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All you need are your covenants! If the only thing they state is "can must not be visible from the street", then you are done. As long as the covenants DO NOT state that you can't have garbage cans in the backyard then you need to contact your property manager and educate them on the covenants.
It sounds like from your description that this is one neighbor complaining and they do not have a leg to stand on. You can ask to be heard at the next board meeting they can put you down as a guest and you can question the board directly about this. But to be honest if you have a management company, the board members may not know all the details about this situation (usually the property manager identifies covenant violations). I think, it is your property manager who you need to contact, and they should know better then to send letters that are unenforceable.
I think that the storage shed is a good option. But, I would check with your HOA management company and make sure it falls within the guidelines before spending any monies.
I live in a fairly new, non tract builder development and I see garbage cans out the side of houses all the time. If a home only has a two car garage then 2 cans take up quite a bit of space - not to mention the stink of keeping garbage in a warm garage. Personally, we keep ours in the garage but I see why others do not.
The only complaint I have regarding garbage cans is that some people can't seem to bring them in and leave them out a couple days.
I disagree that all HOAs are the devil, but I would probably push back on this to get clarification. You'll,probably need to talk to the manager. The rules almost always state viewable from stree so if people can see them from the back, unless you back up to a street, it doesn't seem legit.
I disagree that all HOAs are the devil, but I would probably push back on this to get clarification. You'll,probably need to talk to the manager. The rules almost always state viewable from stree so if people can see them from the back, unless you back up to a street, it doesn't seem legit.
Without HOAs, most of these neighborhoods would become slums, with unmaintained exteriors and yards, uncut grass and shrubs and weeds everywhere, multiple large flags all over the yard displaying the homeowners favorite football teams, politician, and anything else he got a free flag via his fan club membership for. There will be teenagers parking half rusted cars on the front yard. People will put tacky statues and paint their fence ugly colors.
This is because for the most part, left unchecked, homeowners fall not only into the laziness trap, but the syndrome of "what looks good to me prolly looks good to everyone". Or they just come up with excuses (some of which are justified but most are not) as to why the life they were born into is so different than everyone else's, that they should be an exception to the rule.
Then what happens is when homes go up for sale, nobody is willing to pay fair market value for them, sending the comps for the neighborhood into a tailspin, and everyone one in the neighborhood loses large amounts of monetary value (in many cases sending some homeowners underwater on their mortgage... not exactly good for the economy).
When these people groan about HOAs they fail to realize what an important role they play in retaining the dollar value of the biggest investment most people will make in their lifetime. Hyperboles like comparing HOAs to genocidal dictators only reveals the maturity issues some of these homeowners have, and why they need to be supervised.
Without HOAs, most of these neighborhoods would become slums, with unmaintained exteriors and yards, uncut grass and shrubs and weeds everywhere, multiple large flags all over the yard displaying the homeowners favorite football teams, politician, and anything else he got a free flag via his fan club membership for. There will be teenagers parking half rusted cars on the front yard. People will put tacky statues and paint their fence ugly colors.
This is because for the most part, left unchecked, homeowners fall not only into the laziness trap, but the syndrome of "what looks good to me prolly looks good to everyone". Or they just come up with excuses (some of which are justified but most are not) as to why the life they were born into is so different than everyone else's, that they should be an exception to the rule.
Then what happens is when homes go up for sale, nobody is willing to pay fair market value for them, sending the comps for the neighborhood into a tailspin, and everyone one in the neighborhood loses large amounts of monetary value (in many cases sending some homeowners underwater on their mortgage... not exactly good for the economy).
When these people groan about HOAs they fail to realize what an important role they play in retaining the dollar value of the biggest investment most people will make in their lifetime. Hyperboles like comparing HOAs to genocidal dictators only reveals the maturity issues some of these homeowners have, and why they need to be supervised.
I'm sorry, did you just use the word "hyperbole" to describe the OP's statement, after writing that first paragraph?
I live in a neighborhood without an HOA and it is lovely. No "slum" to be seen and our homes are appreciating quite nicely, thank you.
As such, I have no advice for the OP... just had to call out the kettle there on his/her hyperbole...
I'd definitely contact the HOA and explain what's going on. Then I'd ask for the name of the person(s) complaining so you can address it with them directly. This kind of crap drives me crazy...if a neighbor has an issue with something why don't they just come ring your bell and try to talk to you about it before reporting it? It's like running to the boss over an issue with a coworker without trying to resolve it first.
If you do get fined by your HOA make sure to pay it. They can foreclose on your house if you don't (seriously, I know attorneys who do this for them).
Without HOAs, most of these neighborhoods would become slums, with unmaintained exteriors and yards, uncut grass and shrubs and weeds everywhere, multiple large flags all over the yard displaying the homeowners favorite football teams, politician, and anything else he got a free flag via his fan club membership for. There will be teenagers parking half rusted cars on the front yard. People will put tacky statues and paint their fence ugly colors.
This is because for the most part, left unchecked, homeowners fall not only into the laziness trap, but the syndrome of "what looks good to me prolly looks good to everyone". Or they just come up with excuses (some of which are justified but most are not) as to why the life they were born into is so different than everyone else's, that they should be an exception to the rule.
Then what happens is when homes go up for sale, nobody is willing to pay fair market value for them, sending the comps for the neighborhood into a tailspin, and everyone one in the neighborhood loses large amounts of monetary value (in many cases sending some homeowners underwater on their mortgage... not exactly good for the economy).
When these people groan about HOAs they fail to realize what an important role they play in retaining the dollar value of the biggest investment most people will make in their lifetime. Hyperboles like comparing HOAs to genocidal dictators only reveals the maturity issues some of these homeowners have, and why they need to be supervised.
These descriptions/myths about neighborhoods w/o HOAs is not true. I live in a neighborhood w/o a rules committee (HOA) and it's beautiful. There are no rusty cars in the yards, no uncut lawns, no weeds, etc. The only flags I see are American flags.
I'm sorry, did you just use the word "hyperbole" to describe the OP's statement, after writing that first paragraph?
No, I wasn't referring to anything the OP said. I made clear I was referring to comparison between HOA and genocidal dictators. Nothing hyperbolic about my first paragraph, it's the sad reality in many of these neighborhoods with lax or no HOA. I didn't imply all those offenses would be present in a single location or necessarily even in one neighborhood at the same time. But yes those things do occur and I bet I could cite some examples in your non-HOA neighborhood.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BlessedLife
As such, I have no advice for the OP... just had to call out the kettle there on his/her hyperbole...
These descriptions/myths about neighborhoods w/o HOAs is not true. I live in a neighborhood w/o a rules committee (HOA) and it's beautiful. There are no rusty cars in the yards, no uncut lawns, no weeds, etc. The only flags I see are American flags.
I didn't say all neighborhoods, I said most of the ones around here. Tell me the name of your neighborhood and I bet I can either show you examples of what I'm talking about via Google earth (or going and taking photos myself) that negatively impact the property values, assuming your neighborhood is here in the triangle. Or, if it really is around here and completely free of the behavior of the usual suspects, I bet I can identify the reasons why just by looking at the neighborhood. Some older neighborhoods have lots and grading such that things like I've described don't really impact the property values much (proximity of homes to each other matters a lot here).
Keep in mind also what's beautiful to you may not be beautiful to others, a point I made clear in my message. The guy proudly flying the flag announcing his upcoming participation in the local hotdog eating contest thinks the front of his house is pretty friggen beautiful too.
I live in a neighborhood without an HOA and it is lovely. No "slum" to be seen and our homes are appreciating quite nicely, thank you.
ditto, I don't live in an HOA/Dictatorship neighborhood either, one of many reasons why I chose the neighborhood/home I'm in. My neighborhood is beautiful and highly desired. Homes sell in one day.
I keep the trash/recycle cans in the garage along with 2 vehicles, the cans don't smell even in 100 degree heat, guess it depends on what one places in the cans and how they keep the cans clean.
I'll never say never, but buying into an HOA neighborhood is not something I would personally entertain.
My advice, store the cans in the garage and keep the cans clean, this will eliminate any smell; diapers or not.
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