You don’t need to create an official organization with the power to kick you out of your home in order to solve this problem. All you have to do is fucking talk to your neighbors.
It doesn’t have that power.
You might think so, but just wait until some power tripping homebody gets elected president and starts expanding it. Suddenly you won’t be allowed to hang your laundry out to dry because the old lady next door doesn’t like it.
In most places in America, HOAs are tied to property deeds. You can’t opt out, and the scope is not limited by anything but momentum.
That’s certainly a risk, does this mean you don’t support any power structure with the potential for abuse?
I happen to know this one is opt out-able. This is because there’s actually one other house on the lake not part of the association. They were asked nicely to join and opted out and everyone respected that decision.
Edit: Thinking back I’m not sure if the thing here is a HOA or just a contract signed by the 9 people on the lake committed to the maintenance of the shared space. It may not be a HOA.
Well now y’all got me nervous. I just signed a lease for a house in a HOA. At least it’s only a year lease. The one good thing is they have a company come in and take care of everyone’s small lawn. The thing that has me nervous is that woodworking is one of my main hobbies, and I figured if anyone would complain about noise, it would be a HOA type person.
Careful. Many times, once opted-in, you can never leave. If leaving is just a bylaw, they can change it. Most HOAs are a one-way latch: your property is in forever.
I also happen to know this one is a deal with the people not their property. One of the people moved and we had to separately invite the new occupants to join the agreement. (New guy is a military pilot as his day job)
Any power structure has the potential for abuse. HOAs specifically have an extremely long track record of heinous abuses, and almost no track record at all of being beneficial. In principle, nobody should be able to tell their neighbor that they can not engage in a legal behavior on their own property.
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You didn’t answer my question.
Even if your HOA currently has a rule that you have to ask new people to join, or that you can opt-out, that rule itself can be changed. Today you might be able to opt-out, but tomorrow, maybe not?
The only good use of a HOA is to manage common space like a pool or such that is for some reason run by the development. Otherwise nothing good.
And I would only consider one that placed strict controls to prevent mission creep beyond a shared pool.
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I’ll just salt the entire yard! It worked for that one patch of weeds!
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If you’re leasing it I have to wonder if you’re liable to the HOA or just to the landlord. I haven’t gotten to that bit in my real estate class so I have no idea.
Our building is a condo and has an HOA. If it’s hidden in our rent I don’t know but we don’t pay HOA fees.
You now have achieved peak home owner.
My family had a cabin that was wood heated only at one point. We had an old shed where we dried out firewood. Definitely miss the smell of like an entire shed of drying cedar.
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