Homeowner's associations (HOAs) are facing some serious heat in the online sphere today. It is as if someone cracked up a dam and now this storm will take everyone with it.
People are tired. People are frustrated with the cruelty and ruthlessness of some Home Owners Associations. This trend started off with one user posting how he got himself elected to lead the HOA and how he dismantled all draconian rules. This thread was posted on r/AmItheAsshole and has taken the internet by a story now.
Some HOAs can be very restrictive about what members can do with their properties and that pent up frustration is out in the open now.
"HOAs is trending and it's a good time to point out how HOAs seem pretty extortionist (sic)." writes JC.
"You'll never convince me it isn't a new legal hustle for the mob," wrote a reader.
"I see HOAs are trending. Once an HOA board told us they'd be entering our property for an inspection. We told them we were out of town for my brother's funeral. They came anyway, while we were burying him. Instead of condolence card, we got a write up for our grass and sprinklers," tweeted Brendon Keefe.
"I joined the #HOAs in our condo community because it was full of racist/homophobic/ Trump-loving ass hats and they needed a 27-year-old Queer to stop that shit," says Azariah.
HOAs are fucki*g dic*s
I currently live in a neighborhood where the HOA hates us
1. We don't have enough money to fix something that's bothering literally no one
2. Because my garden was too lively,
So they paid someone to tear it down,
3. Screamed at use because of a tree grow.
"I worked for a corrupt HOA for about 6 months when I was 19, I can tell you 100% from personal experience that there are some HOA's with massive racism problems.
The neighborhood I worked for was large and about 80% hispanic (working class poor, lots of immigrant families), and the office manager hated "wetbacks" and did everything she could to fine hispanic families into foreclosure. She would THROW AWAY their HOA dues checks, and make sure the letters going to the house were not in Spanish. (We had every document/form in both languages, she had to make an effort to switch it in the system)
Then there was the maintenance workers who did everything from take drugs on the job to extort sexual favors from residents.
That place was a nightmare. I was threatened, intimidated, sexually harassed and had my car vandalized. All in just six months.
When I quit I gathered up all the evidence I could find and sent it off to some of the few board members and residents I thought were honest, including an ex-cop.
Fortunately that seemed to work, they fired everyone and razed that place to the ground - literally bulldozed the main office. It's still an HOA but I hope to hell they have better staff/board members now.
"I will NEVER live under HOA rule if I can possibly help it. I'm sure some are okay but eff that," R/user Vivid Fiddle Sticks
"Luckily not all HOAs are like this. In my neighborhood, in order to add, delete or change a rule, you need 75% of the neighborhood to agree. Not just those who actively show up to meetings, but literally 75% of the entirety of the neighborhood (which is close to 300 homes). Basically, if you want something changed, you have to do a door to door campaign. As a member of my HOA board, it can be annoying. But it deters bullsh*t rules from happening, as well has harassment," said r/user steel stove.
"The first HOAs were created to enforce skin color rules, not paint color rules. They've changed to be more of the "your grass does not conform to our regulation requiring the color to reflect light in the 520 to 550 nanometer range, therefore we are foreclosing on your house and leaving you with nothing to show for your $300K mortgage" kind of petty assholes. Not really an improvement," wrote aother user.
The shitty part is that so many HOAs are now run by for-profit management companies who don't even live in the neighborhoods.
"I have the pleasure of TWO HOAs, both "professionally" managed, and even running for the board I wouldn't be able to destroy them. Kudos to that hero, "Jeramaiah Dooley
"Fu*k HOAs never understood why people would buy a home on land they will never 'own' and with HOA regulations/fees which can change at any point, Some HOAs even have the right to evict you out of your own home if you miss a payment," says Andy
In HOAs defense
"The Twitter mob strikes again. #HOAs aren't racist or inherently evil. They exist to maintain property values. How would you feel if you worked your ass off to buy a $250k house and the jackass Nextdoor creates a landfill in his front yard? You're investment drops in value!," feels Eugene Fitzherbert.
