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“Could Not Wear Camouflage Clothing”: 44 Of The Most Outrageous HOA Rules People Have Endured
Imagine being banned from wearing camouflage clothing in your front yard, or not being allowed to grow anything edible in your garden. It might sound like a little dictatorship but in reality, it’s the way some people are being forced to live thanks to a few wild Home Owners Association rules.
HOAs are meant to keep neighborhoods neat and tidy, properties valuable, lawns uniformly green and pools sparkly blue. But sometimes they feel more like a proverbial judgemental cloud hovering over your home, just waiting to rain on your parade.
Bored Panda is filled with stories about people having run-ins with their power-hungry HOA boards of dictators, many of whom seem to have mistaken a cul-de-sac for a small, sovereign nation. And we aren’t done yet…
Someone recently asked netizens to share the most outrageous HOA rules they’ve ever encountered and some of the answers read like the laws of a country that could be in need of a coup de tat. We’ve put together a list of the best of the worst conditions people have had to endure in their own homes. We also break down what your HOA is not, by law, allowed to do. You'll find that info between the images.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
They launched a no dogs in the elevator about two years ago not because people had issues with aggressive animals but apparently too many people weren't cleaning up if their pets couldn't make it out on time and never went back to clean up.
I'm physically disabled, live on the 5th floor, and have a legit service animal and have been here for 12 years. Each infraction was a $200 fine. I racked up close $45k in fines until my lawyers threats became reality in an ADA suit. They still were dumb enough to want to go to court, confident they would triumph because they tried to play the aggressive animal angle but it's a legit service dog, not an emotional security dog, so you could set off an air horn behind her and she is trained not to react. The court didn't just dismiss it but ordered them to not just pay my legal fees but $20k in compensation for the mental and emotional stress that came with that BS.
Zac 4 weeks ago
listen folks, the ADA codes are up there with the IRS in terms of dont f**k around with them. i work construction, the quickest way to get me and my company to pull the f****n ripcord on a project is when a contractor or owners says "well ADA isnt a law so i dont really care about being up to code with it". ive had people say that mid measurement and ive literally packed up and just left the site. there are thousands of lawyers in this country absolutely chomping at the bit to get a slam dunk ADA case, and they arent gonna be talking about my products on the stand i can guarantee you that. its in every contract we sign, that any deviation from ADA compliance must be corrected or it will result in a termination of the contract. weve had to get lawyers involved on more than one occasion. DO NOT F**K AROUND WITH ADA COMPLIANCE. YOU WILL LOSE EVERY SINGLE TIME.
Snazzy Smurf 1 month ago
Due to how common they are becoming, ESAs tend to get confused with trained service animals
Lady Eowyn 4 weeks ago
After I moved to my current apartment 5 years ago and began bringing my legit service dog into the grocery store, I noticed more dogs in the store. Obviously not trained service dogs. That didn't last long, the behavior made it plain they weren't trained. Now, the manager is always complementing me on my dogs behavior, and the only other dogs I see really are - obviously - trained service dogs. I hate that people refuse to accept that ESAs do not have the same access privileges that service dogs do.
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Papa 4 weeks ago
OP said "I racked up close $45k in fines until my lawyers threats became reality . . .," but did not say that they were paid. I believe we can safely assume that the fines were not paid.
Load More Replies...Home Owners Associations are tasked with keeping neighborhoods neat and tidy, making sure property values stay decent and enforcing rules and regulations.
But as we’ve seen far too often, they tend to take their jobs far too seriously and forget that they too must abide by federal and state laws. There are certain things an HOA is absolutely not allowed to do. One of them is to keep you out of court.
"Snippy associations might make you think they're above the law—but if you're truly in a bind, you can sue your HOA," advises realtor.com, adding that there's a good chance you'll have the upper hand in court, especially if the board of dictators, err directors, acted in an underhanded manner.
HOAs are also not allowed to hush up litigation. They must disclose pending lawsuits to residents.
"How much they disclose will depend on the community's covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs) and state laws," notes the site. "So make sure you look into both if you feel like something has been swept under the rug."
RELATED:
#2
An HOA I lived in had a rule where residents could not wear camouflage clothing outdoors. It was considered "Redneck" to go out in public in such. This guy racked up fines because he wore camo daily. No matter how many times he appealed, with a good reason, the fines would stand, even though he refused to pay them.
The fines were dropped after his unit commander attended an HOA meeting and tore into the board about their idiocy in fining a man for wearing a military uniform.
Colleen Glim 1 month ago
Ran into this recently. Parked in visitor parking because we were doing a bathroom Reno and there was a dumpster bag in the driveway. $55 parking ticket because residents are only allowed to park in their driveway or garage. Driveway was full of dumpster, garage was full of Reno bits. Asked condo board president is there anything we need to do. She said no. When we asked her after parking ticket she said I wasn’t aware there was going to be a dumpster. Neither were we until it showed up. If we want to have the ticket cancelled we have to talk to the condo board. The same condo board that issued the ticket in the first place. Can you say conflict of interest boys and girls? She is president of the condo board. It’s literally her job to know this c**p. Fecking cow
Jonas Fisher 4 weeks ago
I don't understand. The dumpster was yours, right (I mean, it was placed by the contractor doing your renovation)? You asked her if there was anything you needed to do...meaning what? At that time you didn't know there would be a problem with parking, so what were you asking about? This is 100% on you. You knew the rules and you broke them. I mean, I don't like HOAs, but you bear SOME responsibility for managing your own existence, bud.
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Rali Meyer 1 month ago
my mate moved. Truck delayed, packed til midnight, parked til morning 5:00. Got fined $600 for overnight parking. In the 90s. Was taken off his deposit
Huddo's sister 3 weeks ago
I didn't realise they could issue fines, I thought if you broke a HOA rule you would just have to put up with some busybody knocking on your door and yelling at you or something.
Zig Zag Wanderer 4 weeks ago
HOA discover that he's not a 'pretendy' soldier, he's a real one! 😅
#3
Our first home in an HOA had a rule that limited home owners to no more than fifteen monkeys.
Fifteen.
I've spent a lot of time over the years, wondering "why fifteen?" That seems like a lot of monkeys. Even five monkeys strikes me as somewhat excessive.
Every one of these regulations came into existence because a homeowner caused a problem. Which means that somewhere there's a guy who was doing perfectly fine with fourteen monkeys- but then everything went bum over teakettle when he brought home that fifteenth monkey. Was it just a bad monkey? Did it escape and rampage through the neighborhood?
Marno C. 3 weeks ago
Actually 11 monkeys. It's that 12th Monkey where things start to happen.....
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SnifflyMango04 4 weeks ago
One. One monkey should be the limit. Or better yet: no monkeys. Wth happened there?
Amused panda 3 weeks ago
Sounds like one of those silly things a company insert into Ts&Cs to amuse the rare individuals who actually read them. But if so, question is, was the person who proposed the rule testing the residents or testing the board that was voting them in.
If you've ever lived under the reign of a HOA, you'll probably know many of them they love a good fine. And while it's not illegal for them to dish out their pink slips, the fines "must be set forth in the association's rules and bylaws," reveals real estate lawyer, Barbara Jordan.
The team at realtor.com advises anyone with an HOA to check the community's CC&Rs before complying with fines. "If that fine isn't listed, you might not need to pay," they add.
If the HOA still goes ahead and digs their heels in, you can appeal the fine. To do this, gather all the evidence you have and present it at the next board meeting. Or, check the appeals process in your HOA documents and follow their specific instructions.
#4
Not an HOA I was in, but one I used to mow lawns in.
They were not allowed to have flags with more then 3 colors. I assume to keep folks from flying rainbow flags?
One of my houses had a pink triangle flag out of pure spite.
Karen Bryan 1 month ago
My sister had some old Adirondack chairs and some partially used cans of paint. So--she thought--why not paint the old chairs in many different colors? HOA wouldn't allow her "rainbow" chairs to be visible.
Kristiina Männiste 4 weeks ago
This is what Estonians used to do in the soviet times with our national colors! During outdoor events the trick was to place the colors together every time the KGB agents were not looking.
Load More Replies... #5
I had an HOA president tell me that "We reserve the right to use force to enter your home if we need to. It's in the covenants.".
I chuckled, looked him straight in the eye, and said "And that will be met with overwhelming shock and awe. We will all be on the news.".
Zac 4 weeks ago
my mom lives in an HOA neighborhood and i was staying with her a number of years ago before i bought my house (in a neighborhood with no HOA mind you) and the HOA president tried to come in once when i was there. i was talking to her and the off duty cop she was married to and they said they needed to inspect the pool area of my moms house. i said no. she said that "the HOA rules state that we can use force to enter your home if you dont let us in to fulfil our duties" and i said "and the law states that if you step over that threshold i can shoot you in the f*****g face" her husband then tried to open the door and shove me aside, but im much larger than he was. so as he pushed and yelled at me i looked at his foot and said "awful cocky for a man in stand your ground range arent you?" and they left. honestly i dont think that dude had been an active duty cop in decades at that point lol.
Tabitha 4 weeks ago (edited)
You try a home invasion like that, and we’ll see which of us goes to jail that day. Hint: It won’t be me. (Almost makes you want to buy yourself a home protection cannon to use on anyone busting through your door, doesn’t it?)
Robert T 4 weeks ago
Depending upon the type of buildings in question, that is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as there if legitimate reason for it. For example, the apartment above has a water leak and water is cascading through your ceiling. Would you kick the door in yourself and run the risk of prosecution or have someone from the HOA do it and let them take the rap!
Earonn - 3 weeks ago
You do know that you can break in the door anyway, without any "contract" and that the person living in that flat won't be angry but grateful, yes? How do you think people in civilised countries that don't need this HOA s**t handle such cases? FFS, use your brain!
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Saltypepper 4 weeks ago
You enter my house by force and you ain't the popo you gonna get met with my 45 at your head . Fafo
#6
Not a rule but the the HOA below me (that I have to drive through to get to my house) a couple years back apparently got the red folks breaking their imposed 15mph speed limit.
Their solution was to install speed bumps on a rather steep section of the road which remains snow covered for most of the winter. That alone would have been bad but in choosing said bumps they instead opted for parking stops because the would be more "effective".
This caused many going up to lose momentum slowing for the enormous bumps and spin into the ditch. Those coming down would try to break for them and slid into the ditch on the other side.
I left three messages for the HOA president in a week... none were returned.
Two days after the final call, a friend and I pried them up in the middle enough to get a tow strap under them and yanked them out of the road with his F250.
We left them stacked neatly in front of the HOA president's driveway.
Maartje 4 weeks ago
Yes it sounds like it and that would mean that they cannot randomly do stuff like that.
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HOAs are not allowed to discriminate, though many of them do it anyway. All HOAs must comply with the Fair Housing Act. They can't stop you from buying a house or living somewhere based on your ethnicity or the color of your skin.
"It also can't kick you out because members of the board hate your religion, because you have children, or because you wear a Yankees hat on a regular basis in deep Boston," adds realtor.com. Some U.S. states have additional protection for homeowners, so it pays to check your local laws.
#7
No brown plants - here’s the kicker - enforced year round. I got a violation notice for having a deciduous tree with brown leaves in my front yard…in January…in the PNW.
Tabitha 4 weeks ago (edited)
And let’s hear it for the plastic astroturf instead of grass, right? HOAs have ALWAYS been a bad idea, and should go the way of all other outdated mistakes.
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WindySwede 1 month ago
Puts on the Bob Ross outfit and starts painting happy little accidental green trees outside..
Julia Mckinney 1 month ago
Darn, you beat me to it! But I was going to suggest spray painting everything green.
Load More Replies... Corwin 02 4 weeks ago
Again a HOA board with no common sense. apparently that is the norm these days
Betsy S 4 weeks ago
They should be called NCS's. Definitely No Common Sense. AND the self-importance is just astounding!
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#8
New HOA President told me my 12 foot Palm trees were a height violation of the HOA rules and had to go. They were jealous of all the money we spent on our trees and landscaping. There was no rule. I double checked. Told them to pound sand.
Amused panda 3 weeks ago
Applying a mature height limit to planted trees can help protect against future structural issues, impact on the public areas (roots lifting footpaths and roads) and underground services (e.g. gas, water). By restricting tree planting to trees of a mature height no more than x metres without additional permission, it can be ensured that the appropriate service checks are undertaken and larger growing trees are planted in an appropriate position.
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#9
The best FU we ever had was when a property management firm tried to form a HOA in my neighborhood back in 2008 or 2009. The meeting was a riot. One of my neighbors directly asked them “why do we want to pay you to tell us what we can and can’t do on our own property? What is it exactly you’re going to DO for us that warrants that?” The representative said “we want to maintain your property values and assure this stays a beautiful neighborhood for generations to come”. Our neighborhood is about 40 years old, never had an HOA, and the way it’s built, has no room for addition of amenities. Our roads and garbage are all municipal maintained. It was a joke an a half, and was immediately struck down when put to a vote.
Geoffrey Scott 4 weeks ago (edited)
My daughter and SIL bought in a development in NC. Theirs is the ONLY street not subject to an HOA. Tidy, neat kept lawns, no 'stuff' laying around. Go into the HOA section? Looks like Sanford and Son at some homes. Guess it's who ya know.
Some HOAs might want to stop you from putting a "for-sale" sign in front of your property. But apparently, they're not allowed to - in most states, anyway.
"The Federal Fair Housing Act considers this an infringement on the homeowner's right to sell their property and prevents any restrictions to this," notes property site orchard.com.
But they may be allowed to have guidelines regarding the size, location or design of the 'for sale' signs.
#10
Friends of mine are not allowed to grow anything edible in their garden. Ornamental plants only.
Growing food is for *poors*, apparently.
Sue Denham 1 month ago
Ah! Finally I get it! HOA stands for Horrible Obscene A$$holes, doesn't it? (I'm not American so am not familiar with the term.)
Bewitched One 1 month ago
Home Owners Association but I like yours better
Load More Replies... The Other Guest 1 month ago
Considering how many "ornamental" plants have edible parts, that would be difficult to enforce. Nastursiums (sp?), marigolds, roses, some cacti, amaranth, lavender, etc etc are all edible.
Kristiina Männiste 4 weeks ago
Some people never had tomatoes from their own garden and that shows. (Store tomatoes and garden tomatoes are two completely different foods)
#11
HOA said our planned 6ft pool waterfall slide was not a play structure and could not be higher than 3 feet. Argued all the way to lawyers who agreed with us that a slide is something kids play on. Built it 8 ft high.
#12
This rule only lasted like six months twenty-something years ago, but there was a time in the neighborhood that I was living in the the HOA banned children from gathering in groups of four or more, unless at one of the designated park areas and with a party permit.
Didn’t matter it was four friends taking a bike ride or five siblings laying about the grass out front, instant fine. My friend’s mom ended up fined when I walked past her house with my dog, and she was outside with her three kids, and I waved.
Apparently it was to prevent gang violence (in an upper white middle class area where at the time the worst thing that happened was a Super Bowl fight over in like five minutes), but the parents finally had a cow about it and blew up. The rule got easily removed because only like two people on the HOA board actually showed up to the hastily announced meeting (the rest were retirees who lived up north for the warmer months, called snowbirds).
We kids were still discouraged from grouping up outside those particular homes owned by said snowbirds, but nothing else ever came of it.
Leg less In Minneapolis 4 weeks ago
The kids in my neighborhood would’ve made the complainers houses ground to for hanging out
Blackmoon The Dragon 4 weeks ago
Here's an idea! Go stand out in front of the sidewalk in front of the HOA owner's house! :D
Angela Corvaia 3 weeks ago
It is illegal for landlords, at least in Florida, to consider children in any rental or purchase of housing. Kinda like disabilities, they could sue for discrimination.,
According to Orchard, HOAs also can't restrict the number of visitors you have. Some tend to do so to limit visitors from parking on community roads or sidewalks.
But the property site reveals that HOAs can only dictate how many people visit you if there is a valid reason related to safety or any other critical community standard. Not just because they feel like it.
And on the topic of visitors, HOA board members cannot enter your home without cause or notice. Check your CC&Rs and state rules to get a better understanding of when they're allowed to enter (with advance notice). Often, it’s in the case of an emergency, to carry out inspections for rule violations, or for maintenance and/or repairs.
#13
My FILs HOA says they must not sell their house to "people of color."
Completely unenforceable, but still in the covenants.
The unnamed one 1 month ago
technically everyone is a person of color since everyone has a color in their body and skin
Brian Droste 4 weeks ago
So according to you, only the houses would be sold to albinos? Ha ha.
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S Mi 1 month ago
I'm sure that rule does it's job. Who wants to live in a neighborhood with bigots so clearly ib charge?
BrunoVI 4 weeks ago (edited)
"Unenforceable" does NOT mean "totally illegal." (unless it's a government... Grrr.) Anything that sends a message that certain protected classes are unwelcome will be found to be discriminatory. And this is NOT one of those "purely state matters" that most U.S. laws are. This is government implementation of the commerce clause and the civil-rights amendments from after the civil war as (correctly) implemented during the 1960s.
Load More Replies... Geoffrey Scott 4 weeks ago
Yes, completely unenforceable, but...nephew and his wife were foster parents. The house they wanted was enthusiastically offered to them, until the ENTIRE family showed up. One son, Marcelous, was not, shall we say, Anglo. Immediately after, there was a 'better offer'. I tried to convince them they were redlined, but they didn't want the fight.
Tabitha 4 weeks ago (edited)
That’s blatant discrimination—-in writing, ffs!—-has been illegal for the last 60+ years, and they should be taken to court for that s**t. What some people think they can get away with is mind boggling, where TF have they been since the Civil Rights Movement? Didn’t they live through it or learn about it in school? I did, and remember it well, because my grade school was integrated and I remember kids being bussed in from other districts. BTW, we were children, and had absolutely NO problem playing with other kids who didn’t look like us. There were no fights, no issues being in a diversified classroom. The only people who ever had a problem were the usual a*****e parents who had a problem with everything in town. Even my own parents, who were very old school, didn’t have any issue with me being in school with Black, Latino, and Asian kids—-and that was absolutely not what you would expect out of old school WASP types like them.
Amused panda 3 weeks ago
Whilst there is no excuse for such a discriminatory rule remaining in place, I'd love to know how long this HOA had been in operation and when the rule was introduced by them, i.e. whether the rule was already illegal at the time of being brought in by the HOA, or whether they'd failed to remove the rule when it became illegal (and during the intervening decades).
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René Sauer 1 month ago
Guess this one is a "too lazy to go trough the motions to officially remove the rule"?
Amused panda 3 weeks ago
I guess that means the invisible man has cornered the market.
Load More Replies... #14
No pets over 10 pounds. I'm pretty sure every pet in the complex is over the weight limit, but luckily no narcs.
Colleen Glim 1 month ago
So my 18 pound cat (yes she’s on a diet) is not allowed? Are you for real?
Spencer's slave no longer 1 month ago
Seriously? My, just, 1 year old cat weighs 6kg and he hasn't finished growing yet. Any canine smaller than him is just a d.
Lady Eowyn 4 weeks ago
I can see a weight limit in an apartment, but in a house? The lease for my apartment states the limit as 15 pounds, but a new resident has an obese dog who is obviously heavier than that, and they didn't give her any grief about it. My service dog weighs 6 pounds.
Dove Bradshaw 1 week ago
I moved into a trailer park, a nice trailer park and was told no dogs, every neighbor had dogs, little dogs, I brought my rottweiler home and the trailer park had a fit, they tried to evict me from the park. I took them to court and sued them for discrimination. In court I showed the videos of every dog living in the trailer park with the owner not saying a word to them. I won my case and they had to pay me $3700 for the lawyer I hired.
ILoveMySon 4 weeks ago (edited)
My neighbor has a very large, aggressive dog. I was attacked by a dog when I was a child and am especially sensitive. I avoid that dog at all costs because he's aggressive not just big.
Brian Droste 4 weeks ago
I had a cat that weighed 13 lbs. So my cat would have been over the weight limit.
#15
Was looking at a condo that had a very small backyard with a deck. HOA specified owners couldn't plant anything in the back yard, only grass there.
Also, potted plants on the back deck could only be certain flowers of certain colors.
Curtains on front windows could only be certain colors or only have a white liner.
And no planting trees, shrubs, or flowers on the front tiny yard. Grass only.
Didn't buy the condo.
Gary 4 weeks ago
Do HOA's with stringent rule bring down the house prices, rather than increase them?
Tabitha 4 weeks ago
If they don’t, then they likely chase away A LOT of prospective buyers.
Load More Replies... JL 4 weeks ago
Fill the yard with pot plants. Just say you misunderstood the meaning of "grass".
Scott Rackley 4 weeks ago
There's also Pampas, Mondo, Monkey, Corn, Rice, Bamboo, etc.
Load More Replies... Betsy S 4 weeks ago
I absolutely and unequivocally agree with all curtains visible from the street having white liners. Otherwise your house just looks college-dorm-tacky. Every other one of these rules is completely ridiculous and only made by some control freak.
Earonn - 3 weeks ago
Yeah, but normally other people don't have to bow to your stupid taste. Nobody cares what you consider "tacky", you get that? You. Are. Not. The. Main. Character. Gosh,, please don't come to Scotland. We don't want that kind of s****y people here.
Load More Replies... #16
We had an awful management company a few years back that got kickbacks for violation letters sent out. Like $0.75 cash for them per violation. They had a car go around literally every week and just pick random stuff for violation letters.
Some examples:
- Leaving garage door open during the day (the person was literally leaving their house in the picture)
- Garden hoses visible from street (the person was actively washing their car)
- Poorly kept lawn (the person was actively mowing their lawn after 2 solid weeks of rain)
We also had them crack down on dirty siding panels - *certainly* had nothing to do with the fact that one of the board members had just started a pressure washing company, and he gleefully posted on the Facebook page offering group discounts if entire streets would schedule for the same day.
Betsy S 4 weeks ago
People who think the comment is idiocy??? Don't know which comment you're referring to, but that's usually the reason.
Load More Replies... BrunoVI 4 weeks ago
$0.75 per violation is not a kickback. I'm sure it costs them more than that to process the $0.75. The pressure washing company? That's another matter.
megabeth 4 weeks ago
You're assuming the .75 wasn't in addition to said costs...
Load More Replies... #17
I managed a community that had a "No Parking in the Driveways" rule, but the thing is the community was built in a semi-rural area where everyone drove giant pick-ups and SUVs while the builder built the garages way too small to accommodate these large vehicles. Additionally these were 4 BR townhomes so there was bound to be more than 2 vehicles per HH. Made for a tense annual meeting...
#18
Not my HOA but the neighborhood next to mine put in a breed restrictions on dogs 20 years after already being established. The majority of it is still owned by the developer who's a scum bag and he was the one wanted it in place, probably because what he owns is his rental properties and he didn't want the liability. They prohibited Great Danes, German shepherd's, huskies and St Bernards, Rottweilers, Mastiffs, Doberman Pinschers, Alaskan Malamutes and Chows. Only the President and VP knew about it and the rest of the board ended up quitting immediately because it was just those two board members and the developer who created those rules. It made the news.
Marsha Hultberg 3 weeks ago
Sorry man, you struck a nerve... FACT: A dog is as aggressive as its people allow. All behavior needs tempering. Happy, scared, angry, excited... Ignorance and/or lack of knowledge is what creates aggressive dogs, and is why shelters are over crowded. 😡 Why do so few understand that?! Mind boggling.If you love your dogs, train them. It's for everyone best interest. END of rant. 🐾🐾.🥰
Load More Replies... Zig Zag Wanderer 4 weeks ago
"German shepherd's" I'm not sure why a dog owned by a German shepherd should be excluded? (only one with an apostrophe 😜)
#19
Clothes lines have always been outlawed by HOAs as far as I know and that has always seemed ridiculous to me. It's way more eco friendly and some actually prefer the smell and crispness of naturally air-dried clothes. The complete opposite of the rest of the world. I grew up with clotheslines and it is actually quite nostalgic to me now.
Colleen Glim 1 month ago
There is no beating the smell of laundry dried outside. You can defeat this with a drying rack that is only outside until the clothes are dry and then disappears
Jo Firth 4 weeks ago
I can smell my clean sun-dried sheets just reading your comment. Nothing nicer.
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Celtic Pirate Queen 3 weeks ago
My Grandmother always bought good quality linen sheets, which she ALWAYS line dried. She kept the bedroom cold (open window year round) and had electric blankets on our twin beds. I have never slept as well since.
#20
Curtains and blinds have to be white when closed. No color but white. But you can put up different color leds lights and make different colors project onto it. Perfectly fine.
#21
Tried to make me change the color of my drapes (dark brown) that were in my house and in the back to my patio. You can only see the drapes when standing on my patio.
Colleen Glim 1 month ago
Anything on the inside of my house is my business and you can kick rocks
megabeth 4 weeks ago
Anything on the OUTSIDE of my house is my business! Kick rocks!
Load More Replies... #22
Mine used to not allow any signs in the yard other than for sale signs. Then our state passed a law that HOAs have to allow signs for political candidates within 30 days of an election.
My neighbor put up a sign saying "Save Our Libraries!" The HOA dinged her because it didn't have a candidate's name on it. So she went out with a Sharpie and wrote, "Vote Jane Smith and John Jones for Library board!".
Kim Steffen 4 weeks ago
I attended a couple HOA meetings. The last one I attended I got up and left, swearing at the board.
#23
The neighbor next to me had to sign off that they approved the color of my new floors... inside the condo. (Both neighbors).
Colleen Glim 1 month ago
Nope. What happens inside my house is my business. Find a d**n hobby already
Ashlisha 4 weeks ago
Colleen, apparently they have a new hobby. It's watching other people and their hobbies...
Load More Replies... Rali Meyer 1 month ago
good test for the neighbors. They better sign, else you have more nonsense coming
#24
No car older than 2005 was allowed to be parked visible in your driveway or in front of your house including guests cars.
#25
The thing I don't get is the rules that don't seem to have any real rhyme or reason to them other than someone's twisted sense of aesthetics.
My condo prohibited welcome mats outside the doors, but they were able to articulate that because the hallway was open-air, water was getting under them and damaging the paint. They were also potential trip hazards and, because most of the units are short-term rentals, the luggage carts were catching on them.
So it sounded absurd on its surface but at least there was an explanation. Two, actually.
Tabitha 4 weeks ago
If there’s some reasonable rhyme or reason to it, especially if it’s a liability issue, and it’s adequately explained when the rule is announced, then OK. But only maybe. It really depends on whether it truly applies in that neighborhood or not, which then has to do with who put it into play, and what their particular agenda is.
Betsy S 4 weeks ago
Municipal bylaws should cover anything necessary. HOA's are NOT necessary and are in fact a major detriment to the process of selling a home.
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Lady Eowyn 4 weeks ago
Welcome mats are prohibited in my apartment building, but it's a senior citizen's building and they could pose a legit tripping hazard.
#26
No vehicles with commercial signs on them. Like, if you had a normal pickup and on the door has "Bob's Lawncare " or something on it. Because having a job is low-class or something.
Not allowing vehicles of any kind to be parked in the driveway for more than 24 hours. Sneaky way to allow the HOA to control whether you renovate your garage, IMO. And of course, typical of HOAs ... classist as hell.
Colleen Glim 1 month ago
My pickup doesn’t fit in my garage. And if I own this driveway, that’s where I’m gonna park.
Amused panda 3 weeks ago
Not allowed any vehicles to be parked on the driveway more than 24hrs sounds exhausting. I don't want to go out for a drive just to avoid a fine, and I'm not sociable enough to feel like meeting people every day. Plus, what about if you are home ill, possibly medicated, and not fit to drive a car?
Damned_Cat 1 month ago
What do you do if you have more cars than garage space. My neighbors are a family of 6 adults, and they all have cars. They would be sunk!
#27
They tried to enact a change to no more than 3 houses being used as long term rentals at any one time. In a neighborhood of 130+ homes. The reasoning was, verbatim, "people that rent are typically lower income, lower education, and don't care about the look of our neighborhood. So they will drag down property values."
Jonas Fisher 4 weeks ago
That's poorly worded, but I do get it. Renters aren't always invested in keeping things nice, or with getting along. After all, they can just move, right? Landlords aren't necessarily invested in a home they don't live in, either. To me, the stated reason is s****y, but the stupid thing is that I can easily imagine genuinely good reasons for this kind of prohibition, if there aren't going to be clearer (and enforceable) rules and policies governing rental properties, then it's wise to ban them.
Earonn - 3 weeks ago
Just because YOU wouldn't give a s**t about stuff that doesn't belong to you, doesn't mean everyone thinks like that. Some people just have a sense of self-pride and / or enjoy living in a nice house.
Load More Replies... #28
I lived in an HOA that required your garage be free of clutter. The interior of your garage. Presumably this was to keep you from parking in guest spots.
This was even enforced on a neighbor who was running a small, quiet import/export business. He had to move everything to a storage unit.
Jonas Fisher 4 weeks ago
Eh, I wouldn't want to live next to someone running an unregulated import/export business.
Betsy S 4 weeks ago
It didn't say it was unregulated. They likely had to have a business license to be allowed to import goods.
Load More Replies... #29
My dad had an old car which he used regularly cause it ran it was also an ugly color that stood out. It didn’t fit in the garage they tried to hit us with abandoned vehicle in the driveway. We responded that the car was usable and it just didn’t fit in the garage. They still threatened fines and tows. Well the day someone physically showed up my dad was out in his car. They thanked us for getting rid of the eyesore and my dad pulled into the driveway. They left us alone cause yes it was the ugliest el Camino I had ever seen but it ran.
#30
I was in one that had zero lot homes with just small patios at the rear of the house facing the alleyway, where the garages were at (owner’s garages faced each other). You could put up an ugly umbrella that didn’t match the house color or aesthetic of the neighborhood, but in order to have a non-permanent BBQ canopy I had to provide a request to “Alter the house structure”, and said canopy had to match the house colors, or compliment them. (Note, it wasn’t attached to the house, nor was it a structural change as it dismantles in less than 20 mins. And it looked 1000% better than some of the ugly, faded, torn, and broken umbrellas on patios).
#31
No parking in driveway OVERNIGHT. Can park all day but NOT overnight bc overnight parking makes the community look bad and lowers property values, you see.
Rali Meyer 1 month ago
imagine a burglar roams the street in the night (who else would?) only to see a car outside? - wow, bad neighborhood. Ima gonna duck.
Sheena Leversedge Wood 3 weeks ago
don't be silly. the house is only to be used during office hours, any sign you are at home at times when you might be relaxing, eating or sleeping is BAD
Load More Replies... Sheena Leversedge Wood 3 weeks ago
HOW does it make it look bad if there is a car at a time of day when people are most likely to be at home?
#32
Turned down a house because one of the HOA rules was that only vehicles were allowed in the garage, nothing else and there was a 100 dollar fine every instance they noted something but a car being in it.
Rali Meyer 1 month ago
Vehicle definition: a thing used for transporting people or goods, especially on land, such as a car, lorry, or cart. Even a cupboard with wheels can transport people, or your mobile Weber grill
#33
My HOA tried to say that we needed to submit a request for any overnight guests. On top of that, the request needed to include the reason for the visit, and they could only stay for 3 nights.
I live in a neighborhood of single-family homes with 2 and 3 car garages and good-sized driveways. A group of Karens didn’t like that some houses are closer to the common area parking and often use it for their guests to prevent street parking.
DeoManus Argentem 4 weeks ago
Mine has a rule that any guests over 18 staying more than three consecutive nights need to submit to a background check and get approved (it's an upper-middle class suburban complex with no crime issues). Completely unenforceable unless they park in a visitor spot more than three consecutive nights without prior approval, in which case their car would (understandably) just get towed.
CaliPanda 4 weeks ago
Visited a cousin for two days in her HOA-controlled neighborhood. Parked in the designated visitor area across from her house. Woke up to a big sticker on my driver window claiming I had to move my car because it was there overnight, or it would be towed. I was a visitor. Overnight. I guess that’s just too much for some people.
Load More Replies... Celtic Pirate Queen 3 weeks ago
This makes no sense to me and is legally unenforceable. We have an HOA for the condo my husband & I are BUYING. F*ck you ALL the way back. I will have whomever I want whenever I want to come visit. Say I won't.
#34
For sale signs are only allowed in the windows. Not on the lawn. American flags only allowed out front. Others can be flown out back on decks. Garden flags currently have no restrictions. So there are rainbows in the gardens.
#35
Maximum number of wind chimes and plant pots on the balcony of a 'condo' (glorified apartment complex) yes we did receive a notice for both lol.
Scott Rackley 4 weeks ago
Yeah, my aunt is wind chime crazy. I told her she had a d**n carillon out there.
Load More Replies...
Zig Zag Wanderer 4 weeks ago
Wind chimes (that anyone else can be forced to listen to) are sociopathic!
#36
Our HOA seems to not understand real estate. A home owner argued that since their own home doesn’t receive sufficient sun for solar panels nobody else should be allowed to install them.
#37
Only HOA approved real estate sale sign posts are allowed in our neighborhood. They are wooden, certain size, certain cross bar length, certain color. I don’t know where they come from. Never needed one. But I’ll bet they are more expensive than they look/should be.
YakFactory 1 month ago
Is someone on the HOA board a real estate agent? Are the approved specifications also those of the HOA real estate agent?
#38
No edible plants can be planted in front yard. No kids outside neighborhood allowed to trick or treat here. Halloween will be celebrated on an alternate day indicated by a flier distributed on each door that states 'Neighborhood Kids Only!'.
René Sauer 1 month ago
I wouldn't plant veggies in the front yard any way. People will steal it.
Kristiina Männiste 4 weeks ago
You are just too good at growing them. Nobody would steal MY vegetables. Heck even the field mice usually take just one bite and nope out.
Load More Replies... #39
See a guy in my driveway putting in a lite bulb in my entry fixture. He identifies himself as a volunteer board member assigned to light bulb patrol looking to replace all the burned out 40w bulbs and replace 100w bulbs, even though he left the last part out, that was his real intention, that my bulb was burned out and he was giving me a free new bulb, I insisted he give me the old bulb he claimed was burned out. Went inside and discovered it was fine and immediately removed the 100w bulb he installed and replaced with my low wattage bulb that my plants 🪴 in that location grow better without a glaring unnecessary high wattage entry light . This incident triggered me to obtain an ultra even lower wattage amber 25w bulb that is all that’s needed and my plants 🌱 are loving not getting all that unnecessary light in the middle of he night.
#40
Not me personally but some folks in my family bought a new build a few years ago. I was helping them move in and they had a copy of their rules in the kitchen, which I flipped through at one point and had me a good laugh at one of the first rules cited out of the entire pamphlet.
They aren't allowed to have lawn gnomes or pink flamingoes of any kind in the front of their house. No variations, holiday versions, different colors, etc. None. Cannot be placed anywhere in the yard or visible from the street be it in windows, on the porch, on top of the wall, anywhere. An entire paragraph doing some monkeypaw levels of sealing their deal up tight; NO gnomes, NO flamingoes.
I bought them a lawn gnome as a joke and poor boy lives in the back yard hidden somewhere behind the bushes in their garden.
Blue Bunny of Happiness 4 weeks ago (edited)
I would totally be installing stealth gnomes out front, peeking out from under a bush or behind a flower pot. Perhaps even buried on their back in the soil with just the face exposed, or a tiny one on the upstairs windowsill, or in the guttering. Definitely some looking out of the windows or on the street facing side of the blinds.
Jonas Fisher 4 weeks ago
Could a gnome be placed on the side of the house, just millimeters behind the leading edge of the home? Technically, it would not be in the front, but on the side, right?
#41
One time I left my garbage and recycling can out overnight (woke up the next day ~6am and pulled them in the garage)…… I received a nasty email about how I was breaking the rules (mind you I drove around the neighborhood, and there were still many trash cans and recycle cans out… so I guess I wasn’t the only one receiving that email. Still annoying.
#42
My townhouse complex has a rule that dogs are not allowed to pee on the grass. Well where the hell are they supposed to go?
Celtic Pirate Queen 3 weeks ago (edited)
I kind of agree with this one. We had a gorgeous lawn and the lady a few buildings over let her dogs pee on MY lawn - which resulted in patches of dead grass. I finally caught up with her one day and asked her why she wasn't having HER dogs p**s all over HER lawn? She got really offended (like I care) and I told her I was going to start spreading capsaicin powder over the grass. I never did, but she kept her dogs off my well tended and cared for lawn.
DeoManus Argentem 4 weeks ago
Mine has a similar rule - no pee or p*o on the property citing hygiene. I appreciate this rule, and only "service" or registered "emotional support" dogs are even allowed... But that just means they'll be doing their business on neighbor's lawns - what happens when their HOA enacts the same rule? Their dogs come over here, lol smh.
#43
Before changing management companies our CC&Rs had a line saying that any play houses had to be made of the same siding and roofing material as the home. They also had another line that you couldn’t have inflatable hot tubs and you couldn’t hide them in your garage 🤣.
#44
We’re not allowed to have fences in our front yard because that’s considered a fortification. When they told me that, my response was “I wonder what that would make a moat?” 🤔 They were not amused.
#45
I lived in a coastal area which can get really windy at times. There was about a half acre of trees on one side of the property because we are in the middle of a large forest. But I didn't own that area, it was designated as development open space. Yet I got fined for trash being in that area that had been blown around by the wind. Not my trash. Not from my property. Mostly stuff from other neighbors who did not properly secure their trash on windy days.
Celtic Pirate Queen 3 weeks ago
Unless a piece of mail flew in - with your name on it - they have no legs to stand on.
#46
I live in a community where all of the individual mailbox flags have to match. You know, the one that tell the mail person you have mail to be picked up?
That was first indication we had made a mistake purchasing this home!
The next one was a notice in the newsletter that we could order our name badges through the manager’s office. I was certain l hadn’t seen anything in the CCR’s about that. Fortunately, those are optional.
Next l figure it will be uniforms. 😠.
Kirsten Kerkhof 1 month ago
I think they are the "Jones family" plaques some people have by their front door.
Load More Replies... #48
No flags except the American flag like no garden flags ,sports etc.
Rali Meyer 1 month ago (edited)
for once, I am speechless. Hold, which american flag? Honduras, which only even has 2 colors!
Nikki Sevven 4 weeks ago
If you hang it on your house without a pole, it's not a flag, it's a banner.
Mark Alexander 4 weeks ago
A banner is not a flag. All those "flags" you see at Disney World are missing a star or a stripe or something. Reason: American flags have (well, are supposed to be) to be removed or lighted at night, ceremoniously burned when destroyed. All sorts of rules.
#49
Mine says you have to have nothing but lawn from driveway to property line up to house. No one has obeyed that since the neighborhood was built 25 years ago and most every has some sort of front garden or landscaping. My restrictions also say we are all supposed to have two car garages but when they started building the second half of the neighborhood, they built smaller houses on smaller lots so technically a lot of us our out of compliance because our homes were not built by the builders per the restrictions.
#50
We’re not allowed to have a grill on our deck in the back off the kitchen, must grill on the driveway out front and store in garage or under the deck in back.
Rali Meyer 1 month ago
don't you have a circular spot marked "G" for grill? Shame... And another one, "S" for sèx?
#51
Lamp posts must all match and the light at the top must have 3 small bulbs and not 1 bulb. If you have 1 bulb, it must be replaced in 10 days. They sent out almost 700 violation letters (out of 1,100 homes).
#52
Everyone is supposed to have cast iron mail box post with black mailbox with gold straps. That is unless you're very special.
#53
Holiday decorating rules.
Karen Bryan 1 month ago
Boy, you should get a look at some of the wild holiday decorations in my neighborhood. No HOA. It's not a wealthy area--quite the opposite. But it seems we have more fun.
Upstaged75 4 weeks ago
My condo board has a rule about no string lights, ever. Nearly everyone has them on their decks year round. 😁
#54
My HOA has rules that flags cannot be bigger than 3 feet by 5 feet, and you can’t change your car oil on HOA property. Worst mistake I have ever made.
Jude Corrigan 2 weeks ago
But if you have purchased a house, then it legally isn't the HOA's property.
What do you think ?
Peter Bear 1 month ago
The best way to deal with an HOA is to put up a bat house. HOA can't legally do anything about it once it's up because bats are federally protected. And if they try, you simply take them to court for a very, very easy win.
Papa 4 weeks ago
I have never lived in one, but I have seen comments from people who do that say the big majority of them have perfectly reasonable rules, but of course it's no fun posting about those.
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Gunnar Strandt 4 weeks ago
Always funny to read such b******t - the land of freedom🤣🤣🤣 - but no freedom about your own property
Rose the Cook 4 weeks ago
Why do people put up with this rot? Just don't buy or rent where these organisations exist.
Peter Bear 1 month ago
The best way to deal with an HOA is to put up a bat house. HOA can't legally do anything about it once it's up because bats are federally protected. And if they try, you simply take them to court for a very, very easy win.
Papa 4 weeks ago
I have never lived in one, but I have seen comments from people who do that say the big majority of them have perfectly reasonable rules, but of course it's no fun posting about those.
Load More Replies... Gunnar Strandt 4 weeks ago
Always funny to read such b******t - the land of freedom🤣🤣🤣 - but no freedom about your own property
Rose the Cook 4 weeks ago
Why do people put up with this rot? Just don't buy or rent where these organisations exist.
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