How can we eliminate Home Owners Associations?

Question

Hi Team,

How can we remove the powers of Home Owners Associations? Can we simply declare these businesses or private governments as unconstitutional? HOA living micromanages homeowners lives and forces them to comply to often times ridiculous minutiae like "House trim must be painted beige, not ivory or eggshell", under threat of foreclosure.

We have folks in our neighborhood being fined for the color of their basketball post, parking a brand new pick-up in front of their home, hanging clothes out to dry, the color of their windows, the height of their shed, etc.

Answer 1

Hate to say it either move or get elected to the board. The HOA i live in is excellent and the only way to keep undesirable things from entering the neighborhood. In an area w/o zoning a neighbor can open a business from his home w/o restrictions. usually who cares until he decides to open a used car lot in his front yard. W/O the HOA this could occur in my area. If they are too restrictive get on the board and get the rules changed.

Answer 2

HOAs can become petty dictatorships after a time.

The power to tax and the POWER lust in itself (snooping and stuff) is a grand aphodisiac for the control freak in each one of us.

I lived in Irvine Ca. in a "moderate" community from 1979 to 2001, there were others far more expensive and dictatorial by a length.

But then I'd lived in Buena Park, on Azalea St. I remember. That's where a neighbour down the block placed a white porcelain toilet bowl in his front yard and turned it into a planter.

Talk about a beautification project.

The flaw with the Libertarian argument in a nutshell.

Answer 3

HOAs protect property values---while a restriction on the color of a basketball post may seem silly, just do away with the rules, and let someone paint their house lime green, park a rusty heap on cinder blocks, not mow their lawn, etc. If you want those sorts of freedoms, power to you--but not in a neighborhood that wants to protect long term property values!!

Answer 4

Nobody is forced to live in a neighborhood with a Homeowners Association. Presumably you knew about the HA when you moved there. If you don't like the rules, why don't you become involved and try to change them?

Answer 5

The purpose of a HOA is to protect the value of the community. Every single home owner signs a contract when they move in agreeing to abide by the rules. Once they move in they seem to think that these rules are 'ridiculous' or somehow apply to others but not them.

The bottom line is if you don't like the rules, don't sign the contract and don't move in.

Answer 6

Get elected to the board and change the rules or move. HOA'a are perfectly legitimate organizations of private property owners intended to perserve quality of life and improve property values.

Answer 7

You knew the rules when you moved in. There are lots of neighborhoods without HOA. A wise man once said "If you don't like it, leave."

Answer 8

Follow Directions this blog is for politics and government not about your association fees.

Answer 9

Waaaa waaaa waaa. Get over it. Here is a box of kleenex.

Answer 10

Stop developers.