Beauty

[Bella Carro]

On 9/27/2014 happy housewife said:

On 9/27/2014 BellaCarro said: Also, if anyone who is getting hit with arbitrary ordinance changes over and over, check your Homeowners insurance policy. Many have Ordinance & Law clauses/endorsements. Of course, you don't want to continually file claims with your own insurance but if it keeps adding up you may want to consider it. Keep all of your records and receipts. They may even be able to subrogate on your behalf with the HOA insurance.

What are you smoking?

That was rude, uninformed and unnecessary. Educate yourself before throwing out insults. But, I guess you'd rather throw out insults and complain rather than take some action on your own behalf.

[Bella Carro]

On 9/27/2014 makeupaddicted1 said:

I don't know if condos are different and I don't know if the requirements for covenant changes vary from state to state. However, I definitely know beyond a shadow of a doubt in our state that you CANNOT change covenants arbitrarily. I have been President of an HOA for years and we have a management company and an attorney. We have been told on more than one occasion that we cannot make changes to the covenants unless we have agreement by 75% of the homeowners.

Exactly.

[Sweetbay magnolia]

Enjoying life without that headache! In my state, the HOA is registered as a corporation. According to the RE agent that helped me buy our current house, and then sell the one in the HOA, there is a state oversight board, but they essentially have no power. Even he said "they are out of control and unregulated". Maybe that will change. I have better things to do than argue it. Language can be twisted; the board controls the $$$.

[penny2k]

Based on the experience my mother-in-law has had, my husband and I have decided we will live in a tent in the forest before we live in an HOA. If you really want to live in a neighborhood with an HOA, I would, seriously, retain a lawyer to hold the fine-tooth comb you go over the paperwork with. Keep the lawyer on hand the whole time you live there.

My MIL has had 2 HOAs, neither of them worth anything at all, let alone what they charge. She (and the whole community) are constantly being threatened with the loss of their pool privileges because someone (let's face it-probably not my 71-year old MIL) keeps vandalizing the pool. The whole community almost lost their water service last year because the HOA collected their fees (which covers the water bill) from the residents like clockwork, and don't dare be late or they'll sic attorneys on you. But the HOA didn't pay their bill for 2 years! All the grass in the complex died, and even the dead stuff wasn't trimmed away for quite some time. Now that they've managed to pay their water bill and they have grass again, the ground in the common area is pockmarked with holes you can't see-oops! Good thing MIL just had both knees replaced! Meanwhile, if we have a storm and their ill-attached cosmetic shutter is ripped off the outside of her house (which they are supposed to maintain), well, then, by howdy, she better snap to it and fix it within 24 hours or they'll fine her. And, when she had her first knee replacement surgery, her daughter had a mini van and brought her home from the hospital in the evening. She pulled up close to the back gate, taking up, but well within, her mother's (my MIL's) two parking spaces. My MIL wasn't using her parking spaces at that point - she'd taken her car to her daugter's house so her family could use it, since she wouldn't be driving. Her daughter, an RN, stayed overnight with my MIL to be sure she'd be ok after surgery. By 8:00 the next morning, there was a notice on her daughter's van that she was parked incorrectly, and they would tow her if she didn't move.

I hope you find the decision that's right for you. For my husband and me, if we want some corporation telling us how to live, we'll go to Saudi Arabia.

[JustWantBeautifulSkinn]

I live in a condo - the property is HUGE ..... 22 - 23 buildings - 418 units WITH tennis / basketball courts, pool & clubhouse

the property is BEAUTIFUL........ hilly, LOTS of BEAUTIFUL trees, buildings spread apart

my Common Charges are: 352. + change and INCLUDES: heat & hot water, landscape, snow removal, garbage pickup, ETC...........

decks & roofs, exterminators, also have a maintenance crew ETC......... are taken care of with the common charges

It's RARE we have an assessment VERY rare

it's sort of worth the charges THOUGH high - we don't have to buy all of the items you would need if you had a house: lawn mower, rakes, snow plow, landscape

High cost of oil in a tank - garbage pickup ------ fixing, replacing roofs, siding, painting the outside ETC..............

just maintenance free

[twins mom]

On 9/26/2014 NYC Susan said:

On 9/26/2014 twins mom said:

On 9/23/2014 happy housewife said:

On 9/23/2014 RedConvertibleGirl said:

On 9/23/2014 colliegirls said:

HOAs are great for those of us who do not relish living next door to a purple house with a yard full of cars and washing machines.

Exactly! I don't want to look out my window or around the neighborhood and see junk and trash everywhere.

I lived in a plan without an HOA for 28 years and ity was beautifully maintained - each home by it's owners who took care of their own property .

I think the key word here is OWNERS.... we have renters across the driveway from us... about 15 people have been living off and on in the house.... they had broken down unlicensed vehicles in the driveway we share with flat tires and blown engines... trash and weeds all over the place... thank goodness for the HOA who sent a letter to their landlord who got this stuff taken care of... really was depressing my property value... we recently put siding on our house and they were very reasonable and quick with the approval... don't have to get approval for every plant but structures, such as sheds, in the front yard do need approval which is always given... Our fee is very low.. about $60 a month which includes pool, tennis court and trash... if you have reasonable homeowners, you don't need one... if you have neighbors who think it is cute to put exercise weight equipment in their front yard with a bunch of junk and put up a sign "Honk if you like my stuff" (this is in a neighborhood nearby) you actually would like to get one... who wants to live on the same block with a house on your street whose front yard looks like a junkyard and they are proud of it....

Just because renters across the driveway from you are slobs doesn't mean that all renters are. I take offense at your generalization.

I currently live in a garden-apartment type complex, and we are all renters. Everyone keeps their porches, terraces, gardens, and all of that in good and decent condition. I've been living here for over 10 years, and have not once seen an abandoned car, excessive trash, or anything else you've described. This is an area that's not high income or low - just average, mostly working-class people, and they all use common sense & are aware of common courtesy. In other words, typical of people everywhere. Years ago, I lived in a low-income urban area and people weren't slobs there either.

In all the places I've lived (as a renter or as a homeowner), I've never had a neighbor "whose front yard looked like a junkyard". The only negative experiences I've had along those lines were much more minor and in every case they were homeowners, not renters. One was an eccentric couple who hoarded newspapers that you could see thru their windows and in their backyard. And they were homeowners for 20+ years. Even my most short-term, transient rental neighbors never came close to anything like that.

Certainly renters can be trashy, create eyesores, and bring down property values. But homeowners certainly can too. People who rent are not automatically a lower class of people - not by a long shot.

Thank you for being a responsible renter and you also probably have a responsible landlord. The landlord across the driveway rents to people/groups of people who can't get approval for housing other places. The last one is because they have 4 children and the deposit for the small children in other places was too high. He charges them an enormous deposit, enormous rent, never gives anyone back their deposit, and doesn't care who lives in the house and doesn't repair the property. One of my complaints with the HOA on the house is the windows/screens have never been replaced and the house is over 30 years old. It is actually against the housing code in our area to have 10 people (yes it is that many people) living in a 1500 square foot home, with multiple animals, etc. I wont report that to the county because I really don't want them homeless but it is a stress on the facilities in our neighborhood, especially for parking. So actually I am helping out the renters by reporting some of he violations so the landlord can fix them... also btw he rarely gives his renters the pool key so here they are playing thousand of dollars a month in rent and can't even use the pool..The other renters by us have out of control children who steal, call other children names and their grandmother locks them out of the house at 6:00 am in the morning and sends them over to other houses to play. She them complains people are mean if they don't welcome her out of control grandchildren into their homes, feed them, entertain them.... if you don't invite them in she complains you are mean...

Rest of the renters on the street are fine and a pleasure to live hear...

[Tyak]

It seems like some of us just pick places with better HOA's than others, although I still think there's two sides to every story.

[Bella Carro]

On 9/27/2014 Tyak said: It seems like some of us just pick places with better HOA's than others, although I still think there's two sides to every story.

ITA

[Wen_Woman]

On 9/27/2014 colliegirls said:

Its very simple, if you don't like the HOA standards and rules, don't move in!!!

I agree. Its your responsibility to realize what the benefits and drawbacks of the HOA or Condo are before you close on your property. I run into a lot of people who love not having to get their own Homeowner's insurance, but complain, complain, complain about being expected to maintain their home to the HOA's standards. There are benefits, there are drawbacks. And if you complain because someone expects you to pick up after your dog....go buy a home with your own yard, fill it with with dog poop, and enjoy!

[151949]

First of all - not all folks who live where there is an HOA live in a condo - many people who live in a privately owned home still have an HOA so assuming everyone with an HOA lives in a condo is incorrect.

Obviously there are different rules in different states as well.

Looking at whatever rules exist when you buy will not prevent changes into the future. when we had our home built there was no HOA as yet - the developer was in charge of everything and he was the ultimate authority. AS more and more homes were built he ceded power more and more over to the management co. Then when the builder was done the HOA was formed.

Obviously, there are both great and horrible HOAs, just as there are very inexpensive ones and ones that have crossed the line into ridiculous.

In my state , Florida, my DH learned last year as he researched this there are different sets of rules governing condos or other group living situations vs private homes. For anyone to come here and say that because their situation is a certain way - that ALL situations are the same is inane.