Got a visit from the Police today :(

[Captain8]

We rented a house in Olentangy HOA with newer but smaller homes and once had a police officer stop by because we had a golf cart in the driveway. He said he didn't know why he was there but someone called because it was parked in the street which obviously it wasn't. Couple days later someone from the health department came out because someone complained it was sideways and leaking battery acid everywhere... which it obviously wasn't. People just love to complain because they can.

At one of out WV properties someone parked in front of the house so when I pulled up in the RV I parked on the corner and next day the police chief stopped by saying someone complained we were blocking the view and asked if we could move it up a bit if not too much trouble. Said he FB messaged me earlier but figured he'd stop by. I was in the wrong and didn't think about it blocking the view so moved asap.

[yeloduster]

Originally Posted by Jay D.

i'd go nuts in an HOA. i live in rural America about 5 mi out of town nice home on 3 acers. i can do just about anything i want.
Jay D.

Yeah, me too! Well, when I bought 43 years ago I was 5 miles out of town. Now my neighborhood of 2.5 acre lots is completely surrounded the the city. We are still county with county taxes, count maintenance and CO-OP rural electric. I have a well and septic. I assume the city doesn't want us because out population density is too low to generate enough revenue.

I usually have a spare trailer (as in belonging to a city friend) parked somewhere on the property.

I sold my condo when I bought this place. Having the HOA far far behind me is a good thing.

[ctreisch]

LOL So I drove to Florida, made a quick stop at my in-laws in Bradenton. They live deep into their neighborhood and is much nicer than mine. Since this topic was on my mind, I looked up the rules for parking on the street. Bradenton has the EXACT verbiage in their regulations, word for word. "No washing, greasing, or Maintenance." The city administrators must be in the related to reach other. LOL They too have an HOA, so we did call the HOA ahead of time, and their HOA also has no jurisdiction on the street.

[1stimerveer]

Worked with a guy in his 60's who lived in an adult community..
HOA threatened to fine him for growing tomatoes in 4 large flower pots in his back yard. They were actually pretty decorative. Each yard had privacy fences so he couldn't figure out ratted him out!!! No way the wife and I would live in a community with an HOA..

Having said that, I'd check out local ordinances regarding washing, maintenance and parking before I moved into an area with my TT..
We bought our TT after living here for years, and never thought to check.
Luckily no problem here.

Safe travels and all the best

[Tachdriver]

Not all HOAs are that bad. Before buying read ALL rules. If that's your lifestyle no issue. Not all HOAs are the same. They keep the drugs and curb dwellers out. They set a standard. They don't like tomatoes in backyard ? That's going a bit far but then again I haven't read thier rules.

[B-Man]

HOAs suck, right until some trash-type moves into the neighborhood and parks 5 cars in their yard. And paints their house pool blue. And doesn't mow or trim hedges or take care of any landscaping. And brings their trash-type buddies around so often that one of the neighbors sells quickly (read depreciated value received) to get away from the scum - which causes EVERYONES property values to depreciate.

And so it begins and you lose 35% or more of your home's potential value because some dbags move in and ruin what was once a very nice neighborhood.

I live in a very rural area. My dead-end street is 1/2 mile long - 9 houses on it with two remaining empty parcels of land for sale. One of the parcels was purchased by a couple from Michigan. As I drove my tractor past one day I see two guys with a trackhoe digging what appeared to be a drain field for a septic system. I stopped to chat with them and they eventually mentioned that the new owners were going to put a mobile home on it. I told them they were not allowed to do that per our HOA. They said the owners "didn't care". I advised them to stop working because it was going to be in vain and they may not get paid.

I contacted our attorney, emailed him the HOA agreement and asked for his opinion. HOAs are not enforceable by the city or county - we would have to take the new owners to civil court. He said the language was clear, concise and easily defendable so that most likely no attorney would advise trying to fight it. He sent the owners an official letter stating it was the HOAs intention to file in civil court if they persisted with the mobile home idea. They stopped work immediately.

The majority of the houses on the street are in the $550,000 - $850,000 price range. Why someone would think that we would not object to a mobile home here is beyond me - especially when it is clearly defined in the HOA covenant.

Our HOA is not overly restrictive. No mobile homes, no homes under 1,800 square feet, no commercial farming, no broken down vehicles in the yards, cleared empty acreage viewable from the street has to be mowed at least 6 times per year, etc. I park my RV towards the back on the side of the house and am not in violation of any part of the covenant.

The HOA protects my investment yet does not keep me from enjoying the benefits of my acreage and rural living. I plant a big garden, I have deer feeders, I have solar panels - no issues. It is absolutely a win-win for all of us who have invested in the homes here and it ensures our property values remain consistent for the square-footage and acreage represented.

[Captain8]

Originally Posted by B-Man

HOAs suck, right until some trash-type moves into the neighborhood and parks 5 cars in their yard. And paints their house pool blue. And doesn't mow or trim hedges or take care of any landscaping. And brings their trash-type buddies around so often that one of the neighbors sells quickly (read depreciated value received) to get away from the scum - which causes EVERYONES property values to depreciate.

And so it begins and you lose 35% or more of your home's potential value because some dbags move in and ruin what was once a very nice neighborhood.

I live in a very rural area. My dead-end street is 1/2 mile long - 9 houses on it with two remaining empty parcels of land for sale. One of the parcels was purchased by a couple from Michigan. As I drove my tractor past one day I see two guys with a trackhoe digging what appeared to be a drain field for a septic system. I stopped to chat with them and they eventually mentioned that the new owners were going to put a mobile home on it. I told them they were not allowed to do that per our HOA. They said the owners "didn't care". I advised them to stop working because it was going to be in vain and they may not get paid.

I contacted our attorney, emailed him the HOA agreement and asked for his opinion. HOAs are not enforceable by the city or county - we would have to take the new owners to civil court. He said the language was clear, concise and easily defendable so that most likely no attorney would advise trying to fight it. He sent the owners an official letter stating it was the HOAs intention to file in civil court if they persisted with the mobile home idea. They stopped work immediately.

The majority of the houses on the street are in the $550,000 - $850,000 price range. Why someone would think that we would not object to a mobile home here is beyond me - especially when it is clearly defined in the HOA covenant.

Our HOA is not overly restrictive. No mobile homes, no homes under 1,800 square feet, no commercial farming, no broken down vehicles in the yards, cleared empty acreage viewable from the street has to be mowed at least 6 times per year, etc. I park my RV towards the back on the side of the house and am not in violation of any part of the covenant.

The HOA protects my investment yet does not keep me from enjoying the benefits of my acreage and rural living. I plant a big garden, I have deer feeders, I have solar panels - no issues. It is absolutely a win-win for all of us who have invested in the homes here and it ensures our property values remain consistent for the square-footage and acreage represented.

Your HOA doesn't allow mobile homes but you can park your RV there?

[Tachdriver]

Originally Posted by B-Man

HOAs suck, right until some trash-type moves into the neighborhood and parks 5 cars in their yard. And paints their house pool blue. And doesn't mow or trim hedges or take care of any landscaping. And brings their trash-type buddies around so often that one of the neighbors sells quickly (read depreciated value received) to get away from the scum - which causes EVERYONES property values to depreciate.

And so it begins and you lose 35% or more of your home's potential value because some dbags move in and ruin what was once a very nice neighborhood.

I live in a very rural area. My dead-end street is 1/2 mile long - 9 houses on it with two remaining empty parcels of land for sale. One of the parcels was purchased by a couple from Michigan. As I drove my tractor past one day I see two guys with a trackhoe digging what appeared to be a drain field for a septic system. I stopped to chat with them and they eventually mentioned that the new owners were going to put a mobile home on it. I told them they were not allowed to do that per our HOA. They said the owners "didn't care". I advised them to stop working because it was going to be in vain and they may not get paid.

I contacted our attorney, emailed him the HOA agreement and asked for his opinion. HOAs are not enforceable by the city or county - we would have to take the new owners to civil court. He said the language was clear, concise and easily defendable so that most likely no attorney would advise trying to fight it. He sent the owners an official letter stating it was the HOAs intention to file in civil court if they persisted with the mobile home idea. They stopped work immediately.

The majority of the houses on the street are in the $550,000 - $850,000 price range. Why someone would think that we would not object to a mobile home here is beyond me - especially when it is clearly defined in the HOA covenant.

Our HOA is not overly restrictive. No mobile homes, no homes under 1,800 square feet, no commercial farming, no broken down vehicles in the yards, cleared empty acreage viewable from the street has to be mowed at least 6 times per year, etc. I park my RV towards the back on the side of the house and am not in violation of any part of the covenant.

The HOA protects my investment yet does not keep me from enjoying the benefits of my acreage and rural living. I plant a big garden, I have deer feeders, I have solar panels - no issues. It is absolutely a win-win for all of us who have invested in the homes here and it ensures our property values remain consistent for the square-footage and acreage represented.

^^^^^^^^^

This is what HOAs are for.

[Bigceasar]

Originally Posted by Captain8

Your HOA doesn't allow mobile homes but you can park your RV there?

What is so strange about that? You can also have a car, but you likely can’t live in it . Same with a boat. They are not dwellings, mobile homes are. And I am sure there are adequate provocations in the CC&Rs to prevent someone from abusing the allowances for cars, RVs, boats etc.

[Bobby F]

People need to remember that, when you buy into a HOA, you're not just buying a residence - you're joining a club. You need to check out the club as much as you need to check out the residence.

[F4Gary]

Originally Posted by Bigceasar

For those who are calling out the person who complained, you have no idea what their situation is. They could live at the bottom of a hill where all that runoff collects. The runoff could easily be making a soapy, oily, grimy mess on their property unbeknownst to the guy washing the rig. .

Or not. His water runs down the gutter to a sewer drain and then it's off to the treatment plant.

There is no soapy pooling of wash water. Smh.

[Bigceasar]

Originally Posted by F4Gary

Or not. His water runs down the gutter to a sewer drain and then it's off to the treatment plant.

There is no soapy pooling of wash water. Smh.

Storm sewers do not flow into a treatment plant. If they did the treatment plants would overflow during heavy rains.
If the runoff from washing a vehicle makes it to the storm sewers it will eventually end up untreated in the local rivers ponds and lakes. One guy, one RV, once every six months, not an issue. Multiple people all over town: issue.

[NXR]

I love our HOA and we've been here for 35 years. Before we bought we had a real estate attorney review the docs and he said he had never seen a set like them.

The HOA has absolutely zero jurisdiction over the homes. All of its authority is for the common areas that also includes the heated pools, playgrounds, etc.

Our dues are going up to $250 a year in 2024 for the 337 homes. Not having jurisdiction over individual properties means no enforcement costs, no busybodies reporting people, just taking care of the common recreational areas.

When new people move in and start complaining the Board tells them to file a complaint with the City Building Department and they will act if there is a city law violation. The unsaid part is "Otherwise just STFU."

There are CC&Rs that contain the usual stuff about no clotheslines in the front yard, etc. Those docs also contain a stipulation that the only enforcement mechanism is for one property owner of that subdivision to file a civil action against the other. People in another subdivision of the HOA cannot enforce CC&R violations for anyone not in their particular subdivision.

Methinks the original developer had his own problems with an HOA once upon a time so he structured his developments to avoid those issues. Works for me.

Ray

[NXR]

Originally Posted by Bigceasar

Storm sewers do not flow into a treatment plant. If they did the treatment plants would overflow during heavy rains.

That actually happens a lot in this area. After heavy rains beach advisories are issued for high bacteria levels in Lake Erie because raw sewage was dumped into the lake from overwhelmed treatment plants.

Back in the 40s and 50s many, many homes had their downspouts tied to the sanitary sewer system. It wasn't a problem until the population grew and then new tie-ins were prohibited but existing ones were not required to change.

There still are many homes in our city where people's sanitary sewer backs up during a storm and floods their basement. We carry a rider on our policy to pay for that damage even though our neighborhood has separate sanitary and storm systems. We still can get flooded if the sanitary system backs up with storm water from another neighborhood. So far, so far, it has not happened.

Some people have had their basement floor cut open and a one-way valve installed in their sanitary sewer to stop their chronic problem.

One of the best pieces of advice my dad gave me was "Always buy a house on a hill and never buy a house with a sump pump."

Ray