This is the update to my previous post linked below. TLDR; HOA stops trimming a bush without notice and says homeowner is “lucky” that it was ever trimmed despite the HOA installing the shrubbery and trimming it for years. They did not notify residents of change in service. During HOA meeting they called several yards unsightly. Homeowner unplugs the security camera from the garage that she allowed the HOA to install on the back of her house for community good stating the HOA was “lucky” she allowed them to use her space, electric, internet. Multiple recent landscaping projects include installing artificial turf behind a dumpster in non-public facing area so that the county judge can have a nice place to stand when her dog pees.
https://www.reddit.com/r/fuckHOA/s/xrfKJg7mjn
After nearly 2 months of complete silence on the matter, a HOA board member called her. Highlights include:
“These HOA fees are the most reasonable in town”
“_____ was shocked to hear that the bushes were being trimmed and I know her personally. She never meant to offend when she told you you were “lucky.” “
Being neighborly involves volunteering and sacrifice
The 5 figure artificial turf next to the dumpster project was well in the works before neighbor moved in and everyone would agree that spot was unsightly
The bushes the HOA installed on her property is solely within her responsibility to tend to
The security camera’s view is the best from her property
It does not cost that much to hook up to homeowner’s electricity and internet, is not unsightly and not in the way of any of her daily activities
There is no budget for trimming the bushes installed on property or for use of her electric, internet, and space.
She cannot have a discount on her $2500 a year HOA fees
Invited her to a neighborly party to discuss if she would like to reconsider plugging the security camera back together
Projects and budget are not allocated based on friendship or social stature
Plugging the camera back in with no accommodations is the most reasonable move
So anyways, they are fixing her brick from where the mounting was done, have to pay a contractor to come remove the camera and she insists she is not backing down based on principle. Shortsighted decisions, flippant comments from HOA board members = not her problem and she will not change her mind. Yes she learned her lesson and will never do an HOA a “favor”again.
Oh? Those hedges are my responsibility and my property? Cool.
Hedges are completely gone the next day.
Completely, agree. Though I would most likely just spike the ground with an herbicide that kills it so it does not come back on me. "Oh my. That hedge must have died since you did not trim it. Sad."
That or trim it myself so far back it becomes twigs sticking out of the ground
If the hedge is big enough, trim it into a middlefinger.
Inspirational. Something I would have never thought of
My thought is if done like that, then the HOA can cite for making it look out of what they deem acceptable and charge you a fine. I was thinking of it as plausible deniability.
Yeah, I'd trim it into some kind of extreme topiary shape that isn't inflammtory. Those extreme cuts require constant fertilizer and babying and still usually die young. You just "got inspired" by the ones at Disney and it didn't work out.
Didn’t anyone teach you how to tend to it? Oh well.
Obscenely shaped hedge coming up
After getting notices about how some of my shrubs looked, I got my sawzall instead of the trimmers lol. I saw later when reading the bylaws that we are supposed to get authorization before removing any shrubs. No one said anything though. I still get notices, but it seems like they stopped complaining about my shrubs.
What a self titled obnoxious bunch of people on the board all that money she’s paying and they can’t trim a bush yet they want her to use her electricity they could go to hell
I'm glad your neighbor basically told them to fuck off.
Can't wait for another costly update from those idiots.
She should also force the HOA to remove the bush they installed - then install an exact similar one once the job is done.
Love to see it
No, shortsighted was buying into a HOA.
There's no way to avoid it around here.
30% of new homes are In HOA’s In this country.. they need serious oversight
Not gonna happen, unfortunately. HOAs are another way to privatize public services, and certain types of people have a massive hard-on for gutting any and all public services, regardless of a proven history of higher costs, worse service, and less ownership over your own home.
Exactly.. now add a vipor maintenance company and pos lawyer to run things- and “self dealing”collusion runs rampant. Ya’all make sure u demand transparency— since the majorly of HOA’s are set up as non profit organizations. U have rights dictated by your states that allow u to see everything. If they refuse, it’s aRed flag”
And a structure that powerfully dissuades homeowners from taking legal action, since the cost of the HOA's legal defense will be passed through to those same homeowners.
I can't think of any other instance in which an entity is permitted to financially punish a member/customer for suing over deceptive practices, undelivered services, or corruption by ensuring they will have to pay for not just their own legal bill, but the HOAs as well. Obviously it's not uncommon for a litigant to be ordered by a judge to pay the defendant's legal bills, but that's different than having a system in place in which plaintiff must pay their legal bills 100% of the time.
EXACTLY.. u don’t know my story, it’s unbelievable. But I’m determined to be an advocate for justice. Not all states have oversight on these vultures. Only FL and CA have actual means to go after them…
But, my HOA collusion circle, messed and punished the wrong people. We were injured, our owned home destroyed , 3x.. and we had to start our lives over. We should be retiring, but both professionals determined to take them down and create landmark laws. I am studying law in this area and going back to school.. disabled, not folding. They won’t win, and we all need advocacy to fight this BS. We need to stick together. My neighbors do not care, because they weren’t targeted. All maintenance for us stopped In 2013. No one to complain to, unless u get a high powered Attny. Game on. 👌
Watch this:
https://youtu.be/qrizmAo17Os?si=Ur6AVIEt_IEsOhNG
Oh yeah - the John Oliver thing is pure gold.
What a nightmare for you! I applaud your intention to advocate for justice. I'm not a lawyer - but maybe whatever happened to you violated protections afforded by the Fair Housing Act?
Good luck on your crusade. I'll be supporting your Team David versus the HOA's Team Goliath.
(Hint: use AI apps to run your docs thru, then teach it your case. Now add your state senate laws. I wrote the entire case for my Attny. These apps opened a whole new world. I intend to create a coalition to protect the owners these Vipors. 30% live In HOA run communities..these people are preyed upon thru altered laws, rules and loopholes . Time to take our lives back)✌️
That's getting very hard to do in a lot of areas unless you want to be out in the country on a big acreage. Our city (population ~ 15000, farm community) mandates in codes that every developer has to form an HOA with CCRs with every subdivision planned in order to get build approval and will actually fine the developer if they (the city) has to do any maintenance at all. our city is far from the only one that does this. its actually the norm.
city's love HOAs because every HOA subdivision is one less they have to maintain...
and those big country acreages.... they are getting very pricey for those that do want to live on them... many folks cant afford more than an acre or 2 of land. You almost have to go to the rural county areas available to afford it.
then you're going to get crap for services... sheriffs dept that is understaffed and over an hour away, volunteer fire depts with unmanned stations that will get there just in time to save the slab... road maintenance??? lol... you wish.
If the county does any kind of road maintenance at all, its whenever the potholes get so big you can't pass them anymore. They might have one or two salt trucks for wintery days if you're lucky.
animal control? Go to Bass Pro and buy a .22 rifle.... you're on your own....plus long drives to work every day and make sure you gas up in the city before you go home because you'll find the gas prices are anywhere from 20 to 40 cents higher in the rural areas..
And I will gladly accept all that to live rural!
I live very rural. Nearest thing that could be called a city is more than an hour away. I find that the thing I miss the most is the lack of restaurants and food delivery. Still, it's worth it to live where the nearest neighbor is a half mile away.
I spent nearly 44 years living one house away from one of the ten busiest corners in Indiana. Constant sirens, people walking through the yard, stealing trees from the front yard, urinating in my front yard, bags and bags of Walmart bags from the nearby Walmart.
Now, if we hear a siren, we worry about our neighbors.
We have a good restaurant ten minutes away (max) and decent taverns no further than when we lived in a city.
I do have an NFH that cost me a small fortune in legal bills, but I still wouldn’t give it up!
We're all of things supposed to make me NOT want to live in the country? Cause...
Disturbing, given there is no regulatory body that oversees HOAs practices.
Oh, we need an HOA for the HOAs! /s
Nil sounds like a mess bro like who even needs that kind of drama for real
Board Fucked around and now they are well and truly finding out. Dont piss off the person doing you a favour, and when you HAVE pissed them off, try not too be a condescending arsehole towards her when trying to get her to resume the favour
Amen on this one. Don't bite the hand that feeds you. It's a worthy lesson for any HOA.
Yearly dues of 2500$?!? Does she live on a golf course?!? My dues are 250$
Yeah. Mine are almost $300 a month and I get basically nothing for it. Also our property manager is a dick and possibly corrupt. Moving soon though!
… mine are 250 a year! Not a month!
I'm super jealous!
Very reasonable! Though we have no public spaces maintained by our HOA. They are all about curb appeal and I really appreciate it.
They are not measuring the grass, they watch for weeds, dead cars, ugly RVs, house maintenance and they maintain the aesthetic of the neighborhood.
The houses in this HOA sell almost overnight for max value because the neighbor is so well maintained and preserved. So there is a HOA that meddles but they are good about warnings first and our 1950s neighborhood looks almost new!
It was increased from 1800 to 2500 last year for their little landscaping projects. Plus a mandatory one time $900 assessment levied for more beautification projects. Closed vote of the board on fees
😱 … Sell? 🤨
Also demand the financials, sounds like someone is making their mortgage off the HOA dues
Annually are $250? How about this one mine are $640 A MONTH ($7,630 annually). However we get weekly yard service, on garbage days I push the cans out and they bring them in and if I need any plants in front yard I call and tell them and they will plant them for me as well.
That sounds like you get at least come value for your money! I see so many story’s where people pay a lot and their HOA does not provide much other than headaches!
My almost an hoa wants zero to do with residents! Just no planting or removing trees or bushes without okay, and dig safe. Or if course additions , porches etc... anything that changes the current footprint
I would never live in an HOA. Too many problems with them.
Move out of your HOA.
Fixed the shrubbery " said in a Clark Griswold way "
I cannot imagine belonging to a HOA. That whole concept confuses me. If you buy a home, pay your own mortgage, utility bills, buy your own food and clothing, why would you pay outsiders to tell you what to do with your own property? What happens if you refuse to join? What happens if the economy keeps tanking & you cannot pay the fees? Please tell me the benefits of paying someone else to mind your business?
UK here. That hoa stuff is wild. From reading various posts it sounds like HOA were initially for the benefit of the developer so they can sell their wooden boxes. Then someone (city stuff?) decided the hoa can take responsibility for niggly problems which takes the pain away from the city budgets. That allowed mini-hitlers to walk all over the average regular guys. The only action that appears useful, is for them to be disbanded by the members.
Is that about it? Please correct educate me if my interpretation is wide of the mark.
Doesn't sound all that different from a lot of stories I hear about "The Council" in the UK. Small people go on power trips and need to be taken down a peg is the moral of the story.
No, absolutely nothing like councils in UK.Care to share your stories and entertain us?
Depends wildly on the HOA and the development.
Some HOAs simply maintain roads and common areas of the development and then enforce certain standards like not having a car on cinder blocks on your front yard.
Others will take car or landscaping and snow removal and such along with the above.
Then there are the mini-dictatorships that micromanage everything down to the smallest detail with regard to the outside of your home and yard and demand you do everything to stay in compliance lest you face fees.
If you buy a home in an HOA development you have zero choice in if you join or not. It’s mandatory.
Don’t pay the fees they will put a levy on your house that you will have to clear if you ever try to sell.
Be obnoxious enough they can take civil actions to force you into a sale and get you out of the neighborhood.
Not all HOAs are terrible. But the terrible ones tend to be real terrible.
You cannot legally refuse to join if you buy a property deeded into an HOA, and most new builds/communities require an HOA, because the city/township doesn't want to pay to maintain the local infrastructure of that community. If the economy tanks and your fees are increased and become unaffordable, they will probably foreclose and there's not much you can do about it. And to your third question, there are no benefits to paying a third party to mind your domestic business. Which I'm sure you know as a member of this fine sub.
The reason you're confused is that it's confusing! Endlessly, cryptically, aggressively confusing. But at the end of the day, it exists because it affords some people the opportunity for a power grab or a money grab. Sadly on brand for our country these days.
You cannot refuse to join as it is a condition of purchasing the property. Here are some reason to join an HOA you may not have considered. What if you next door neighbor decides they want to cover their entire grass area in cement and make it on giant driveway? Or the neighbor on the other side decides to put a car up on jacks in his driveway. What do you do when someone parks a 30 ft trailer in their driveway? How about the neighbors that decide they are going to take the old couch and place it on the front yard so they have a comfortable place to sit amongst the 24” tall weeds that have taken over? The things make a neighborhood look run-down and so the HOA when functioning properly keeps everyone upheld to same standards so your community has a clean, insistent look.
WOW!!! I cannot imagine those kinds of things happening. Thank God all of my neighbors keep their properties clean & tidy.
Having a county judge in your neighborhood could be very useful. While I’m normally on the “fuck the HOA” bandwagon, I might make an exception to become that persons friend. You never know when that connection could become useful.
Now the question is, is the bushes on your land or common HOA property?
Installed on her land for community beautification when previous owner was there. There are many things that have been done and precedents set that are strange. The fact that they wanted a community security feed that just goes to the president’s Phone is weird to begin with
The security camera on her property connects to her power and internet?!? Fuck. That.
So being I guess she is the only one that has to make sacrifices and be neighborly. F@ck the HOA and the camera and the bushes, if I have to maintain them then they will be removed!
$2500 per year!!!! That's ridiculous!
It was increased from 1800 to 2500 last year for their little landscaping projects. Plus a mandatory one time $900 assessment levied for more beautification projects. Closed vote of the board on fees. Why she is pissed off about the bush
That's insane. Sorry about that.