I'd be very surprised if you found a modern urban or suburban development in incorporated cities or towns that did NOT have restrictive covenants on it. Out in the sticks--maybe, but that's about it.

We defended one suit where a guy built a shed in his backyard, which the neighbors did not like. Another lawsuit where the neighbors sued a guy in a wealthy development for painting his house orange. (Rules said it had to be a natural desert color--we were able to show that there were desert plants that bloomed in this color). Two other suits where people made additions to their homes that were either too close to their neighbors' fences, or not approved by the HOA. These were all large, expensive single family homes.

I was referring to those where the homes are custom designed and built in that fashion versus the developments. Poor writing on my part. As the economy has tanked, there are certainly fewer of these, but there are some still around.

This is a county law around here. You have to get a building permit to build an addition, and it has to have certain setback from the property lines. That's totally different from not mowing your lawn, painting your house a funky color, or having a flock of pink flamingos in your yard. It's reasonable to control construction of buildings.

Besides, in England, wouldn't it be Homeowners Arse? :)

A (sort of distant) neighbor was having troubles with his yard-signs being stolen at night before a nat'l election, so he painted the same signs , only much larger, directly onto the front of his house.

It drove the neighbors crazy to the point of complaints to the City, articles in the newspaper and local TV, and complaining letters to the Editor.

Many of us just got a big kick out of all the furor,
and the neighbor got his 15 minutes of fame.

It would be Homeowners Kiss My Arse!

Honestly, I had no idea the rules could apply to normal people living in normal houses. To me a Housing Association is a registered charity that provides below market cost rental properties and therefore is entitled to place restrictions. I know some - private - flats that have petty rules about no decorations outside the front door and all that (tripping hazards). But really, people unable to smoke in a house that they personally own? Now that's getting silly.

The theory behind it is property values--if your neighbor leaves trash out on the street, paints his house neon green, and has 10 pet dogs chained in the front yard, your house is going to be worth less, maybe even unsellable. Each neighborhood has its own set of rules that either the developer drew up, or the original set of neighbors drafted and agreed to. In addition, any neighborhood with a Homeowner's Association also has yearly dues, which are spent on neighborhood parks, community fencing along roads, that sort of thing. Ours has 3 pools and a really nice community center, and I've never heard of the rules around here being arbitrarily or unnecessarily over-enforced, so it's not all bad.

I've never really understood why people want their property values to go up - doesn't that just increase your property tax?

even custom designed homes are in subdivisions, and the subdivisions have restrictions.

I'm buying a yurt to stick down in the middle of suburbia. rotters.

This how some people get killed. But, really, if you move into a neighborhood with an HOA, you pretty much deserve what ya get.

People (home buyers) are attracted to HOA neighborhoods because of the curb appeal and ammenities that regular neighborhoods don't have. The HOA rules and regulations are not a secret - generally settlement can not be made on a home until these are read and signed by the buyer (often, offers on a home will not be accepted without including a buyer-signed copy). Complaining about what happens when you break the rules is retarded... shoulda bought a different house (but you probably didn't like the purple yurt next door to it).

People that this story is written about are the people that want their own freedom but don't want their neighbors to have any. Fuck em.

There are probably plenty of people who bought a place despite the HOA, not because of it. It's still on them if they fall afoul of it, but it's not necessarily true that they "don't want their neighbors to have any" freedom.

Why, because the beige wall-to-wall was such a nicer shade than in all the other cookie cutters they looked at that day? Please.

Price, location, the house itself, there are tons of factors in choosing a home, and they all have different weights for different people.

location , location & location are the big three.