Homeowners’ associations put rules in place to ensure that the neighborhood is a great place to live for all residents. After all, who doesn’t want clean neighborhoods, well-maintained yards, attractive amenities, and inviting properties!
While these rules are designed to keep homeowners compliant and create a safe, inviting space for all who live within the community, some HOA boards go too far, with ridiculous regulations and severe interpretation of simple rules. Below are some examples of these situations:
No Smoking … in Your Own Home!
Recently, more and more HOAs have taken to banning smoking within a short distance of a structure or within common spaces, but did you hear about the HOA that tried to ban residents from smoking inside their own homes?
While this restriction may protect the value of the property (after all, who wants to buy a home with yellowed walls and a stale smoke smell that never dissipates?), it’s incredibly frustrating for those who feel controlled in their own home. Neighbors may be pleased to not have to smell smoke wafting by from the house next door, but the smoker will not take kindly to being restricted to certain activities within the confines of his residence.
No Time to Mourn
When a young husband’s life was altered tragically after losing his wife and young child in a freak accident when a small plane crashed into their home, his HOA showed no understanding or compassion. They fined the recent widower for rebuilding his home using shingles that didn’t match the rest of the neighborhood, and even went so far as to demand that he restart and correct his repairs!
Carry Your Pet … Or Else!
One association had a hard and fast rule that, in order to protect the integrity of the common areas, residents were required to carry their pets through, rather than let them walk. Apparently, there were no exceptions to this rule, as an elderly woman with back problems who could not carry her dog racked up a $25 fine each time she crossed the lobby. She eventually had to move.
Matchy-Matchy
Some HOAs are extreme in their demand for exterior conformity. One resident complied with his association’s request that he buy a cover for the springs on his trampoline, only to receive an additional fine the next day because the cover did not match the color of the trim on his home.
No Sale Here
Some homeowners express frustration with their HOA when they are not allowed to have any kind of signage on their lawn, including For Sale signs, if they are trying to move. Other HOAs require that any commercial vehicles, even if owned by the resident, are kept out of sight and parked in a garage at all times.
Avoiding Unnecessary Disputes
It is the responsibility of the board to enforce the rules, but they also have an obligation to ensure that those rules are fair and reasonable. Board members should meet regularly to review their association’s CC&Rs and make adjustments as necessary. The best interest of the entire community should always be kept in mind.
Regular review of association rules will allow for outdated (or, in some cases, outrageous) stipulations made by previous boards to be removed or adjusted. When a board communicates regularly and considers input from community members, unnecessary disputes, and even potential legal action, can easily by avoided.
Rules for a Reason
Fortunately, extreme interpretations of community rules like the ones provided above are the exception and not the rule! The majority of HOAs enforce reasonable regulations that are in place to enhance the overall living experience and promote safety and contentment for all residents of the community.
Related: Cool Energy Roof Savings: What you Need to Know
Sure, living in a neighborhood with an HOA means complying with a few rules, but for millions of homeowners, the benefits—beautiful shared spaces and amenities, safety and security, and a strong sense of community—far outweigh the cons.
