Post # 1
Member
1775 posts
Buzzing bee
After I did a bunch of yardwork yesterday, I got something in the mail today from out HOA citing us for “deficiencies.” There are no fines, but we have to have the things fixed by 6/7. The frustrating things are that one is our mailbox (someone hit it, I called the HOA immediately, they fixed it 2 weeks ago, and then it’s on the list), our trash can is outside in the back next yo our garage (they sent me a copy of the rules and there is no rule against this), and lots of trivial stuff. I knew HOAs can be annoying but didn’t think it would be this bad, especially since the yard is in better shape than it was last year shortly after I moved in and never received a citation. The whole thing just hits a nerve for me (I was a goody-two-shoes growing up and don’t do well with “getting in trouble” from people besides my parents.)
Post # 3
Hostess
18644 posts
Honey Beekeeper
HOAs can be stressful for sure. I used to work with them so I saw things from the other side. But I would go to talk to the manager about the deficiencies and try to stay calm. They have a lot of people freak out on them and it just makes them completely shut down.
Post # 4
Member
129 posts
Blushing bee
Yeah I would definitely be calm and polite when talking to them, or you could also write them a letter. Since it doesn’t sound like their recordkeeping system is all that great, having a written letter may be a good thing if you have problems with them later. Explain that there’s nothing in the rules prohibiting your trash can location, their records aren’t up to date with the mailbox, and that it’s frustrating to be cited for violations when you’re actually in compliance. This may sound overly formal, but HOAs are often really hard to deal with, so it’s good to establish a record of your interactions.
Post # 5
Member
8353 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
I don’t really see the point of HOA’s. The people running them are usually control freaks and the only people that get in trouble are the people that aren’t part of their clique(sp).
Post # 6
Member
1775 posts
Buzzing bee
I initially was going to send them an email, but in case I wasn’t clear, I am not being fined, all it says is that if these aren’t “addressed so that visible improvement may be seen” they can have an “outside vendor complete the work and bill me for the costs.” I am just worried that the improvements won’t be good enough in their eyes. My thought is to do all the stuff, send them an email explaining the mailbox and say that the weeding is done, etc. and let them know I have done the stuff (at least in my mind) to decrease the chance that it isn’t good enough. I don’t think the trash can is worth the fight, I will jsut move it into my garage, where it used to be.
Post # 7
Member
2562 posts
Sugar bee
This is exactly why we went out of our way to make sure we bought in a new community without a HOA, and with minimal architectural controls!!
Post # 8
Member
1775 posts
Buzzing bee
Ms Mini- I tried to do that , but I looked for a house for 2 years in the area I wanted (in between FH and my work, and close to a new highway exit) and there is VERY LITTLE that was close to what we wanted that didn’t have an HOA.
Post # 9
Member
7053 posts
Busy Beekeeper
Right now T is wrestling with the lawn nazis of his/our HOA for the fence build. They’ve finally backed off and the fence is up and almost finished!
I know they’re difficult. They’ll put nasty-grams in your mailbox if your pine straw in your bedding is too scant. They will tell you your “islands” in your yard is bare, and they will remind you if the grass is too tall, but the property value in the subdivision has remained steady, the subdivision looks great, and I guess they do serve their purpose.
I love OUR (can’t get used to saying that) neighborhood. So there’s a few rules. Keeps us on our toes and our house looking schweet.
Post # 10
Member
536 posts
Busy bee
Ugh HOA’s are a pain! I swear mine doesn’t do a darn thing for us and I pay them $178 a month! I always complain to them about things I am being charged for that don’t get done. They never do anything about it and just encourage me to attend a HOA meeting…which I have no interest in doing since I know it will just be a waste of my time! I need as much time as possible for weddingbee! LOL jk! 🙂 Good luck!
Post # 11
Member
7053 posts
Busy Beekeeper
Now ours is doing something cute for the kids tomorrow. About 5 pm, they’re throwing a “Schools’ Out” party for the kids at the pools, complete with a dj, bbq, burgers, games and a dive in movie!
Post # 12
Member
14186 posts
Honey Beekeeper
You can tell the neighborhoods around here that have HOAs and the ones who don’t. The ones that don’t look like junk basically (just trashy in general, not kept as nice, loss of curb appeal) and the subdivisions with HOAs just look nicer because people are required to keep their trash cans away (yeah, ours has a rule saying it has to be put away by the next morning!) and you can’t have chopped trees in your backyard (we were stacking limbs once for firewood, oops!) or leave toys and junk around.Without them, there are always going to be people who let the grass grow too much, who don’t fix broken shutters, and in general, bring down ALL the property values of the area!!!
I for one, appreciate living in an uptight neighborhood b/c it means my neighbors have to keep their yards looking nice!!
But yeah, they are a pain. They tried to put a tax lien on us for a handful of sticks, stacked nicely up against the fence.
Send them some photos, showing there is no weeds and that the mailbox is put away. But yeah, i have to admit i get annoyed seeing trash cans out–mostly because they attract racoons and then they are all over the neighborhood.
Post # 13
Member
648 posts
Busy bee
I have to say that I’ve been on both sides…..hating the HOA and loving the HOA. Right now I’m living in a townhome and condo neighborhood where I LOVE our HOA. They stay on top of making sure the homes all look good, and all of the landscaping, pool & common areas are taken care of. Very nice.
I’ve also lived in a neighborhood where they were a royal PITA! We wanted to fence in our back yard, and the guidelines on fencing were quite vague. After starting the build, they decided we needed to make sure to have 50% open space between the slats, and went so far as to have someone out there to measure each slat and space….WTH?!?! We were paying like $6000 to have this fence professionally installed, versus the guy up the street who put up his own split-rail fence that looked like crap, but they were on our case from start to finish….after which we had several people come down and compliment us on how nice it was compared to all of the others in the neighborhood!
Good luck & hang in there. They’re there for a purpose, just gotta learn how to work them.
Post # 14
Member
5496 posts
Bee Keeper
Ours is $150 a month and a pain in the butt. BUT, they do a fairly decent job making our townhome community look nice. Like ejs4j8 said, without them it probably wouldn’t look nice!!
But, yea, they come around once a year and do their “write-up’s” and some of the things are just absoutely ridiculous.
Post # 15
Member
117 posts
Blushing bee
Ok probably a dumb questions, but what is an HOA? I live out in the country and have never lived in town… I’ve heard of these but have not a clue what they are! Thanks!
Post # 16
Member
1093 posts
Bumble bee
We actually don’t have an HOA and we STILL have gotten nasty notes from one of our neighbors about our grass being too long (these are the kind of the people who rush out at the slightest hint of frost and cover their azaleas in handmade bags) Last year we just got a nast note, but this year, with no warning, they called the city on us! what’s worse is that the day after the city made the unannounced inspection, we mowed! I swear if our dog didn’t love the yard so much I would move us right back into an apartment
