We have a situation brewing in the neighborhood where our family’s had a vacation home for 50+ years. The neighborhood is on a private road, and we all pay dues for things such as trash pickup at the rented dumpster. Regarding the road, the agreement is that everybody must maintain their portion of the road, and that is all established by everyone’s property markers.
Well, the road goes across a slope. There are two houses (with year round residents in them) that are past us on the road, and the house next door to us has not maintained his road, to the point that it is slumping and cracking, and delivery trucks and USPS refuse to drive on it now.
The family that owns the next house past him has spoken to this neighbor multiple times, and has written a series of letters of increasing firmness about the necessity of repairing the road, for not only are they not getting deliveries now, they will be cut off from their own home if, or when, the road crumbles down slope.
The neighbor who is not making the repairs says that he doesn’t have the funds to do so, and while others in the neighborhood are sympathetic to that, they’ve pointed out that he can use a loan (e.g. HELOC) to make these repairs.
It’s all at an impasse now. I don’t know how it’s going to get resolved.
This story sounds like one my friends who moved into a small 55+ community told us. The HOA is voluntary, made up of residents, and who lives there now is changing. Lots of people who bought when these places were built are now in their late 80s and vote down an assessment for, say, a new roof, presumably because they don’t figure that they’ll recoup that money. Meanwhile, people like my friends are in their 50s and 60s and have many more years left in their townhomes and prioritize upkeep.
One person’s “doesn’t have the funds” could be doesn’t want to spend the funds.
At some point, “repairs” aren’t going to be sufficient, are they? The road will have to be repaved. Our 0.4-mile long road, with 13 houses on it, cost $180,000 to repave a couple of years ago. This is at our primary residence.
I don’t know if you recall, but up at our cabin, in an association of 43 lots, one owner has decided he can put a lock on a gate on a RIGHT-OF-WAY. It’s so clearly illegal it takes your breath away. After the first guy did it, a second one followed suit! He knew we were planning on pursuing legal action against the first owner, so he wouldn’t take the lock off, either - “I want to see how the suit turns out…” Uh, no, it doesn’t work that way. Our attorney sent demand letters to both owners. The second guy took the lock off; the first guy is ignoring us. Ugh.
It’s a joke in our family. He loves a clean boat, just spending time in the marina is relaxing for him. It brings him immense pleasure. He does like to take it out but the sea conditions have to be right. He presently goes into the office 4 days a week. He would like to make it three and only half day.
We received ours after we purchased our lot - it had tire marks on it from being driven over. Truly. One of our neighbors is the step-daughter of the subdivision developer, and she has a higher opinion of these covenants. Certainly, a glaring covenant would be enforced by the city - but otherwise, some of it is not going to be questioned. A few houses down from us is an untidy family - they leave all kinds of toys in their front yard (only one in the entire neighborhood to do so), and they have put up a small wire enclosure for a rabbit (which seems that ‘project’ has been abandoned but the wire enclosure and some wooden hutch is still out). the rabbit area, according to our covenant, needs to be hidden in the back yard behind a wooden fence. Since we are not immediate neighbors of theirs, no comments by us.
In many cases, no HOA is a good thing unless you notice untidy neighbors which is unsightly. The city requires mowing yards, so that is covered.
Nowadays it is easy to look everything up on the recorder’s website.
We lived in a subdivision of 5 houses sharing a drainage basin with the condition that it was to be inspected on a regular basis. However, there were no definitions of “inspected” and “regular” . So my husband and one or two other guys would grab some beer, go down to the road, take a peek under the manhole cover, and declare it inspected! There was also a shared drive but we moved out before it would become necessary to do the math of which home had to pay more and which had to pay less depending on the usage of the drive.
Our subdivision developers filed the original covenants with the county but no additions are ever filed and the county does not want them. They will turn them away, they only ensure the original developers create a property that falls within the codes for the zoning and special zoning districts where they build. After the initial filing it is up to the HOAs to keep up with any covenants and fining homeowners, if there is an HOA. If not, no one keeps up with anything unless there is a county code violations.
Certain situations definitely need ‘legal enforcement’ for HOA costs like new roofs and the assessments to have the funds. Absolutely a red flag to purchase in this kind of community! Although ‘voluntary’ for HOA board of directors, they have to vote in individuals diligent with repairs and upkeep. We have friends that had to become very active with their HOA Board (condos on waterfront in LA, lower Alabama) - and engineer husband made sure their repairs after one hurricane (half of damage was from wind/rain - homeowners, and half from damage covered by flood insurance and had replacement from that). He said some of the original construction was not that sound but made sure replacement work was good. It was a big headache. But they love that place and they have one of the two condos that can overlook ‘the channel’ and have super great views. When you go down their stairs, you are right on the water. There is undeveloped land next to them, but only will get developed with a bigger development - which means their HOA would need a majority to ‘sell’ - and it seems that ‘threat’ didn’t go through; land is still undeveloped.
Wow, looks like the HOA for single family homes in a subdivision with amenities I’ve been referencing has different issues than an HOA for a condominium association. Seems like the condo’s have much more to worry about if tenants fail to pay their dues or amenities/structures are not maintained.
The large building in Florida - the memorable catastrophic one where some of the building just fell apart and people died/injured. these condos were expensive ones, but between building codes and inspections - water damage weakening. Between people losing money, insurance companies losing money. How building codes change. Very scary because most people’s large asset is their home, and one doesn’t count on losing it/having it be so devalued.
In some ways, to get to know an area for a good bit of time to understand what to look out for, and what things can develop that may cause your QOL or your pocketbook be affected in a community - be it with HOA, be it a dwelling that requires HOA but also well-funded and well-managed for maintenance.
Sometimes what you think you want in a community and in time you also find out what you really do not want but is there.
I bought a condo in an older wooden building, top floor, ocean view across the street, artsy vibe to the space. I put it on the market almost immediately. The second floor owner’s AC made an unbearable whine. Burnt toast and toxic cleaning materials made their way to my place every day. I realized I had no control over my environment. Now I am really leery of buying one but a house around here is too expensive, so back to renting. Looking at CCRC’s for retirement to spare my kids any burden as I age, and preserve whatever I can leave them.
Yes, when we live in close quarters, we have to figure out how to get along and deal with the crowdedness. My S is HIGHLY allergic to smoke. We had a neighbor who rented the house behind our master bedroom. One of the tenants smoked but thoughtfully went outside his house and stood in his backyard to smoke. The smoke drifted right into S’s room and caused him to cough & wheeze. Fortunately the tenant left and we were no longer subjected to his fumes and we also got split A/C so we shut the windows and are less affected by people doing yard work with blowers early in the AM and blowing pollen & dust everywhere.
Just saying there are problems even when you own a home. Yesterday, my niece & her H discovered a leak in the roof and ceiling which was dripping in their kitchen!
Yes with my various allergies and sensitivities I am wary of buying anything and am doing seasonal leases while I try to figure the best situation out.
Yes, son’s 1st rental in DC, someone somewhere in condo building was smoking and causing him to wheeze so he had to move—it’s tough when one can’t even figure out where the irritant is coming from. A shortish lease & then month to month sometimes works while trying to get a handle on options.
My daughter had to break a lease during covid, when a new renter downstairs was home all day smoking pot which wharfed into my daughter’s apartment and made her sick. My daughter was working from home and stuck in her apartment all day. The landlord really tried to help, but the tenant was a student, the parents were the renters, and it was impossible to get the student to stop. My daughter can only rent in non-smoking buildings where the rules are strictly enforced.
Unless you live on many acres where your neighbors are very far away, they can be a problem in homes, condos, apartments, etc.
We have next-door neighbors in a rental that is probably illegal (extremely crowded, horrible condition) - and they constantly smoke both tobacco and marijuana right outside the house mere feet from our property. Once a small child was visiting and said, “is that yucky smell from someone SMOKING?” and the neighbor, properly chagrined, went somewhere else. I wish I could hire the kid.
. So my husband and one or two other guys would grab some beer, go down to the road, take a peek under the manhole cover, and declare it inspected! There was also a shared drive but we moved out before it would become necessary to do the math of which home had to pay more and which had to pay less depending on the usage of the drive.