HOA loading rules

[Raining Star]

Originally Posted by RPreeb

That's called having a conversation. Sometimes conversations wander a bit, but as long as they get back on track, I don't see why it's an issue.

When we lived in a southwest Denver suburb, we adhered to the HOA policies. We even signed a couple of policy change petitions while we were there, but they were requests that were initiated by other homeowners. The HOA policies were not overly restrictive, but they did keep the neighborhood presentable.

We complained to the HOA once in the 20 years we lived there, and it was for a neighbor who decided that as long as he moved his boat a couple of times each week, he could get around the the 72 hour rule. He was one of those who thinks that the rules only apply to others, never to himself - he found out that he was wrong.

We now live in a town that is probably smaller than most of the HOA's here. With just 400 residents, the only HOA board we have is the town council, and they do act on complaints, although it can take a couple of weeks for them to officially notify someone of a violation. As far as I know there has never been a serious issue. Any enforcement would have to be put to the county sheriff, as we don't even have a town constable.

When we bought this house, we also bought the empty lot next door. We park our TT in the lot off the alley, next to our 10'x12' utility shed. We are in the gradual process of landscaping the lot, so in the long run it will be far more aesthetically appealing than it was before, even with our trailer parked on the back edge.

It's not an issue, it's just off topic, which I've just been told that I'm supposed to report to the moderators. I have no problem with having online conversations or with rural living. For over twenty years I lived on several acres in an unincorporated area 25 miles from Tucson I enjoyed living without neighbors, enjoyed the company of my horses, and enjoyed complete freedom from any kind of oversight.

Now I've chosen to retire to a resort adult community and I asked a simple question about other people's HOA rules. I've since been bombarded by responses about how people disapprove of my new lifestyle because I have an HOA that maintains the clubhouse and amenities, and I received precious few responses actually answering the very simple question that I asked.

I'm sure people can understand why it is frustrating for me to sort through all the disapproving comments to get to a couple of meaningful answers. Perhaps it would be like asking a simple and specific question about your Class A only to receive a flood of responses saying how much people don't like Class A's.

[Brian W]

Originally Posted by Raining Star

Our HOA only allows 24 hours for loading or unloading RV's. Most RV's in our community need to be parked about 20 miles away, which is the closest RV storage, our personal RV is parked 27 miles away. With most of the morning being spent just getting the RV back home we are really rushed to load up for long trips if we want to get a full night's sleep before hitting the road.

I was wondering what most people who live with HOA restrictions on parking their HOA are dealing with. Two people I know claimed that 72 hours is the usual HOA standard, but I don't know how much credibility to give that claim.

What's the RV parking restrictions like in your HOA community?

Here is ours:

(8)No recreational vehicle, boat, or any type of trailer or equipment may be parked or stored on any lot, unless screened from view in the backyard by fence, etc. No truck, tractor, or trailer may be parked on any lot or in the street in the front of any lot. No motor vehicle, boat, trailer, aircraft, or other vehicle shall be constructed, reconstructed, or repaired within the residential development in such a manner as will be visible from other lots or from public or private streets.

Note it says nothing about parking an RV on the street or the time frame allowed. However, there is also a caveat that says we must abide by all City of Bartlett ordinances.

It gets kind of weird on that one. On there frequently asked questions section it says a legal vehicle must move every 72 hours.

The problem is the ordinance actually reads:

15-502. Parking vehicles on residential streets. (1) It shall be unlawful for any person to park, or knowingly permit, any passenger vehicle on any residential street in the city for a period of time longer than seventy-two (72) hours consecutively.
(2) No truck, bus, or other vehicle having a declared maximum Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of fourteen thousand (14,000) pounds and/or more than six (6) wheels, shall be parked or left unattended in any residential zoning district, unless actively engaged in the normal delivery of goods and/or services at this location. (as added by Ord. #08-01, Feb. 2008, and amended by Ord. #09-02, June 2009)

15-503. Parking non-motor equipment/vehicle on residential streets restricted. (1) It shall be unlawful for any person to park or knowingly permit any non-motorized vehicle or equipment, such as, but not limited to, campers, trailers, boats, or other recreational type equipment, on any residential street in the city.
(2) Such non-motorized vehicles or equipment may be removed by the Bartlett Police Department in accordance with the provisions of § 15-604 relating to the impounding of vehicles obstructing the streets. (as added by Ord. #08-01, Feb. 2008)


Here is the reality for me at least. I see RV's parked in front of houses quite a bit in the city limits. In our subdivision, occasionally you see it for more than a day. I have parked mine, both towable and motorized, in front of my house to load/unload for 5 years now. It has never stayed there more than 24 hours, and I have always had ample time to load everything needed for our trip. It takes me an hour and a half round trip to get my MH. I have never had anyone complain which is amazing as I have the HOA self appointed police living 3 houses down.

Hope this helps.

Brian

[Raining Star]

Originally Posted by Brian W

Here is ours:

(8)No recreational vehicle, boat, or any type of trailer or equipment may be parked or stored on any lot, unless screened from view in the backyard by fence, etc. No truck, tractor, or trailer may be parked on any lot or in the street in the front of any lot. No motor vehicle, boat, trailer, aircraft, or other vehicle shall be constructed, reconstructed, or repaired within the residential development in such a manner as will be visible from other lots or from public or private streets.

Note it says nothing about parking an RV on the street or the time frame allowed. However, there is also a caveat that says we must abide by all City of Bartlett ordinances.

It gets kind of weird on that one. On there frequently asked questions section it says a legal vehicle must move every 72 hours.

The problem is the ordinance actually reads:

15-502. Parking vehicles on residential streets. (1) It shall be unlawful for any person to park, or knowingly permit, any passenger vehicle on any residential street in the city for a period of time longer than seventy-two (72) hours consecutively.
(2) No truck, bus, or other vehicle having a declared maximum Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of fourteen thousand (14,000) pounds and/or more than six (6) wheels, shall be parked or left unattended in any residential zoning district, unless actively engaged in the normal delivery of goods and/or services at this location. (as added by Ord. #08-01, Feb. 2008, and amended by Ord. #09-02, June 2009)

15-503. Parking non-motor equipment/vehicle on residential streets restricted. (1) It shall be unlawful for any person to park or knowingly permit any non-motorized vehicle or equipment, such as, but not limited to, campers, trailers, boats, or other recreational type equipment, on any residential street in the city.
(2) Such non-motorized vehicles or equipment may be removed by the Bartlett Police Department in accordance with the provisions of § 15-604 relating to the impounding of vehicles obstructing the streets. (as added by Ord. #08-01, Feb. 2008)


Here is the reality for me at least. I see RV's parked in front of houses quite a bit in the city limits. In our subdivision, occasionally you see it for more than a day. I have parked mine, both towable and motorized, in front of my house to load/unload for 5 years now. It has never stayed there more than 24 hours, and I have always had ample time to load everything needed for our trip. It takes me an hour and a half round trip to get my MH. I have never had anyone complain which is amazing as I have the HOA self appointed police living 3 houses down.

Hope this helps.

Brian

Thanks Brian. I have also never had a problem having it parked on the street for two nights, even though the HOA says only 24 hours. I'm beginning to see it may not be worth battling with the HOA over getting the language of the rule changed since there is no practical problem with my parking my motorhome. I was just trying to comply with the letter of the law in order to be a good neighbor.

I can't park in my driveway because I have a 35' driveway and a 36' motorhome. With tow bar on the rear bumper it puts me several feet into the sidewalk. Also the driveway is a pretty steep grade that would be hard to level.
Luckily I have a section of street next to my property that is over a wash, so parking on the street blocks no one's home, including my own.

[Alan24601]

Ours says 48 hours. Biggest issue for us is the streets are 30' wide and the fire dept. is the ruling body. If they had it there way there would be no parking for RV's so we comply with the rules. We do have a number of people who complain about almost anything.
We take mostly shorter trips now and storage is 20 miles away so we are changing the fridge to a residential next month to get rid of our biggest headache and delay factor. When it's over a 105 the Dometic is slow to cool down. Love that when we leave the front yard is maintained and plenty of neighbors watching the house. When we are home the community of friends is a big blessing. Pluses far outweigh the minuses in our HOA.

[Raining Star]

Originally Posted by Alan24601

Ours says 48 hours. Biggest issue for us is the streets are 30' wide and the fire dept. is the ruling body. If they had it there way there would be no parking for RV's so we comply with the rules. We do have a number of people who complain about almost anything.
We take mostly shorter trips now and storage is 20 miles away so we are changing the fridge to a residential next month to get rid of our biggest headache and delay factor. When it's over a 105 the Dometic is slow to cool down. Love that when we leave the front yard is maintained and plenty of neighbors watching the house. When we are home the community of friends is a big blessing. Pluses far outweigh the minuses in our HOA.

I agree Alan, cooling down the RV fridge in the 100'+ desert summers is a real hassle when we have only a short time to load. When we had our RV at home at our last address we would start to cool it down the day before.

We don't want a residential fridge because we do a lot of boondocking. I've found that by filling it with dry ice, and a couple of dozen frozen water bottles it allows it to get cool enough to load in far less time, usually a few hours.

[pcurt23]

Originally Posted by Raining Star

Our HOA only allows 24 hours for loading or unloading RV's. Most RV's in our community need to be parked about 20 miles away, which is the closest RV storage, our personal RV is parked 27 miles away. With most of the morning being spent just getting the RV back home we are really rushed to load up for long trips if we want to get a full night's sleep before hitting the road.

I was wondering what most people who live with HOA restrictions on parking their HOA are dealing with. Two people I know claimed that 72 hours is the usual HOA standard, but I don't know how much credibility to give that claim.

What's the RV parking restrictions like in your HOA community?

I have the same issue. It takes me until noon to get the rig and load it up and get going. Occasionally, I will load up the car and then take it to the rig. If it is going to be a long trip I will just pick an intermediate destination and stop for the night (4 hours or so). Beside I am usually a little tired after getting packed and so we can leave the next morning fresh and enjoy the trip. When we go to Florida in December our first stop is 120 miles away where we get water for the rest of the trip.

I am not allowed to park overnight and anyway the street is too narrow for me to park for extended periods. The longest I stay is a few hours.

[Raining Star]

Originally Posted by pcurt23

I have the same issue. It takes me until noon to get the rig and load it up and get going. Occasionally, I will load up the car and then take it to the rig. If it is going to be a long trip I will just pick an intermediate destination and stop for the night (4 hours or so). Beside I am usually a little tired after getting packed and so we can leave the next morning fresh and enjoy the trip. When we go to Florida in December our first stop is 120 miles away where we get water for the rest of the trip.



I am not allowed to park overnight and anyway the street is too narrow for me to park for extended periods. The longest I stay is a few hours.

It's been eye opening to realize how much tougher many others have it. We've done the leave before bedtime and sleep down the road a couple hours out. It's certainly doable but it's a lot nicer to get a full night sleep at home before heading out on a 7000 mile summer trip. Next summer I plan to be retired and it will all become a lot easier with no time constraints.

[Gordon Dewald]

Originally Posted by SpaceNorman

Who's got time for that? If I want to know what time it is - do I need to become a watch maker too? I'm 60 ... and statistically speaking, have rounded the 4th turn and am on the homestretch of life. Why on earth would I want to spend any of the time I've got left trying to tell others how they need to live?

I agree. However in this case the home owner has basically only two options if not willing to get on the board and attempt to change the rules:

1) accept and follow the rules and continue with the frustration.

2) sell and get to a HOA that has more lenient loading rules.

[Bradical]

My HOA does not allow boats, RVs, trailers, nor commercial vehicles to be parked anywhere except in your garage. ( I'm a Realtor, and once I forgot to remove my magnetic signs from the sides of my car parked in my driveway. I got a letter stating my "commercial vehicle" would be towed if I did it again...) So poor only choice is to fetch the rig, load it up, and go all o.k. one day.

[Dalepm]

No HOA but the city has a 72 hour limit to park on the street. It's only enforced if someone complains. I have never been bothered in 17 years. I can bring it home for as long as needed. Our street is very quiet and we all know each other.

Question for all these people that never bring their RV home. Where do you do maintenance on your rig? Do you always hire someone or do you drag tools back and forth to the RV in storage?

[GDwinston]

I guess we are luckier than most as we have individual RV garages under our living area in our condo. Garage size is 47 ft. ×15 ft. with 16 foot ceilings fits my 40 Monaco Diplomat perfectly so no HOA issues.

[Raining Star]

Originally Posted by Dalepm

Question for all these people that never bring their RV home. Where do you do maintenance on your rig? Do you always hire someone or do you drag tools back and forth to the RV in storage?

That is a very good question. Why not ask it as a separate question where it should get some attention and lots of meaningful responses.

Both my HOA and storage facility don't allow maintenance. Interior stuff I can usually handle on my own since no one sees what I'm doing inside. For engine and chassis issues I use the Ford truck dealer, and for serious house issues I use RV Master Techs in Glendale, Az.

[computerguy]

So sad reading this thread that we as homeowners have to worry about an RV in our driveway on our property.
I have been lucky I guess because I parked mine in my driveway many weekends and also a whole week at a time when I am on vacation. Personally couldn't give a hoot if they send me a letter. Standard protocol is to send a letter, then a 2nd letter and if you still don't comply a 3rd letter and then a fine. I am friendly with my neighbors and no one has mentioned it being an issue. The HOA board is key to enforcement and how to enforce. We have a good board and they are reasonable. So they understand life and everything is not written in stone.
The HOA is supposed to enhance your property values not diminish them. Unhappy homeowners diminish property values.
I do all my work and maintenance in my driveway.
That said I did get a nastygram from them 2 weeks ago saying a needed mulch and that they hoped I didn't overlook it. I did need mulch and was just postponing it to do right before I listed the house for sale. Fixed it in a week.
I guess it all matters on the HOA and how they approach things. Can't wait to no longer own a house and all the maintenance and stress that goes along with it.

[Raining Star]

What I've found sad in reading this thread is how freely some people are willing to disregard the HOA contact they signed. I grew up being taught that a man's word is his bond. It's amazing to me that so many people knowingly sign contracts that they feel no obligation to live up to.

I was just wanted to find out what other HOA's rules were so that I could apply for a change in my own. Many of the answers were that I should just ignore the rule since they can't do much about it. I hope there are a few others on this site who agree with my perspective that signing a contract obligates me to live up to it, not try to sneak by because it's hard for them to enforce it.

HOA's make for good neighbors, but it requires being a good neighbor to make it work. I was fully aware of the rules when I signed up, as I hope were my neighbors. The rules allow for a methodology to alter them and I thank those who addressed the question from that perspective.