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I stopped reading this thread about 20 pages ago, but I have a lot of neighbors that have what might be considered Christmas lights on their porches and decks (no blow up Santas, but white or colored twinkle lights). I love them and think it makes the neighborhood look festive.
I live in an HOA neighborhood and plenty of people have those here on their back patios, decks, screened porches, etc. Looks festive. We have some, actually.
I think this sort of thing is included to stop the slackers from leaving their blow-up Santa lying in the yard, uninflated until Easter.
That sort of deal.
I do know that some HOAs (especially the ones with townhomes and not so much SFH ones) are really militant about outdoor lighting. Which is a shame, but I guess the answer is to join the HOA board.
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I live in an HOA neighborhood and plenty of people have those here on their back patios, decks, screened porches, etc. Looks festive. We have some, actually.
I think this sort of thing is included to stop the slackers from leaving their blow-up Santa lying in the yard, uninflated until Easter.
That sort of deal.
I do know that some HOAs (especially the ones with townhomes and not so much SFH ones) are really militant about outdoor lighting. Which is a shame, but I guess the answer is to join the HOA board.
I live in a townhouse and while the lighting in the front of the homes is controlled, you can have lighting on your patio, porch, pergola and even the trees in the back. Only thing disallowed in the back are flood lights IF they shine into neighbors windows. As long as they are directed correctly, then floods are no issue either.
Our rules are pretty simple, reasonable and IMO needed when you're living in close quarters. Of course there are those who b*tch and moan when they get called on breaking the rules even though they knew what they were when they bought. Have no sympathy for these folks at all.
I live in a townhouse and while the lighting in the front of the homes is controlled, you can have lighting on your patio, porch, pergola and even the trees in the back. Only thing disallowed in the back are flood lights IF they shine into neighbors windows. As long as they are directed correctly, then floods are no issue either.
Our rules are pretty simple, reasonable and IMO needed when you're living in close quarters. Of course there are those who b*tch and moan when they get called on breaking the rules even though they knew what they were when they bought. Have no sympathy for these folks at all.
That's a good point. Cannot really complain if you know what you installed violates the rules and you aren't even bothering to join the board and try to create some tweaks to the rules.
Some people do just like to gripe.
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That's a good point. Cannot really complain if you know what you installed violates the rules and you aren't even bothering to join the board and try to create some tweaks to the rules.
Some people do just like to gripe.
What I learned by serving for 5 years on the Board: Those who gripe the most, do the least. They never volunteer for ANYTHING much less serving on the Board.
Of course there are those who b*tch and moan when they get called on breaking the rules even though they knew what they were when they bought. Have no sympathy for these folks at all.
Can every household have a member on the board? A 300+ person board may seem a tad large, but it sounds like it's the primary means one has to protect themselves from new rules or fees that may be instituted after they purchase.
I wonder if anyone has ever bought into an HOA specifically because they allow something, only to have them change the rules. For example, let's say you purchase a $400,000 home in a neighborhood that allows you to park your boat or RV, but after you move in and they see you do this, they add a restriction to the rules and you're forced to sell it or rent additional property. I'm sure most HOA's are written to say that you agree to any and all future rules, so are you just at the mercy of your neighbors not to turn on you? And if they decide to, you get one vote and the chance to beg them not to do it?
I had HOA once that created rules against children making excessive noises when playing (as the units were close together). Great rules. But, our HOA was so lame, they did not want to enforce any violations.
Can every household have a member on the board? A 300+ person board may seem a tad large, but it sounds like it's the primary means one has to protect themselves from new rules or fees that may be instituted after they purchase.
We only have 50 units. We can have up to 7 people on the Board per the CC&Rs. We send out a call for people willing to serve EVERY year and it's crickets in response. In addition we ask for volunteers to serve on the landscape committee, Architectural Review committee and Social committee. Again crickets.
And EVERY year we sweat getting enough people to the Annual Meeting so we can get the slate of Officers and Budget approved. Our Board meetings are open to all residents and any resident can address the Board if they have a suggestion or concern. Nobody EVER shows up.
Those who are the least engaged are quite frequently the first to complain about things they would have had a say in if they bothered to take the time.
I've seen a lot of discussion about HOA rules and know opinions differ. But most of them make sense to me in one form or another, to keep the community tidy.
I'm wondering if there are some outlandish ones, or things you think are way out there. And what community they pertain to.
Can an HOA tell me what plants I'm allowed to have in my front yard? Backyard? Can they dictate what decorations I can have on it for holidays? I'm just guessing about things I might find invasive.
Oh here we go again. This is constant now.
Try the search function. Just last week there were two enormous battle threads because this stuff BEGS for HOA haters to go nuts.
Every community has it's own bylaws. You must read them.
They initially are usually started by the builder then the home owners take over the HOA upon a certain amount of occupancy/ownership.
For age 55+ restrictions they must meet the MINIMUM requirements set by the HOPA law. After they meet that, they can do essentially anything they want as long as it is otherwise lawful - meaning for example:
IE they cannot forbid the use of walkers or wheelchairs LOL
The bylaws are the pervue of the owners. They can change or not depending on voting. As can the volunteer board members or the property management company which may or may not be hired to manage it.
The ability to change fees on a whim to whatever they feel like.
Or, a policy that raises HOA rates not based on actual inflation, but on a fixed schedule(like a fixed 5% a year increase).
Told, ya, OP.
HOA haters out of the woodwork every time.
LOL 5% every year.
You never lived in one, right? If yours did that it was because of a VERY SPECIFIC reason so what was it? And for how many years?
EVERYTHING IS DECIDED BY THE HOMEOWNERS. Including funding reserves and or assessments.
MY HOA fee increased once in the past ten years- by $5.00 per month - 1.4%.
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