• PoopingCough@lemmy.worldEnglish
      33·
      4 days ago

      Home owners association. Theoretically they exist for homeowners to collectively make neighborhoods they live in a better place, but in practice they often devolve into orgs led by busybodies drunk on power who harass homeowners just trying to live their lives the way they want.

      • AmbitiousProcess (they/them)@piefed.socialEnglish
        21·
        4 days ago

        And to clarify, by “harass”, we mean stupid shit like “your grass is 1 inch taller than the mandated limit, mow it today or we’ll fine you $200”, “your trash bins are visible from the street on a non-trash day, that’ll be $50”, or “your house is painted a different color than the entire rest of the neighborhood because we’ve determined the only color your house is allowed to be is a yellowed beige. Repaint your whole house in the next week otherwise we’ll charge you $50 a day until you do.”

        Which is exactly why I will never live in an HOA-run community.

        • Cort@lemmy.world
          10·
          4 days ago

          And you better pay those fines, because the HOA can and will take your house

          • Tiresia@slrpnk.net
            11·
            3 days ago

            Cops, taxes, and people’s unwillingness to fight cops or taxes.

            All rules are made up. HOA neighborhoods require people to sign a legal contract to follow HOA rules for them to be recognised as “home owners”.

            The legal definition of “ownership” is, as always, made up, and in this case it means the state will let the HOA violently force you out of the house if you don’t obey them.

          • Thunderbird4@lemmy.world
            8·
            3 days ago

            More precisely, HOAs operate in deed-restricted neighborhoods. When you buy a house in that neighborhood, you sign paperwork granting the HOA authority over your property and the right to enforce rules and fines usually up to and including seizure of the property. It’s literally written into the deed to your house that they get to tell you what to do.