The Cellar - Homeowners Ass

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This is the kind of place thats hot in this area. Its beautifully landscaped, perfectly manicured... its a whole lifestyle not just a home. People pay extra for it.

There is no UK equiv of a home Owners Association. There really aren't "neighborhoods" like there are here. Brits, think of the "housing estates" built in the 70s/80s. And then add regulations, and only one way in or out.

So now, here's our tale......

We were horrified by HOAs, but we needed to live in this area and anything old enough not to be covered by an HOA was historic, small and way too expensive.

Then we found this neighborhood built by cowboys (Brit not Texan sense of the word.....) where the HOA had lapsed. Our Realtor assured us that a lapsed HOA has never been reinstated.

HA

A few years ago a couple of bimbos decided they wanted a few people to clean up their front yards. So they asked the agents who oversee the condos in the 'hood if they would be interested in managing our 'hood if the HOA was reinstated. Guess what? They said yes. And they provided a legal firm free of charge to help the re-instatement. They sent out mailings that looked like junk to invite people to vote (so no-one read it), they only needed 10% in favor to go ahead -the bimbos and their neighbors turned up and Bingo, everyone was slapped with a $300 bill with the threat of Liens. I was at the meeting because My kids caught the school bus with the bimbos' kids' and they told me (with pride) about their scheme to sort out the neighborhood, but I was the only dissenting voice.

The Management Agency took the money from those who paid and did nothing. Residents finally wised up, emergency meeting called, board replaced with a board who promised to do nothing except sack management company, when management company asked about return of fees/services, they said all bills paid so far didn't even cover their admin costs and they were planning to sue......

it's hard to defend such a suit, too, because you have to band with the neighbors. and then pay for it. sucks.

they didn't sue, though.... quelle surprise....

I love coincidences... HOA's, Tea Party, Arizona, Metallica ...

NY Times article
Homeowner’s Fight Involves Flag Tied to Tea Party
By MARC LACEY
Published: August 30, 2010

LAVEEN, Ariz. — Don’t tread on Andy C. McDonel.
Joshua Lott for The New York Times

Quote:

Andy C. McDonel, who was told to remove the Gadsden flag from his roof in Arizona, says the flag is not a political statement.
This year, Mr. McDonel began flying a yellow “Don’t Tread on Me” flag on his roof in this unincorporated area just outside Phoenix.

The historic banner — which dates to 1775, when it was hoisted aboard ships during the initial days of the Revolutionary War — has been adopted by the Tea Party movement. But Mr. McDonel said that he had unfurled the flag for its historical significance and nothing else.
He notes that the banner, the Gadsden flag, has been widely used over the years and was even featured on the cover of a rock album“
Am I a Metallica fan because I’m using the flag?” he asked.

This month, he received a letter from the homeowners’ association ordering him to remove “the debris” from his roof.
It threatened fines if the debris (i.e., the flag) did not go within 10 days.
But Mr. McDonel, 32, a logistics operation manager, has vowed to fight the order.

Quote:

Mr. McDonel knows the rules well since, until July, he was a member of his homeowners’ association’s board of directors. He resigned in a dispute with the board’s president and shortly thereafter received his first debris notice. That one concerned a treadmill that he had left on his porch, which he admits was a violation of the rules.