Homeowner’s Association Stories

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What have your experiences been with your HOA?

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I don't have one, but my daughter does.

Someone posted a nastygram to the neighborhood facebook group bitching about chalk drawings at the playground. Like flowers, names, hopscotch, nothing bad.

The FB group shamed the poster... so I guess it never actually got to the HOA, but anywho, that's all I've got.

We have a couple of Karen's in ours.

A friend I’m trying to bail out of a jam owes $25K in HOA dues.

In all fairness, her husband died two years ago and there is some infighting with kids. But they (HOA) dropped a lien on the house

A mixed blessing. Their primary goal is to 'protect' the overall value of the development and your individual home by maintaining conformity & compatibility. However, today many HOA's have evolved into micromanaging money grabbers that rely on neighbors tattling on each other. In my opinion HOA's are needed because in every group of people (homeowners) there will 'always' be one or two that think they are exempt from the rules.

Wish mine did more. Renters just started in a house on the main entrance. Tacky mofos have 4 cars and park 2 on the street. Feels like I’m in a trailer park now, except trailer park people park next to their house not in the freaking street.

In theory, they are fine. In practice, very hit or miss. A shitty set of covenants or the wrong group on the board and things go south very quickly.

Currently...

The HOA has three lawsuits against it.

One stemming from a change to the bylaws a couple of years ago that removed a grandfather clause allowing short-term rentals. One couple splits time between two houses and VRBO'd, etc., each when not in use. Well, the husband managed to get his way onto the board to figure out if he could get it changed, when he could not, they filed suit. Now it's a shite-show because an active board member is suing the very board he's on.

The HOA now wants to charge each homeowner a fee of $500 to cover the attorney fees, but leave open the possibility of more tranches if needed, but have not told anyone what happens to the money if not entirely used and/or the HOA wins.

The other two are more normal - people suing due to the HOA not approving items other homeowners were looking to do...the way they wanted to do them.

Every HOA I've ever been in has been a bit of a clusterfrick...

Mine keep the neighborhood looking nice…..which is the reason I bought here in the first place. It pisses me off to get a nasty gram….but it is always valid!

I've experienced it from the homeowner and the board member side. As a homeowner I thought it was all pretty dumb (still kinda do) but I keep my house and yard up so I never really had any dealings with them.

I decided to run for the board at our annual meeting and won a seat. Holy shite. I'd break it down to about 5% Karens, 5% trashy people that would let their place look like a dump if you let them, 10% "govern me harder daddy" people, 10% "this is bullshite I own this property" but no one was talking about them people, 40% just go with the flow people, 10% zero participation but pay their dues people, and 20% always in some sort of arrears people. I got re-elected a couple times then took my name out of the hat.