Why I Would Prefer Not to Have Neighbors

[Elspode]

Is that some sort of metaphor?

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by Elspode

Is that some sort of metaphor?

No, that would be "wrap your doughnut around their hotdog" or "make them drive their train into your tunnel" or "stick it in their brown eye."

[keryx]

Originally Posted by FloridaDragon

I have wanted to retaliate against a neighbor who is challenging the rule to have a pickup truck in our community which is prohibited by the HOA. I personally have no problem against his 60 grand Escalade but the rules are the rules and he has sued the HOA ... all our rates just went up 50% to fight the lawsuit.

I have thought long and hard on how to get revenge for taking money out of my pocket just so he can have his truck (which he could put in his garage but refused to do so to make his point). I don't, however, want to go to jail for doing something stupid against him.

I suppose the logical and yet somehow impossible solution would be to change what is a dumb rule. That's what should have done when they saw this coming, instead of raising your rates to fight a lawsuit that most likely will not be won. This doesn't mean I think that all HOA rules are dumb, but who cares what anyone drives? As long as it doesn't look too trashy or is on cement blocks.

My limited experience with HOA's leads me to believe this is a losing proposition all around. I had a friend who lived in a very nice neighborhood that had a HOA. There were very strict rules regarding utility buildings that could be placed on the property, and other ridiculous rules. What changed the HOA rules was that the economy really tanked and about 15% of the homeowners had to bail out and sell their homes, and in order to do so, the rules had to be relaxed to make their properties saleable.

The 'rules are the rules' argument doesn't wash. I've always preferred the common sense approach myself. But that's all out the window now that the damn lawyers are involved. Too bad for you that it had to go that way.

We all want to live in nice neighborhoods, but few of us would want to sacrifice all our personal choices to do so. And in this country, why should we?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by FloridaDragon

I have thought long and hard on how to get revenge for taking money out of my pocket just so he can have his truck (which he could put in his garage but refused to do so to make his point). I don't, however, want to go to jail for doing something stupid against him.

Why not poll your neighbors to see what they think? If most don't care about the Escalade (an SUV not truck) then get the rule changed and settle it quickly.

[Griff]

Weren't these associations were developed in part to avoid the democratization of daily life? If they start changing the rules, you'll get people voted off the Island. I'm fine with folks joining them, but I'd have a hard time finding like-minded folks willing to put up with firearms, loud music, on-going construction, goats, dogs, and chickens so, I'm a hillbilly.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I thought they were to enforce deed covenants and take care of maintenance.

[Griff]

Sure. The deed covenants, however, are more encompassing than "normal".

[xoxoxoBruce]

Actually they're are not for this day and age. They've been building sub-divisions around Philly that some pretty strict covenants. Swing sets and sheds must match your neighbors, no outside clotheslines, no flagpoles, etc, etc.
In addition some of the local governments have jumped onto the Big Brother bandwagon. Springfield Township, Delaware County (pop 24k), has passed an ordnance saying if you have a vehicle with advertising on it, like a tradesman's truck, you can't park in in your own driveway. So Joe the plumber, must park his van in a rented space somewhere and have another way to get home.

[zippyt]

In addition some of the local governments have jumped onto the Big Brother bandwagon. Springfield Township, Delaware County (pop 24k), has passed an ordnance saying if you have a vehicle with advertising on it, like a tradesman's truck, you can't park in in your own driveway. So Joe the plumber, must park his van in a rented space somewhere and have another way to get home.

Fuck THAT !!!! I would go get some blank magnetic pannels made up at the local sign shop !!!

In Germantown TN you can't have any Christmas lights but clear , no basket ball hoops , your house MUST be painted in an EARTH tone , and the STUPIDITY goes on from there !!!! And YES they WILL throw your ass in jail and fine the HELL out of you for violateing any of these "covenents "

Thank GOD I live in the sticks ,
If I wanted to paint my house Day-Glo Green I could ,
now folks would LOOK at us funny ,
But we would be a land mark ,
"Go down past that uggly ass green house , turn left at ,,,,,,,,, "

[FloridaDragon]

Originally Posted by keryx

I suppose the logical and yet somehow impossible solution would be to change what is a dumb rule. That's what should have done when they saw this coming, instead of raising your rates to fight a lawsuit that most likely will not be won.

I agree the rule is somewhat bogus. I can see both sides as I would not mind having a nice truck but there are a lot of them that are not that nice out there. (course that applies to cars as well).
But it is the rule and it is starting to look like it will be upheld and the clown will have to pay all of us back for the attorney fees.
This battle apparently has been fought many many times and the only way the person can fight it is to get their vehicle declared as something other than a truck. This guy was trying to use the sport utility route ... but even GM, when comparing the Escalade to a comparable vehicle, picks the F150. Oops.

[xoxoxoBruce]

According to the Feds, my PT Cruiser was a truck.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by zippyt

"Go down past that uggly ass green house , turn left at ,,,,,,,,, "

It's one thing to knowingly sign on to this nonsense and quite another to have your neighbors vote to foist it upon you after the fact.

[keryx]

QUOTE=FloridaDragon]I agree the rule is somewhat bogus. I can see both sides as I would not mind having a nice truck but there are a lot of them that are not that nice out there. (course that applies to cars as well).
But it is the rule and it is starting to look like it will be upheld and the clown will have to pay all of us back for the attorney fees.
This battle apparently has been fought many many times and the only way the person can fight it is to get their vehicle declared as something other than a truck. This guy was trying to use the sport utility route ... but even GM, when comparing the Escalade to a comparable vehicle, picks the F150. Oops.[/quote]

Even if the HOA wins, you might not get your money back. Unless there's a specific provision in the settlement, or the HOA bylaws specifically stating so, I wouldn't count on it. And if this guy is as motivated as you've portrayed in your posts, don't bet on it at all, because the first go round probably won't be the last.

And there are other ways to get revenge, even if he does lose. Once my husband had a very nice beach front home in a very rich neighborhood in southern CA. The HOA was always giving him hell about driving his commercial vehicles down the street, parking them behind a security fence on his property (the vehicles could not be seen from the street.) AND Just for the record there was no HOA when he moved in.

But after enough hassles he decided to leave. He sold the home to a Pakistani business man who had a lot of money, but very few personal hygiene habits. In the end he left the home abandoned and uninhabitable (on 9/12/2001), and the Health Department came and condemned it. It had to be torn down, which was a shame, because it was such a historic place.

Those neighbors that once gave my husband such a hard time called to ask that he come back, take over the home again, and restore it (he worked construction.)

HOAs can have the power to approve/disapprove who you can sell your house to, but lots of money can get around that. Remember, the neighbor you know now can be a lot better than the future neighbor you don't.

I've never had to deal with an HOA personally, but I get the idea that in the end, you don't own your own property, because you don't have any control over it. The HOA has the control. Might as well give them the deed too.

City, county, state and federal laws should be sufficient to protect your property. If those aren't, then that's where the changes ought to be made. If those HOA rules are good enough for you in your neighborhood, wouldn't those rules be good enough for everybody, everywhere and be legislated for everyone's benefit? If it's so nice, shouldn't we all live under the same rules you do?

I know the rule banning the ownership of a truck would go over well in redneck rural Wisconsin, to say nothing of the reaction it would inspire in the truck manufacturers.

You say that you think the rule is bogus, but what are you doing about it?

[FloridaDragon]

Originally Posted by keryx

You say that you think the rule is bogus, but what are you doing about it?

But I really don't care that the rule is bogus ... I don't own a truck and have no interest at the moment of buying one. So this clown is just costing me money indirectly due to the lawsuit. I would rather do somthing about this idiot than the rule to be honest. If he wins, then every other yoyo is going to step up and try to push the rules since there will be blood in the water.

I have been in contact with the HOA president and you are probably correct that the small amount of money we all had to pitch in to fight this lawsuit will probably not come back to us if the HOA wins...instead it will go into a legal fund waiting for the next person to come along with the "all about me" attitude. But, our rates will go back to normal immediately after the lawsuit is over (per the president who seems to be a straight shooter).

[xoxoxoBruce]

AND Just for the record there was no HOA when he moved in.

What? How the hell does he come under the jurisdiction of an ad hoc committee of neighbors when there is no deed covenants or legal standing. I'd tell them to pound sand and sue them for harassment.