

 

[tabasco]

One more thing. If things don't go your way at the meeting tell them you are staying for the business part of the meeting. Ask for a copy of the latest financial statement (you have a right to this). See if they are running the association in a solvent way. Check to see if all the reserve funds are up to date (fully funded). Ask how much in checking. Ask to see this years budget. Ask about how much are there in uncollected fees. Ask to see the latest outside independent audit. Very few HOAs today are solvent. Attend meetings and keep asking about financials. Do you attend the annual meetings? It is there that you could voice your concerns in front of other homeowners that probably would be sympathetic to your issue. This could be embarrassing and you have to wonder why a BOD member is worried about your driveway. Of course this could backfire and you become a target for some power crazy jerk, so you probably know what you are dealing with much better than I.

Keep us informed. When is this meeting?

(BTW, our HOA is in great financial shape)

 

[Accel Junky]

The neighbor that complained drives a Prius.

I LOL'd on this one. So true :biggrin:

 

[willabeest]

One more thing. If things don't go your way at the meeting tell them you are staying for the business part of the meeting. Ask for a copy of the latest financial statement (you have a right to this). See if they are running the association in a solvent way. Check to see if all the reserve funds are up to date (fully funded). Ask how much in checking. Ask to see this years budget. Ask about how much are there in uncollected fees. Ask to see the latest outside independent audit. Very few HOAs today are solvent. Attend meetings and keep asking about financials. Do you attend the annual meetings? It is there that you could voice your concerns in front of other homeowners that probably would be sympathetic to your issue. This could be embarrassing and you have to wonder why a BOD member is worried about your driveway. Of course this could backfire and you become a target for some power crazy jerk, so you probably know what you are dealing with much better than I.

Keep us informed. When is this meeting?

(BTW, our HOA is in great financial shape)

5/4/2011 at 530 pm.

 

[shawn110975]

when you find out who park your car in front of their yard and hang a banner on the road side of the car saying these people are a-holes.

or leave the brownbag on doorstep with flameing poop,

but now you need to be careful they dont have those radio-shack brand cameras recording. atleast wear a mask when you Hate back on them LOL

and a white t-shirt with " f-UR-camera " on the back and front of the shirt.

will really piss them off.

NEVER SELL YOUR NSX

HOA suck inless the house was for free I would not buy the house in HOA control.

 

[willabeest]

when you find out who park your car in front of their yard and hang a banner on the road side of the car saying these people are a-holes.

or leave the brownbag on doorstep with flameing poop,

but now you need to be careful they dont have those radio-shack brand cameras recording. atleast wear a mask when you Hate back on them LOL

and a white t-shirt with " f-UR-camera " on the back and front of the shirt.

will really piss them off.

NEVER SELL YOUR NSX

HOA suck inless the house was for free I would not buy the house in HOA control.

these kind of people like it when you get mad.
that is the whole point for them.
they like lots of drama.
they are into power and manipulation.
if i show up cheerful and totally in control it might bother them. nothing else will.
if i get mad and yell they will laugh all the way home and consider it a job well done.
once i figure out who is behind this i might be able to bother them a little.
virtually every home in the neighborhood has some sort of violation going on.
i just need to know which homes ...
also - if 30 homeowners show up then maybe i was not being targeted.
in that case i would consider the whole thing fair. probably sell my tundra.
it just fell out of warranty anyway. great truck BTW. 0-60 in less than 7 seconds.
I AM NEVER SELLING MY NSX. THEY WILL HAVE TO PRY THE STEERING WHEEL FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS FIRST.

 

[nsxtasy]

once i figure out who is behind this i might be able to bother them a little.
virtually every home in the neighborhood has some sort of violation going on.

Suggestion: bring a friend to the hearing, and ask your friend to use his/her cell phone to take pictures of everyone who attends to complain. That way you'll know whom you're dealing with.

 

[willabeest]

5/4/2011 at 530 pm.

the hearing is tonight!
i have pictures, i have notes, i even have garage measurements.
wish me luck, i am going to need it.

 

[Track Addict]

Good luck tonight.

 

[tabasco]

Good luck. Let us know

 

[willabeest]

Good luck. Let us know

whoa! i got cross examined, i got yelled at, i got accused of things i had no knowledge of, i was basically treated like scum....it reminded me of a TV police episode where they are trying to extract information from a suspect.

they did not believe me when i told them i could not fit my Tundra and NSX in the same 2 car garage slot.

they are going to come out next week and see if they can park them. i told them 6 inches is not enough to open a car door...AND ONE OF THEM ASKED ME WHY!

i have a friend who grew up in communist China who said this is how it works there (although she did say China is changing).

if i ever move it will not ever be in an HOA place. avoid them . seriously. you get this sometimes at your job. why would you want it at home?

 

[V.Lats97nsx]

whoa! i got cross examined, i got yelled at, i got accused of things i had no knowledge of, i was basically treated like scum....it reminded me of a TV police episode where they are trying to extract information from a suspect.

they did not believe me when i told them i could not fit my Tundra and NSX in the same 2 car garage slot.

they are going to come out next week and see if they can park them. i told them 6 inches is not enough to open a car door...AND ONE OF THEM ASKED ME WHY!

i have a friend who grew up in communist China who said this is how it works there (although she did say China is changing).

if i ever move it will not ever be in an HOA place. avoid them . seriously. you get this sometimes at your job. why would you want it at home?

My grandfather lived through the soviet union, in the 1940's he went to prison bc the soviets found he was using a combustible engine to grain his crop, His father was in siberian concentration camp bc he was head of an underground born again christian church. Your the guys that voted these communists in to power. So deal with it.

 

[FogCityNSX]

whoa! i got cross examined, i got yelled at, i got accused of things i had no knowledge of, i was basically treated like scum....it reminded me of a TV police episode where they are trying to extract information from a suspect.

Did you record the proceedings?

What exactly were you accused of?

You should hide a video camera in your garage when they are there. Leave the garage for a few minutes to let them blab among themselves. Pretend your phone is ringing, say "Excuse me I need to take this". Walk out to the roadway a good distance away in plain view of them. Pretend you're talking to someone. Maybe you'll makes some discoveries when you review the tape.

 

[clarkm]

I am fortunate to live where this is not a problem. There is some inconvenience involved in living in a rural area, but it is worth it, if only to avoid things like parking Nazis. Is there an outside wall, or living space, directly behind, or beside your garage, that could be sacrificed to enlarge your garage? What about another door in the back wall that lets you into the back yard, or extending the driveway around the side of house, so you can park in back? Could be money better spent on this than fighting the HOA. Are there rules against cars in the back also? Do you have a wall or privacy fence in the back?

 

[EuroBoutique]

I'm also on the board of HOA's in one of the houses I own and they have their good / bad points. Always 2 sides to every story right?


Tobasco: I noticed you are in the east coast (MD) and people there are very different than people in the west coast (CA). Whenever I'm out in the Durham/RTP area it reminds me of how polite most people are!

The OP is here on the west coast and over here things are totally different. A lot of jealous haters and people who want a lot but financially may not be capable.

I've been on the short end of a few HOA's prior to joining one for our townhouse community. The end goal is to help keep your neighborhood clean but the method on how to go about this is different with each group. How long have you lived there before these things started happening? My only hunch is that you pissed someone off without knowing it.

A lot of people do not like LARGE pickup trucks but it's true. Especially ones with loud exhausts, big wheels, etc. Are the other neighborhood cars smaller ones in the driveway? Do they complain when you park your nsx or other car on the driveway?

Use the process of elimination but in the end if all else fails just move, why bother with this kind of headache.

 

[tabasco]

What was there complaint and what are they telling you that you need to change? What did they say about all the others in violations (your pictures)?

It sure must be way different between the coasts. I couldn't handle the socialism. I live in a quiet beautiful community. Everyone waves to each other.

Best of luck.

 

[R13]

This type of thing makes me glad I was too poor to buy in a "nice" neighborhood a few years ago. :biggrin:

I'd honestly rather deal with renters down the street letting a house go in the toilet than deal with an overbearing HOA. The house was crap when I moved in, and if it's still crap when I go to sell...I'm breaking even with that factor.

Also,

some douchebag from keeping a front yard full of cars on blocks, etc etc. But really, how common is that anyway?

You clearly aren't from the south. Give me an hour in a car with a camera and I can probably find a dozen or more examples of this within 5 miles of a major urban center (or what passes for a major urban center in TN and surrounding states).

It's really funny because you'll have an entrance to a $1million+ home neighborhood (which is like a 6000+ sqft house here), and less than a half mile later...a trailer park with at least three F-body chevys or pickup trucks on blocks out front.


Good luck to the OP with dealing all of this, otherwise, sell, take the equity from the deal you got and build somewhere a few miles up a nice twisty road....