Whereas I am definitely quite fond of the neighborhood in which we live, I cannot say the same for being part of a Home Owner's Association (or HOA, for short).
Dont' get me wrong, I do appreciate that the streets are generally neat and tidy, and there aren't a bunch of dead vehicles and trash in people's front yards... but part of the problem with HOAs is typically that some community members see the fact that there's a "rule book" of sorts as an invitation to appoint themselves overseers and "policing" everyone in the neighborhood.
Our development is pretty large — about 800 properties — and we have our share of busybodies around here... many of whom are quite outspoken and just waiting for an apportunity to tell others what they have done wrong.
That's the part I find irritating — the meddlesome people, not the actual rules.
I happen to know our office manager fairly well, and I also know that she rolls her eyes at some of the complaints that come in... and especially because she's bound by the HOA rules to follow up on community members' complaints, no matter how petty and trivial.
Like someone who has friends from out-of-town staying in their RV for a few weeks and thereby breaking a rule about RVs being parked in an "un-desginated" space... like an actual driveway, rather than a covered RV garage.
And, of course, we have the "hedge police," and the "lawn police" and even the "Christmas light police," always ready to report people not fully complying with every regulation of the HOA guidelines.
Probably the worst is related to anything to do with building/remodeling... right down to something as simple as repairing a fence.
Someone walking their dog by actually asked my neighbor if she "had a building permit" to replace the boards on part of the fence that had been blown down during winter and spring storms.
Seriously?
You're actually more concerned about permits than you are about the fact that the fence is an unsightly eyesore that is now being fixed?
Apparently so.
We first ran into the reality of association "petty bureaucrats" shortly after moving here, some 15 years ago.
We were quite delighted to have found a home with an existing built-in chicken coop attached to the side of the garage... something that seemed like it was perfect for our desire to have an "urban homestead" of sorts.
Little did we know what a storm of controversy would arise after we got 9 lovely chickens — no roosters — who seen began to give us some marvelous fresh eggs.
It was maybe 4-5 months before we got a "letter of complaint" in the mail, citing some code about "not keeping livestock" and pointing out that "chickens attract rats, and therefore are not allowed."
Of course, chickens do not attract rats... improper chicken feed storage does. Not an issue, if you store your feed in tightly sealed bins like we did.
However, that made no difference when we appealed the request to remove the chickens at a HOA meeting. Nor did a thorough presentation about the benefit of keeping backyard chickens in urban environments... so we ended up having to give away "the girls" to a friend with a more farm-like setting.
Still an annoying event...
The sad thing is that Home Owners' Associations are becoming more and more common. Here in our state, currently about 1/3 of all properties are part of a HOA, but a surprising 70% of new construction is now done under a HOA.
Which is a bit of a daunting prospect, as we are still planning to move to a smaller place within a year or so... maybe there's just no getting away from this sort of thing, anymore...
Thanks for stopping by, and have a great remainder of your week!
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Created at 2025.06.17 23:15 PDT
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