HOA New Rule: You Can’t Smoke In YOUR OWN HOME?!

Apparently they can pass the rule: But will a court allow it?
www.lehtoslaw.com

[@johnrinke8080]

They dont want you smoking in the home because they need it clean as possible when they steal it from you.

[@CarlT-cc9bn]

Bingo! You nailed it. Easier to sell a seized house if you don’t have to repaint first.

[@RonSafreed]

Yeah they use stupid rules being broken to take advantage of stealing from home & condo owners!!

[@larrypaculdar3255]

🤣🤣🤣 Good one. lol

[@journeybrook9357]

Can't can horseradish or cook with garlic smoke / vape other , no oven boiler use also. Good grief.

[@compwiz878]

@@CarlT-cc9bn mine would have drywall missing and only the sub flooring .

[@TheCopperbaron]

HOAs should be deemed illegal and all should be abolished

[@sarahconnor8189]

Gotta know what your getting into,they're nuts.

[@IAmSpeaking4MySelf]

As long as people keep buying in, they will be around. It's tacit acceptance of HOA's

[@usrevenge]

​@@IAmSpeaking4MySelf virtually all new home construction is in an HOA and developers aren't going to take the risk of building without the protections hoa provide. The entire point of a HOA is to protect property value of all the homes in the HOA. It would be much much much easier to pass a law declaring hoas must dissolve after a certain short amount of time. Like 5 years tops.

[@tw8464]

You're absolutely right

[@tw8464]

​@@usrevengehow did developers build housing before this "hoa" nightmare? People act like America didn't build any housing before "hoas"

[@dn88s]

We've created a society of busybodies who can't mind their own business.

[@YoungGirlz8463]

socialism

[@bradbradshaw-i4n]

you have a bunch of old people with nothing better to do. they could be named gladys kravits. if you are young and don't know who that is look it up.

[@redchief94]

Ignorance

[@defendandprotect-om5hv]

​@YoungGirlz8463 No this is more like a dictatorship.

[@psychokitty7268]

They've always been out there, but now they can seize power over people.

[@Drew-DTM]

I would never live in a community that has an HOA. I was about to buy a house in a nice community and never really thought about the HOA. I was in the final stages of purchasing the home when the realtor asked how many cars I have because the home had a 3 car garage. I told her I have 4 cars. Then she said was I selling one I said no. Then I said I would just park it on the driveway. She told me the HOA doesn't allow it. I went to verify what she told me and it was true. I canceled the deal and bought a home somewhere else. There is no way I would deal with it. I found out more, and I was very happy to move on. Those HOAs are ridiculous.

[@johnstrika9170]

I'll never understand why people buy in communities, after hearing so many horror stories. The first thing I made sure of, when buying my home in PA in 2019, was no community. Nobody is gonna tell me what I can and can't do on my own property

[@fraserthomson5766]

You can't park your car in the drive, that would be crazy. Who parks their car in their own driveway.. lol

[@jamesc8722]

@@johnstrika9170because they believe the neighborhood provides security against crime, which is probably true. One neighborhood I lived in, we had all our bikes stolen, our trampoline stolen, and our house robbed. I doubt very much that people who live in these HOA areas deal with those issues regularly. I’d personally rather deal with some home nazis than the rampant drug and gang violence we see in all too many places.

[@connorleyden6103]

Don't buy home with a hoa.

[@chrisscott532]

The guys wife has been smoking for way too long so maybe this is for the better.

[@juniorgod321]

To live in a HOA is like paying a monthly fee to live in a dictatorship!

[@davesnothere8859]

biggest issue with HOA is that they are near requirement by the government now.

[@barryfleming8488]

I will wager $100 with the majority voting yes are women

[@romad275]

@@davesnothere8859 Which makes the "requiring government" a dictatorial government.

[@bartsanders1553]

They quite literally are submunicipal governments.

[@OLDMANTEA]

@@davesnothere8859government requirement? How so?

[@itsnotme07]

Just say NO to HOA. I don't smoke, never have. I'd want this rule removed. Why? The HOA cannot tell me what to do inside my home. Again, say NO to HOA.

[@ezg8448]

It's only a matter of time that "morals" are HOA inforced in the US.

Agreed. I'm an ex smoker but I feel the same way. This is America not China

[@biggreenblob]

@@itsnotme07 This is waaaay over the line for sure. But HOAs aren't all bad. The fees in our HOA go towards pool and pond maintenance, lifeguard salaries, clubhouse maintenance, groundskeeping, etc. They also throw huge neighborhood parties for the 4th of July, Halloween, and a few other holidays. It's actually a pretty sweet deal. Just cut your grass before it turns into a jungle, don't throw trash in your yard, and don't park in the street and you won't get a violation/fine 🤷 We have monthly meetings where residents can voice their concerns, vote for board members and president annually, and even have a provision to vote out board members immediately if enough residents show up and vote for that.

[@ezg8448]

What? My message got erased because I said they might one day enforce morals?

[@OLDMANTEA]

What home lets you do anything you want?

[@therealtraciw.7116]

I don't smoke in my home. I quit smoking years ago. But I'll be damned if somebody's gonna tell me what I can and can't do in my own home !!!

[@canUfeelMYface]

Want me to list the things you're not aloud to go on your own home?

[@ChanceUriahMiller]

​@@canUfeelMYface*allowed

[@renegadetherapist5664]

Damned straight! Enough to make you want to smoke again!!!

[@cjmacq-vg8um]

first off - how do they know if you're smoking in your home or not? do they install surveillance cameras inside your home to moniter compliance? all this anti-smoking extremism and fanaticism has gone BERSERK! its just fascism wanting to force conformity and tell others what to do. FIRST, the real dangers of so-called "second hand smoke" IS NONEXISTANT! ITS A TOTAL LIE! now they even talk about BS like third and forth hand smoke. THE INSANITY GROWS! SECOND, the dangers of smoking have been GREATLY exagerated. for instance there's NO evidence that smoking causes cancer. ITS A LIE! THIRD, entire motel chains and apt rental corporations have BANNED smoking entirely on their premises. some cities, santa monica and west hollywood are prime examples, have BANNED all smoking within their city limits! FOURTH, like NDAs, HOAs are ILLEGAL! they violate the constitution's protections of free speech and free expression. and that's why they're deemed legal by fascist judges. they'll claim the govt can't restrict these things but CORPORATIONS CAN! we're living in very dangerous times! seems people despise fascism UNLESS it enforces their own prejudiuces. these are examples of "leftist" fascism. the right conentrates its fascism in completely different issues. THE FASCISTS HAVE TAKEN OVER EVERYTHING - even the "left." woke and maga are BOTH FASCIST! whichever side wins - WE ALL LOSE!

[@Jahairalove84]

So don’t move to an HOA area.

[@yimmajazzi]

I don't even smoke and this burns my biscuits. Where do they get off telling you what you can do in your own house? How are they gonna know what you're doing in your own house behind closed doors? What are they gonna do? Dig through your trash for cigarette butts? That's just stupid. It's your own house.

[@cindiquivey767]

They would dig through your trash. My sister lives in a deed restricted community. Those HOA people are insane. It's a power trip. I'd lose my crap and need bail money.

[@daciasdiy1861]

If i didnt smoke . Id smoke just bc . You will not tell me wth i can do in my own home !

[@bullockwagon5994]

HOA’s need to be illegal….

[@Floating_Bus]

@@bullockwagon5994 actually, I think that people should have the freedom to put themselves under the tyrants! 😂

[@melkiorwiseman5234]

In Australia, they are. Local government handles everything essential which an HOA might regulate in the USA. The closest equivalent which Australia has to an HOA is a "Strata Title" but the companies which regulate strata title are very limited by law in what powers they have.

[@MarkStockman-b4j]

@@melkiorwiseman5234 Hate to break this to you, but HOAs are entirely redundant in the USA. Some people have to deal with the Federal government, their State/Commonwealth Government, a County/Parish Government, a Town Government, and a Village Government. Just like those Russian nesting dolls. When an HOA is set up, it adds yet another layer of taxation and regulation. An HOA generally exists inside a town, but outside the traditional Village limits. But it is possible for a HOA to be set up within a village. On Long Island in New York State, there are some brand-new villages that are basically HOAs with the weight and force of law. The Village of The Branch comes immediately to mind.

[@arlissyoung8899]

The people from the Northern States would rather die a horrible death than not be able to tell others how they should live their lives.

[@chucklou118]

@@melkiorwiseman5234why have ANYONE, tell you what you can and can’t do in your OWN HOME? Not even government!

[@Cowboy-6666]

My mom and dad bought a house in an HOA area. Mom passed away. Hoa started bugging dad. He went to their meeting in full dress uniform with his side arm. Told them "I never signed your papers and am not bound by your rules. I've served this country for 36 years defending it from enemies foreign and domestic. You fit the bill of domestic enemies." They never bothered him again.

[@BeastHunter2121]

Outstanding 👏🏾

[@Awesomemd001]

😂😂😂👏👏👏that’s awesome

[@socalsteeler7135]

Yeah, let's go to a meeting with a side piece. Very professional and mature man.

[@sreed7637]

Nice ❤

[@annemacpherson916]

🫶🏽🙏🇦🇺

[@CheekyMonkey1776]

My HOA just tried to ban children from playing baseball in homeowner’s backyards. As a result the President of the association and the rule change got voted out.

[@Sigil_Firebrand]

There is at least an argument that a stray baseball could be harmful to people or property. This smoking ban thing is just utter nonsense.

[@jaykoerner]

​​@@Sigil_Firebrand if your going that route with the basketball rule, you can argue that smokers on their own property might cause a fire that spreads to other homes

[@SamBrickell]

I think HOAs should qualify as local governments and be subject to the restrictions the constitution places on all levels of government.

[@hugegamer5988]

How dare those children frolic and play!

[@LectronCircuits]

No HOA, no Mello-Roos. Cheers!

[@HoserB-ox8zj]

That’s bull they don’t have the right to do that. It’s your home and no one should interfere. Vote him out.

[@rickmartin8262]

As an anti-smoker, I think that rule is absurd.

[@jasonbourne1596]

I'm sure we can all find something we don't like that you do in your house too.

[@OLDMANTEA]

@@rickmartin8262 if a multi-residence condo have a central heating and air conditioning, why would a no-smoking rule be absurd?

[@1djbecker]

@@OLDMANTEA At 1:40 it was made clear that these were detached homes, not apartments with a common ventilation system.

[@aspensulphate]

I agree, as far as a separate residence is concerned. But for connected housing, sharing a wall or floor/ceiling, it can be an issue. I lived in an apartment complex, and a cigar smoker moved into the apartment directly below me. Cigar smoke can be very pervasive and lasting. We didn't share HVAC system, but the smell would "seep" through the building. I eventually moved into a house.

[@NoRan-s1g]

@@OLDMANTEA It wouldn't. If we were speaking about a condo.

[@somenygaard]

When looking for a house I always click the box that says No HOA. Edit: Remember the rules for a particular HoA may be totally reasonable and something that you actually want in the neighborhood. Keep in mind that these rules are not set in stone and things can go south quite quickly.

[@butchthurman4685]

No doubt. I'm looking more for 2 acres min.

[@williamwoolverton6183]

I did the same thing for myself when I went to buy my house I made sure it didn't have no HOA.

[@josephdoe2586]

The fact there's even such a box speaks volumes.

[@robbytherob]

When you think about it, HOA’s are a scam because the fees are forever. There is no way your home will increase in value in an amount that will exceed the fees over a lifetime. In my area HOA fee’s are about $1500 a month. That’s $18,000 a year. Assuming you have a 30 year mortgage, that’s $540,000 in fees. But that’s only after the mortgage is up. Suppose you live in that house for the rest of your life? Another 30 years, assuming the HOA monthly fee never changes, that’s another $540,000 into the pockets of the board. Now do you see why it’s a scam?

[@alive28697]

When looking for a house just rent. Home owners are the ones who have to worry about HOAs and eminent domain. Imagine investing your life savings into a home and the government just takes it from you citing eminent domain.

[@williamsherman3047]

HOA board members are people who want to rule others, but were not able to find a position in government.

[@HistoryViper]

LMFAO, most of those positions don't even require a high school diploma. Government workers are the laziest, most unintelligent, most entitled people that walk the Earth. 😅

[@alive28697]

I'd be willing to bet that many politicians are active and current HOA board members

[@mattgayda2840]

HOAs are basically government, the HOA controls and owns the lands and properties with powers that exceed dictatorships. The board is always made of of nanny state loving lefties

[@lanky-x782]

You said that perfectly

[@fountainvalley100]

True in some cases. I was on a board. I was focused on making sure we stayed fiscally stable and we were saving enough to do major maintenance (roofs etc.).

[@SuccessForever1234]

I’d never listen to any HOA, I pay the property taxes I say what goes

[@MinionofNobody]

I am a retired cop. There were many times over the years when I responded to radio calls where the president of the HOA would approach us, identify himself, and demand details about why we were there. There were cases where I was not allowed to disclose that because the details were confidential as a matter of state law. It was interesting to see such people attempt to flex their nonexistent authority in an effort to force us to disclose information we were forbidden from disclosing. These kinds of contacts always left me with a poor impression of people in leadership positions at HOAs.

[@Ron-c9o]

They had an act right deficency, you were remiss in not giving them a 50,000 volt dose of act right

[@zim63]

When I did fire/EMS we would tell busy bodies who asked what happened that it was a shark attack.

[@truthjusticeintegrity]

HOA's are Privatized Fascism

[@ronaldckrausejr7762]

Oops on you. According to legally binding contract, enforceable in any court and before ea Judge… If they signed upon a legally binding contract , guess who has the authority?

[@MinionofNobody]

@ You’re mixing apples and oranges. HOA officers have no authority over law enforcement. Contract law is irrelevant - especially because there is no contractual relationship between law enforcement and the officers of an HOA. In addition to being a retired cop, I am a retired attorney. With all due respect, you don’t know what you’re talking about.

[@jhmyersii]

So what's next? Ban drinking in your home? Ban certain sexual activities? Where is the line drawn?

[@JakeStrange66]

It's not too farfetched. We used to have laws criminalizing certain things pertaining to that. Some of them are still on the books, but aren't enforced.

[@mysteriousme3006]

Can't sleep in your own home, ugh. 🤦‍♀️🙈🙉🙊

[@HorrorFreak68]

I can't smell someone having sex. I should be able to open my window or stand in my yard without being inundated with other people's tobacco smoke.

[@EugeneSSmith]

Next: HOA bans voting 'Republican'! 😮

[@timtambornino5297]

Cigarettes have additives that make them continue to burn, and that causes fires. The fire insurance rates are the only reason to do this. Smoke-free places get a break.

[@johncochran8497]

I absolutely despise smoking and consider this rule to be stupid and over reaching.

[@ProudCanadian-vv6bk]

I agree. The exception is where children are subjected to this drug, or dope. Same as any other drug.

[@grolaw]

The other exception is an insurance company offering a discount on the common area insurance when smoking is prohibited.

[@ProudCanadian-vv6bk]

@@grolaw good point

[@shawnkelly695]

​@@grolawi wouldnt get that insurance. Will regret it one day trust me. Many friends did and they regret it

[@stellijer]

I would too - EXCEPT if the windows are open and I'm smelling that crap in my own house. But if they keep their windows closed - it's up to them.

[@93ryan5]

I'm glad to see everyone in comments coming together being reasonable and respectful.

[@commentinglife6175]

Yeah, no. I don't care what a "majority" of my neighbors agreed with; you cannot tell me what I can do INSIDE my house! And no, i don't even smoke but once they pull this crap, then they ban you from cooking certain foods cause "they smell" and all that crap! Only good thing that may come of this is hopefully the people sue and argue the HOA is obviously no longer necessary given this level of fascism and should be fully disbanded!

[@alive28697]

Its a pointless rule anyway because unless you're advertising that you smoke indoors then how is anyone going to know?

[@SamBrickell]

I think HOAs should qualify as local governments and be subject to the restrictions the constitution places on all levels of government.

[@frotoe9289]

I am reminded of the video of a lady walking past a British home and stopping to yell at the person inside because of the odor wafting out to the sidewalk. Dude was in his own bathroom doing what people do there. And she's standing at his window yelling at him to stop stinking up the place.

[@Eman-vp5wk]

The constitution is the law of the land regardless of individual, or HOA. Any rules that are unconstitutional or are designed to circumvent the constitution can be disregarded.

[@commentinglife6175]

@ There is a bank with a corporate office nearby that has it in their hiring agreement that you won't smoke, even at home. Like I said, I don't smoke, but I still would never work at that kind of company. (What I do on my own time is mine; besides, who is more dangerous to your business - the guy who smokes cigarettes on Friday and Saturday night or the dude who gets plastered all weekend and comes in Monday hungover and still half out of it?) I'd imagine the HOA would have little quasi-SS agents like the bank to determine if you've been naughty naughty in your home!

[@philippberry4900]

In 1995 in our new neighborhood in Rathdrum, North Idaho, at the first meeting of our HOA, we voted to permanently disband.

[@cedricbillingsley3960]

And that's how the insanity is rightly ended!

[@ronw59]

I'll bet you have all lived to regret that decision. NOT!😉

[@Kevin_Rhodes]

Smart!

[@wlh227]

I am guessing that their was no common property and all units were separate units as if you have thing like a club house, swimming pool or tennis courts that is usually the reasons for HOA'S as otherwise they are not needed anyway.

[@lloydswartz7354]

Awesome🎉

[@neilrankin4133]

I live in an HOA. They didn't like the design of the house that was approved by the Developer and threatened us with fines unless I changed it. Fortunately, I'm an attorney. I drafted a Complaint for Declaratory Relief and told them I would file it immediately upon the issuance of any fines. They would have spent at least $30k at the trial level defending it and would have lost. Then I would have asked for and likely gotten attorney's fees. Had they issued fines and put a lien on our house I would sued for malicious prosecution/abuse of process. They spent thousands in attorneys fees only to back off when push came to shove because they didn't have a leg to stand on. Many law firms that represent HOA's are mostly letter writing factories and don't even litigate because most people can't afford to fight them. Legislation is needed and more attorneys need to be willing to represent homeowners' in disputes.

[@ashkebora7262]

Everyone voted for the moron that tears regulations and laws down that block corporations and institutions from overreaching, so... good luck getting HOAs regulated under a regulation cutter!

[@additudeobx]

I agree, it's all boilerplate language..... add a few sentences, take a few away...and POOF!!!

[@cjimcook]

Unfortunately, this strategy has a high chance of failure when your HOA agreement states that you agree to pay the HOA's litigation fees. They then fight any lawsuit by spending you into the ground.

[@fredfinger7092]

The real solution is to outlaw HOA's. For the sake of whatever you believe in, just DON'T buy a house in an HOA.

[@jsivco3sivco785]

As you said... Fortunately, you're an attorney, being able to represent yourself. However, the average schmuck doesn't have the thousands of dollars in legal fees to fight the powerful HOA.

[@Hugebear222]

This is a very informative piece. Let this be a lesson to new home buyers. KNOW what you're getting into before you make your move. Thanks

[@evilisfun9935]

Never ever buy a home in an HOA. You don't own it, they do.

[@bluzeman1975]

Well, no... They do not. If you buy property, YOU own the property... Not a bunch of busybodies who formed a club. HOA's have absolutely ZERO authority to tell anyone what they can or can't do on their own property.

[@rickbrown7287]

​@@bluzeman1975 You are so WRONG. Go "buy" a house in an HOA and find out. You do NOT own a house if you have "rules" that don't allow you to do what you want with the property you are paying for

[@joespinella7773]

It's double that. They don't own it either. The government does. You just pay them rent via a real estate tax

[@MrIdasam]

You don't own your home anyway, even if it's paid off. The government does. You're just a tenant, or a steward. Don't believe me? Stop paying taxes.

[@ronnythompson9115]

You don't own a home no matter where you live. Property tax is proof of that.

[@xizang3815]

I'm age 78 with heart and respiatory issues. I absolutely don't allow anyone to smoke in my home, car or place of doing business. What you do in your own home or car or boat is your own business. But neither of us has the right to decide what's allowed in the other's space. Many HOAs need to be sued and prosecuted.

[@Nathan-yy2xs]

I smoke. But I smoke outside anyway as even I don't like the smell it leaves behind inside a home

[@greggingle8886]

Look I like the fact that although you don’t allow smoking In your house car whatever you also get that it’s my decision what I allow in my house car whatever that’s the way it should be

[@greggingle8886]

I smoke inside my house but that is my right it’s bad enough for hoa s to ban smoking outside in my backyard

[@werewolflover8636]

⁠@@Nathan-yy2xsOh just you wait! Many people will have a fit even if they’re 100 feet away from you, also in many cities you can’t smoke at all in public either! Now if you were to light up a crack pipe or smoke a joint now that’s completely different.

[@Nathan-yy2xs]

@greggingle8886 I don't smoke inside my home as I can't stand the smell it leaves behind. But I do smoke. Smoking isn't illegal. And at my own property, I set the rules, not the government. My home is my rules and it will stay that way

[@lespearson3801]

My dad has a friend who is very wealthy. Years ago in the 1980s he bought a large parcel of land with an airstrip. He's a pilot, and owns a heavy construction company. He built his house next to it. He had more land than he wanted to maintain, so he sold all but his prad, about 3 acres plus the airstrip, to a developer. The resulting neighborhood became an HOA. Everything was fine until about 10 years ago. The orininal HOA members have largely passed on or moved away. The new ones don't know he originally owned the entire neighborhood and helped develop it. They tried to have his airstrip shut down because of noise. Not realizing their neighborhood wouldn't even exist but for that airstrip, and his land is not part of their HOA, and his title for it predates the existence of the HOA by a decade. He's also a very popular person in our medium/smallish town and very good friends with all the city and county officials. He built most of the large structures here. Our mall, the tall bank buildings, the new city hall etc... The HOA was told they have no power over his property, but continued to try to litigate anyway. He started parking cranes and heavy equipment at the top of the hill on his property. Sometimes, he has to start the huge diesel engines at very early hours. Sometimes, he has to warm up his Bonanza at 3am for a flight. Sometimes, his construction workers need to have a very loud party at his house since it is way out in the countryside, outside the city, and the county doesn't have a noise ordinance for properties in the EJT. Especially properties zoned open for both commercial or residential and not part of an HOA, and owned by the guy that literally built city hall. 2 years ago, they dropped all their lawsuits, and suddenly, the neighborhood became much quieter again. Imagine that. The solution was to stop being a bunch of pedantic Karens. STFU and get along.

[@vinaypatel8578]

NIMBYs moving into HOA sound like the recipe for hell itself.

[@KingSteven26]

I wouldn´t like to live next to a airstrip either, but I would think about that before moving there...😁😆

[@lespearson3801]

@KingSteven26 I get the sentiment, but we're talking about a few Cessnas, Piper Cubs, Beechcraft Bonanzas etc... Small piston powered craft. Maybe 3 or 4 times per week. From several acres away, it would be about as loud as your neighbor mowing the lawn and not last as long. It takes about 10 minutes to take off and about 30 minutes to mow a lawn.

[@KingSteven26]

@@lespearson3801 My argument was in no way about "your" airport, what I meant was "If you move next to it deal with it!". Doesnt matter if its a farm, a small or even international airport, or any kind of factory, it was there before, so you knew what you get. The new neighbors in the HOA-Development you wrote about were just incredible entitled... (A new airstrip or factory build next to your home would be a different story, and legit protest in my point of view)

[@ETC_Rohaly_USCG]

I spent my childhood growing up at SMO (Santa Monica, CA) and my dad built 2 planes. That airport has been there for generations, and I remember the city getting involved because "they hated the sound" The City got involved, it was Decades of arguments, finally SMO 'shortened' the Runway so it was only limited to prop-planes. Damn I miss that airport, and they did a huge disservice to the community. (The original length was about 4900ft, and the new is about 3500.) It was a secondary/Emergency landing spot for LAX traffic.

[@homeimprovementsubaruguy2556]

If this rule stands then what’s next? No hugging in your house? No speghetti? How about you must hire a plumber to flush your toilet for you each time you go number two?

[@LukeLovesRose]

This is going BEYOND OVERREACH. This is outrageous

[@ksbrook1430]

Originally HOAs were meant to keep house values high. In my mind, HOAs, with the burden of unreasonable control, devalue the propery. I would never choose to buy a property that is part of an HOA.

[@PamelaH_HappyVibes]

⬆️ THIS! 👏👏👏

[@tissuepaper9962]

let's not revise history. HOAs are designed to exclude black and brown people from home ownership, "property values" are a dogwhistle.

[@darrennew8211]

HOAs were meant for two reasons. (1) is to own the shared properties of the community. If you have private roads, someone has to maintain them. (2) is so the builder can sell houses in phases. The builder wants to sell the first 50 of 500 houses and doesn't want people painting their houses black and parking burned-out cars on the front yard while they're trying to sell the next 50. *That* is where those "keep values high" rules come from.

[@staceyhamilton3982]

But that is part of the problem. People have stopped looking at homes as, well, their HOME. Now the vast majority of people simply look at a house as a means to make money. This country is fucking done

[@JessicaO490Z]

At least in my area a house with an HOA will be lower in value depending on the HOA fee. When people are buying homes they look at the total monthly amount they're going to spend and if there's a $200 a month fee it's going to really impact on whether they want that house or not...

[@ianbattles7290]

It'll be a cold day in Hell before I let someone tell me how I can behave inside the privacy of my own home.

[@stinkwink695]

They already do, you just agree with it, this one you dont. You cant smoke other things in your house.

[@Youngbuck3888]

@@stinkwink695 ''Other things'' are completely illegal in on out of your house. As they should.

[@morph-fiend8942]

@@Youngbuck3888 depends where you live, its legal to smoke pot in the privacy of your home in my state

[@stinkwink695]

@@Youngbuck3888 Yep, that was my point. Someone is telling you how you can behave inside the privacy of your own home, and in most cases you probably agree with it, the only difference here is you don't agree. Alcohol and cigarettes are objectively worse than pot and likely other illegal drugs which are not allowed and there is no real outrage, Im just pointing out that its not about telling you what you can do inside your house its about whether you think other people should be able to do it in their house or not, in other words whether you agree with the rule or not, and that is kind of hypocritical.

[@jeffkaczmarek3577]

@@Youngbuck3888 LOL

[@nunyabiznez6381]

I think what a lot of people fail to understand is that when you buy a condo or a home in an HOA you don't actually own your home. You are paying a huge fee up front to obtain permission to move in then you pay rent every month like an apartment. The condos or so-called homes are the property of the association or in some cases the management co. So they can make up rules as long as those rules are not arbitrary and even then they get a lot of latitude in that regard. My Mom lived for years in a home she and my Dad bought in 1971. About thirty years ago a developer bought up the 40 acre tract of land bordering the back of my Mom's home. They build a number of homes there and made it an HOA. Then some years later they attempted to foreclose on my Mom's home. She thought it was junk mail and threw it away until the sheriff came to evict her. She was furious. What happened was the HOA annexed my Mom's property into the HOA illegally. They filed a document with the town then I'm not sure what happened next but the document that they filed with the town claimed they notified her of the annexation and when she didn't respond they filed paperwork with the town planning committee who illegally approved of the annexation without my Mom's consent which is required by law. Then they foreclosed on her property for non payment of association dues also illegal. So the sheriff comes by to evict her and when she reads the paperwork she told the sheriff the action was illegal and that was the first time she heard of it and her house had been bought and paid for for years. She said she owes nobody money on it as she owns it outright so the foreclosure was illegal. She called her lawyer who then called a judge and they got an emergency injunction and Mom took them to court. Bottom line is the entire planning board and three of the five town council members all went to jail. The management of the home owner's association went to jail and the home owner's association was dissolved. The common areas within the the HOA were annexed by the new town council and became part of the town's parks and recreation department. Basically they tried to steal Mom's home that she had been paying mortgage on for twenty years and paid off. Some of the residents were not happy but most were because it seems the association board had some other pretty shady practices as well. I live in Florida now. Near me was an HOA along the beach. In Florida, the state owns all property that is below the high tide line and with only a few exceptions, all that land is open to the public. But that HOA decided that only residents could use the adjacent beach. In fact they made an agreement as part of the approval process for the development that they would take over maintenance of the public beach. The thing is when that happened they built a fence around the public beach and basically stole it from the city and the city, relieved of the responsibility of taking care of it turned a blind eye. So they also put fences up preventing people from accessing the part of the beach below the high tide line. I and others go beach combing down that way and so when we encountered the illegal signs and fences we moved them out of our way and accessed the beach we had a legal right to access. We were arrested for trespassing on private property. We got a lawyer and went to court and all of us pled not guilty and moved to have the charges dropped due to lack of evidence. We pulled out a topographical map and a nautical chart showing where the high tide lines were and were we were and the police confirmed where we said we were at the time we were illegally told to leave and illegally arrested for trespassing. The judge agreed with us and dismissed the case with prejudice basically acquitting us of the charges. But we wanted more and requested that the HOA be charged with filing a false police complaint and that the officers who arrested us be charged with false arrest. The prosecutor's office told us that the police could not be charged since they had no idea where property lines were. I disagreed with that. But it is hard to argue against a judge who is wrong. But the prosecutor did file charges against the HOA and two members of the HOA board were found guilty and given probation and a fine. So a few months later the fence and signs are back up and we repeated our access taking down the illegal fence and signs. We again were arrested this time for trespassing and vandalism. We won that case as well only this time the judge issued an injunction against obstructing access to the public owned beach and held the HOA board in contempt and kept them in jail for a week. The police were then issued a warning by the judge that he WOULD approve of charges against any officer who arrested people simply for using the beach they had a legal right to access. So a few months after that we encountered a concrete wall that extended all the way fifty feet beyond the high tide line and new signs warning people not to trespass and we sent photos to the judge who ordered the HOA to remove the wall within 24 hours (8 feet high, 16 inches thick, 200 feet long sitting on a six foot deep foundation and footing.) They failed to comply so the entire HOA board was sentenced to a year in jail, the association was fined $250,000 and the police officers who arrested us were fired and the police chief was reprimanded for not training their officers in correct procedure for trespassing complaints. The judge determined that in all trespassing complaints the police needed to familiarize themselves within reason of the affected geography of the property where the alleged trespass occurred. He then ordered the HOA to hire surveyors at their expense and to put in markers indicating the mean high tide line and then told the police chief that any arrest for trespassing where the person arrested was within fifty feet of those markers on EITHER side he would throw out the case and order the police department to pay restitution to each arrested person in the amount of $10,000 per count and would order the chief of police held in contempt for 7 days for each violation of his order. It took two weeks for the wall to come down. As far as I am aware nobody was ever arrested for trespassing any where on that barrier Island since. That HOA has since been disbanded.

[@roberthahn3710]

Friends don’t let friends LIVE IN hoas!!!

[@JesusIsKing91276]

@@roberthahn3710 😅😅

[@Daniel-qy9mb]

Friends don’t let friends live in neighborhoods with couches on the front lawn. Haha! Pick your battles and be okay with it.

[@justcurious3525]

@@Daniel-qy9mb Each to his own. It's supposed to be a free country.

[@Eman-vp5wk]

@@roberthahn3710 the constitution protects us from accidentally agreeing to giving up our rights.

[@OLDMANTEA]

Friends let their friends live where they want

[@briancarriere9766]

One of the biggest mistakes we ever made was buying a house in a neighborhood with an HOA.

[@lionheartroar3104]

A few months ago I wish I had an HOA when a bad neigbor couldn't be reeled in by law enforcement.

[@ditzygypsy]

@@lionheartroar3104It’s more likely that the troublemaker would’ve somehow managed to get you sanctioned instead. HOAs don’t work for good people; only the supremely nosey and awful ones.

[@48boogie...85]

​@lionheartroar3104 if the cops ain't doing nothing the dude probably ain't doing nothing you just don't like them...

[@amusedBYfools]

​@@48boogie...85that's not necessarily true.

[@48boogie...85]

@amusedBYfools well I live in a hoa and the people I see causing problems are the people worried about what everyone else doing... old people with nothing better to do 🤣🤣🤣

[@TheSubygirl]

HOA's don't have nearly the power that they claim to have. I went up against one a decade or so ago over my husbands bass boat. Honestly they had already pissed me off about my house being painted. They claimed i needed permission to paint it a new color. I told them it was the same color they had just ignored the fading paint for years and didn't recognize the color. Then i showed them the original builders paint code. Ultimately I won both battles. I promptly infected the entire neighborhood with legal knowledge I had aquired through my fight. They immediately moved to disband the busybodies. The neighborhood has never looked better.

[@Tonyp3]

That depends on the state. Some states have regulations that give HOA bylaws more power because it allows the state to collect money on violations.

[@cadillacnan]

I would laugh all way to the bank

[@peggysmith4814]

I had the same situation with the paint! I knew we were to get permission to paint our house a different color. We took the old paint can with paint in it and on it to get a match. Then they sent a letter saying we didn't ask if we could change the color. Wanted 170.00 dollar fine. I sent back, I didn't know I needed their permission to paint it the same color it used to be and I would not be paying any fine. Did not hear from them again. But it was a money grab attempt. The house looked great. So the fine was for not bowing the knee to their authority.9

[@lindasussman8695]

Smoking does affect every one, if you can smell the smoke it causes all that smoking the same risk as the smoker

[@eldonhoward7925]

I heard that in a few cases the HOA actually legally wound up with someone's home. I do not remember the whole story but I know that I will never own a home with an HOA.

[@StormLaker]

We lived in a townhome that we shared a wall with our neighbor who was a non-smoker. She moved away, and a heavy smoker bought the unit and moved it- you could smell their smoke as plain as day in our unit. It was super annoying, because our clothes, our furniture, everything smelled of cigarette smoke. Plus they flicked their butts all over the back shared yard while on the cell phone wtih whoever they were talking wtih. Pretty soon they let their druggie kids move back in with them- that's when we got pissed, sold our unit and bought a house. Never again will I live in a condo/townhome in an HOA.

[@ritadyer9295]

As someone who is allergic to smoke I wouldn’t have been able to stay there either. It’s bad enough with single family homes and people smoking outside sometimes. But it’s their property.

[@crowe668]

This situation is a little different, Its the same structure. So i definitely understand your point.

[@CaptConfusion71]

They don't pay my house payment, they don't get to say what I do inside my house.....

[@jeremydale4548]

They shouldn’t get to say what you should be allowed to do on your property period. HOAs power should end the nanosecond you step off the street into your property lines.

[@frankjhall1]

Go Birds !

[@bergmanoswell879]

They do get to say what you do if you signed a contract as a condition of buying your house that says they do.

[@2Fast4Mellow]

I heard the word 'unit' a lot in the video. So unlikely a freestanding home. Much more likely a multi family home or an apartment building. If the HOA pays the premium for the fire insurance, they can set rules about what you can and can't do in your unit because people that smoke pay a higher premium because there is an inherit higher risk of fires...

[@nottiification]

You dont own your home, they do. Read the fine print.

[@ShevieMine]

I have lived in an HOA controlled community and was even on the board for several years. I will never again live under those conditions. Mini-dictatorships.

[@jeremyhall2727]

Because they only pick their closest of friends to be on the board

[@midnightblue117]

Tell us more on how dirty you did people!!!

[@damcom82]

Banning smoking in your own home, is just 1 step nearer to them saying you can't be naked in the bathroom of your own home.

[@robotnikkkk001]

....SO THEY'LL REPLY BY MAKING A RULE THAT *every inch if your house will be monitored by theur cameras* ....... ......

[@IAmNotAChristian2025]

The HOA Should Get Sued And Lose Their Jobs

[@bitterfruit4782]

I live in an HOA, and I call them out all the time when they try to be stupid. One time they said the American Flag was not approved to be flown, I said sue me, That was the last time anything was said. You have to pick your fights and make sure you have proof.

[@jbranche8024]

Know a little HOA law. Yes they use all the communities money to sue you. Yes in some locations they can fine you per day not per violation. How government has not put basic safeguards in place for citizens is ridiculous

[@scottlemiere2024]

@@jbranche8024 a few states have, but most of those states have a limited number of HOAs. But developers have been forming HOAs while building to, "protect their investment," and form it in a way that get 100 votes per plot they still own, then never sell enough of the plots to lose complete control.

[@jbranche8024]

Exactly, all the Condo Docs are created by the Builder/Developer and their lawyer. Florida is the worst. Hard to find a home/condo that is not in HOA/COA. The management also works for the Board and follows the Boards directives, not the homeowners. Definitely room for improvement in many areas

[@truthjusticeintegrity]

HOA's are Privatized Fascism

[@bukharagunboat8466]

That one is easy; Congress passed a law to say they can't ban flying the US flag. Similar was done for satellite dishes (I guess lots of "campaign contributions" changed hands for that). In many States the same applies to solar panels.

[@sbielec30]

If you buy a home in an HOA, sounds like you made a bad decision.

[@meticulousperversions9064]

sounds like your correct and if more people stopped moving into HOA ruled housing, then the HOA would be a thing of the past.

[@NoPixelLive]

Lived in a house with an HOA one time in my 30 years. Tried to tell me smoking outside my house was unacceptable and against rules, I slowly stood up and told him to step on the property and try me. Never heard from him again 😂

[@Keith-ux9ku]

Condo or separate structure?

[@usrevenge]

Press x to doubt X

[@NoPixelLive]

@usrevenge just because you don't stand up for yourself doesn't mean others don't 😂

[@JoaquinDogdeed-qv3jg]

They can get u arrested 😂

[@NoPixelLive]

@JoaquinDogdeed-qv3jg yeeeeeah but let's just say I live in a state where a mans private property protects him from a lot. A chain link gate by definition of our local laws provides a reasonable expectation of privacy so nothing would hold up in court. The HOA is well aware of that which is why they couldn't do shit.

[@3n1sunmoon62]

Smoking Outside Is Worse. 🤷

[@dexter_gd3478]

I like when you have the stories where somebody actually doesn't live in the HOA but the HOA tries to enforce their rules on them. Those are the best stories

[@hardlybentspoke1506]

Red Herring! Red Herring!

[@maxxcarver5502]

​@hardlybentspoke1506 NO! I've head of HOAs trying to tell the Neighbors of the HOA what to do!!!

[@eddavis9704]

Especially when they are next to a farm.

[@donaldwert7137]

@@maxxcarver5502 I think Steve did a video on just such a case a month or so ago.

[@JamesSalie]

They grandfather neighbors into their HOA. Lol Those are good videos.

[@raygiordano1045]

If you can't do what you want to do on your own property, you really don't own the property at all.

[@jsnsk101]

you dont own property, you just rent it off the government. Miss paying your taxes and its gone

[@MaryHarper-x6r]

You will own nothing and you will be unhappy!

[@TheTubejunky]

@@jsnsk101 Trump might stop that soon. Lets cross our toes!

[@darrennew8211]

That's not really what ownership means.

[@SpringScapes]

We haven't own property in this country for quite some time.

[@RailBuffRob]

A guy I know owned a cabin on a small lake and for 20 years there was nobody else on the lake. This guy would maintain the earthen dam himself to maintain the lake level. One year, a housing development was built on the other side of the lake, that development had an HOA which demanded he stop maintaining the dam because they said he was making the water level too high. Being petty and knowing exactly what would happen, he did as they said. 3 years later, the dam collapsed from a complete lack of maintenance and the lake was almost completely dry for the hottest summer on record.

[@DKNguyen3.1415]

This sounds newsworthy. Did this not make the news?

[@RailBuffRob]

@DKNguyen3.1415 It was in the 1990s in a very rural area, on a small shallow lake, so I doubt it.

[@kimfleury]

Perfect climate change news story 😀 ​@@DKNguyen3.1415

[@guitarmeetsscience]

haha belongs on r/ maliciouscompliance

[@earthquake3.9]

Karma is a ß!+©h.

[@1lorijb]

I don't smoke but how would they know, this is not a communist country😂😂😂😂😂

[@andrewmccormack4295]

Not yet.....

[@dsoule4902]

Actually it is .. HOAs are Marxism on training wheels, conditioning people to not have control of their "property."

[@LadyDi49Diana2.0]

Residents should be able to vote HOAs OUT!

[@humphr1d]

I lived in a community where we voted to abolish the HOA. We were able to abolish it since the community did not have any common grounds and the town already took care of snow plowing and street cleaning. Unfortunately I moved when I retired to a new community where the HOA was definitely on a power trip. One day I got notice that the concrete apron of my driveway was dirty and needed pressure washing. Mind you, this was a community that took care of all of the grounds and the “dirt” came from the tires of the lawn mowers employed by the groundskeeper. I asked for the documentation that gave guidance for the upkeep of the concrete apron. The documentation was one sentence stating that homes must be keep in good repair. Never mind the fact that the concrete sidewalks, curbs, and gutters on the common property (including a large clubhouse) were never pressure washed over the fives I lived there. I did talk to a representative from the management company who said off the record that the whole pressure washing thing came up from a gentleman who pressure washed his driveway weekly and was upset that other people did not and claimed that dirty driveways affected the value of his home. Unreal!!

[@donaldcarpenter5328]

residents can vote out individual members of the hoa board, that's about it.

[@kikixchannel]

@@donaldcarpenter5328 Pretty sure that in states that do not have mandatory HOA's (as I heard there are some that DO in fact mandate them), the residents have the power to start an HOA as well as disband it. It is, after all, the home OWNERS association. It is NOT an institutional owner of the homes. Basically, HOA's have only that power which was given to them by the individual parties that form it.

[@garyanthony2440]

They can

[@LadyDi49Diana2.0]

@ Sure would love to know how! I hate this worthless HOA I am stuck in!

[@Ryan-ff2db]

I had a real estate agent tell me "it's not reallly an HOA", which by that I think she meant they weren't overly aggressive. I just told her no HOA's under any circumstances, even suposedly good one's.

[@ronw59]

Isn't non-aggressive HOA an oxymoron?! Like jumbo shrimp or government expediency?

[@Ryan-ff2db]

@@ronw59 Exactly. Even if they are supposedly non-aggressive, things change. A new board or leader may come in and change everything.

[@mekaerwin7187]

real estate agents are like car salesmen and recruiters. They live by you saying yes to whatever they offer.

[@JessicaO490Z]

Besides all it takes is a change of the board to become your nightmare. But if they have low monthly rates that usually means that they do a bunch of garbage fees.

[@5400bowen]

@@Ryan-ff2db Blackrock buys it.."No living in your condo allowed!"

[@UnitedWeStandFreedom]

I don't smoke but if they told me not to smoke in my own home i owned I'd start smoking just because! Who the hell do people think they are today playing boss with your freedom of life!

[@Gizziiusa]

How would they enforces such a thing ? Are the HOA officers going around "patrolling" the streets and looking into windows to try and catch someone smoking ? Or are they going to do a once a week inspection inside the home to sniff test it ? That would creep me out if all of sudden, people be trying to catch me smoking in my house...peeping Tom stuff right there.

[@DKNguyen3.1415]

@Gizziiusa "Or are they going to do a once a week inspection inside the home to sniff test it ? " It's an HOA. They might just add that you are required to allow them to do that to the contract.

[@Gizziiusa]

@ nothing surprises me anymore in this day and age. i'd never be a part of an HOA, period.

[@slamuri2801]

I used to work on some HOA jobs but after a good few I said nah. No more. Not bidding anymore of these. Why? Because the crap that goes on between the homeowners is unreal. Talking about, “we want moisture testing in all the homes.” Give them a quote, come to do it, as soon as we get to work homeowners come out threatening to shoot if we don’t get off properties, etc. And the homeowners always have a beef with the workers who are just doing their job. Take it up with your hoa president. Also speaking of condos those were the absolute worst to deal with. Emerald Isle condo associations were horrible to work with. No one was ever on the same page, the president/board was never filling in the people who just live there. Matter a fact my very last HOA/condo job was for a condo association in Emerald Isle. Sucked. So many people came out and started yelling at us because the board apparently didn’t put 10k worth of work to a vote. The homeowners had no idea we were coming

[@JeffRobertsFix]

It’s quite ironic that an HOA wants to retain and improve the property values, but home buyers are more likely to be turned off if they see a property is part of an HOA.

[@runbutterrun]

That's because too many Karen Dictators, that have no jobs or hobbies use all their free time attempting to find any type of fineable violation. I think Florida passed a law where all HOA board members have to complete a specific training course.

[@FirstLast-vr7es]

Absolutely. I would NEVER buy a property that's under an HOA. Automatic NO for me, thanks.

[@airplanemechanic9513]

@@FirstLast-vr7es Well my house is an example of what you get without an HOA. Although it would be difficult since we live on a street, its an isolated street so it's kinda like a subdivision. Next to my house is a house almost new worth about $400K. Next to it, is a beat up run down trailer. Next to that is a drug house where everyone was arrested years ago and it's been abandoned. At the beginning of the street is a junk yard with old cars and tires piled 3 high on cars and 15 high on tires. Next to that junk yard, are two more trailers, run down, awful places. So HOA's do have their reasons.

[@j._.taylor]

​@@airplanemechanic9513 So, just because you live in a bad neighborhood, "HOAs are good"?🤔 Sorry, not very convincing.

[@ygrittesnow1701]

@@airplanemechanic9513 And yet you never have to worry about some power hungry karen telling you what curtains to hang or trying to take your home from you. And from what you are describing. Wasn't most of that their when you bought the home? that would be like buying a home near an airport then complaining about the noise.

[@DogFarts96]

If you want individual personal rights, if you don't like Drama, if you want to be left alone.. DON'T join a HOA.

[@DarkForce2024]

@@Cybo-Man Personally, I could care less what my neighbor's house looks like, as long as it's not attracting rats or something onto my property I don't care if he has 10 cars on blocks, house painted 12 colors, and his lawn is brown as poop, it doesn't affect my life one way or another. Peace and quiet? That's what city noise ordinances are for, enforced by the actual police.

[@DarkForce2024]

@@Cybo-Man Sure, but I'm older, and I plan on dying in this home, so the less my property is worth, the less taxes I have to pay. So for me, that's a good thing. But yes, everyone has their right to make their own decisions. If done correctly, sure, but people come and people go, you usually have a 30 year mortgage, it might start out good, but who knows what can happen in 30 years. I'm not personally willing to take that chance. But I can only speak for myself, of course.

[@donaldddavisjr]

@@Tom-BXR300Agreed, but it doesn't have to one or the other. A good HOA can be helpful.

[@donaldddavisjr]

@@Cybo-Man Absolutely true. HOAs can over-reach, but without them crazy neighbors can be even more of a nuisance.

[@compwiz878]

There's legal things at hand that'll ensure your privacy. No trespassing signs. Police harassment charges on the HOA. Restraining orders. Tresspassing charges.

[@Runner2000]

HOA stands for Horde of Authoritarians.

[@JackKingFisher]

Hahahhaha perfection

[@VernonEmerson-w8f]

I would never ever under any circumstance by at home, controlled by an HOA!! When I buy a home, it’s my home, I’ll do inside it as I wish!!

[@TheGravityAxe]

"Let's ban smoking inside our own homes, but provide an outdoor area for the neighbourhood to see and be affected by the smoke". HOA committees are stupid.

[@Bear-Behr]

Suggest to the HOA that all residential locks must be from one manufacturer (I.e. Master or Schlage) and a master key held by the HOA that can open the door at any time. Watch how quickly everyone would scream and holler in defiance against it. Then let everyone know in comparison the absurdity to smoking rules.

[@KawaiiFireMoon]

im setting up a hooka

[@northof49]

@@KawaiiFireMoon Is she cute?

[@renep.1451]

@@northof49 Haha! I see what you did there. Funny!

[@BohemianLifer]

Nobody's business.

[@paulthetexan]

I once got mail from my HOA that my grass was too long. In the picture they sent, I was visible, mowing the lawn. I now live where there's no HOA.

[@maxmanx1294]

I've received violations for the ladder I was standing on, the garden hose I was using, and more.

[@lah67]

i feel like they just target people that they want to run out of their neighborhood. you couldn't pay me enough to live under any kind of HOA.

[@RonSafreed]

In Dunedin FL north of Tampa, several years ago a man had to go out of state to take care of his dying mother & his gardener died, so his grass grew tall & the city tried to seize his home over that & the IFJ go involved & sided with the owner!!

[@crowe668]

Seriously? What has happened to humanity....

[@m.cigledy6769]

I've said this before, but I would rather live in a dumpster behind a McDonald's than in a mansion in an HOA.

[@Alan-ln3ls]

Free food!

[@aaronlabranche2977]

Americans

[@andyny29]

What if the dumpster is in an HOA? 😂😅😊😮

[@aml_5797]

@@Alan-ln3ls when I worked at a McD's I got to like stale chicken nuggets and fish fillets and especially their breakfast sandwiches. I'd be down with the free food.

[@TheSilverSphincter69]

Get your own dumster!!! This one's mine!!!

[@Bahamut_Mega]

When me and my wife and I bought our house 5 years ago. I told her one of my very few hard NOs was that I won't live with an HOA.

[@Beeismedottv]

In GA they just told a Vietnam Veteran that he can’t fly his POW-MIA flag and we are going to raise Hell at the city council meeting.

[@golgotha1522]

Those almost always get shot down in either the courts or by state gov't intervention.

[@crowe668]

Get em...I understand they want property values to remain high. But if the rule doesnt concern a maintenance issue (tall grass, multiple broken down vehicles, or a damaged house) then it shouldnt be a rule. Flags and decorations should be allowed.

[@jamespeden1089]

HELL NO! I actually quit smoking but the f**k if anyone is going to tell me what I can do in my own home.

[@hardlybentspoke1506]

It depends. What did you agree to do when you bought your property?

[@raymondwilliams5661]

How would they.no.if you were 🚬 smoking in side 🤔.

[@evil1by1]

​@@hardlybentspoke1506dont you see the irony in your statement. When did YOU buy YOUR property , at point did we forget the whole constitutional right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness and property? Its theirs and they can do what they wish ..anything else is an unconsciousable clause and cant be enforced.

[@lablaine1981]

We are surveillance country,phones,cars,homes, light poles,plate readers,in my 80 yrs never quite imagined drones,phones,homes,etc 👀24/7 speaks of a decaying country☑️

[@compwiz878]

@@hardlybentspoke1506 doesn't matter the HOA isn't paying my mortgage and other bills and the property isn't in their name. Therefor have ZERO say in what I can/can't do on my property PERIOD. Just let that sink in a while.

[@ron9146]

The head of my HOA was a retire junior high school vice principal. He patrolled the neighborhood with a clipboard. I got a letter for not get his permission to repaint my house THE EXACT SAME COLOR IT HAS BEEN FOR THE LAST 25 YEARS (a light pearl gray with white trim). After reviewing the HOA agreement, I went to the next board meeting, and pointed out yard gnomes are not prohibited. I threatened to get a couple dozen!

[@5400bowen]

Was his name Dunn?

[@jeffmccrea9347]

...yard gnomes are not prohibited. I threatened to get a couple dozen!... Yeah, those damned things seem to breed like cats, don't they?

[@joli1969girl]

You should be grandfathered in a situation like this. If you purchased your condo and you're a smoker and it was all good when you purchased the condo they should have no right to tell you that you can't smoke in your own home

[@landshark6659]

Just say no to HOA

[@jimdandy7227]

I bought in a HOA in 1997 and live there still, the new board will not enforce mowing THEY SUCK

[@Morales-nt6vi]

HOA can EAD.

[@barryc9115]

@@jimdandy7227 We found our communist……

[@skysurfer9655]

HOA has the right to file a lien against your property for violations. You can say no, but they will win eventually.

[@SamBrickell]

I think HOAs should qualify as local governments and be subject to the restrictions the constitution places on all levels of government.

[@JesusIsKing91276]

This is some BS! That's like telling someone they can't drink a glass of wine to relax in their own home. This is madness i tell you.

[@paul.van.santvoord1232]

And the next ban will be alcohol, then energy drinks etc....

[@Alverant]

If you spill wine, does it produce more wine that can spread to the people you share walls with? Your analogy is bad.

[@JesusIsKing91276]

@@Alverant no but drunk neighbors are a problem.

[@billtwok6864]

In an HOA you don't actually own the home, the HOA does. A home in an HOA is worth exactly zero. You pay a fortune to be a renter.

[@MIForrestguy]

They do it for residents in private communities. I could see this in practice for the public in religious areas. It's not ever happening where I own a home.

[@TheJhale2011]

When I was looking for a home, if it had an HOA I wouldn't consider it!

[@jimster1111]

its impossible to do nowadays though. every single new neighborhood being built is being built under an HOA. its a good way for the developer to bypass city approval because it moves the burden of paying for infrastructure out from underneath the city and builder. dozens of neighborhoods worth of homes have been built in my city in the last couple years and not one of them hasnt been an HOA

[@donm-tv8cm]

​@@jimster1111Easy -- buy older homes. Or live outside that city. Or find a different city. That's how I live. I REFUSE HOA life!

[@TheJhale2011]

@@jimster1111 We have some places like that here. It is mostly rural with larger pieces of land. The terrible home builders are starting to move in and build these cookie cutters homes with the cheapest stuff possible and they are only feet apart. I'd never buy one. I built my own house in 2008. On my originally purchased 9.2 acres with an old trailer that I lived in until I paid down the land.

[@kathleenmcclernan3426]

All it does is take a couple of control freaks…and they’ll make your life miserable. I just bought a home with no HOA. I just got out of an HOA nightmare…never again!

[@GWNorth-db8vn]

I bought my house before the HOA existed. They send me letters "HI, we don't know who you are, but we'd like you to join us". Two ladies showed up at my door one day and when the one with the clipboard said "Hi, I'm so and so from the HOA", I introduced myself as "Hi, I'm the homeowner". There were there to inform me that there was a complaint about me feeding chipmunks, which I don't actually do. I did a few times after that, though.

[@compwiz878]

Stay Petty

[@GWNorth-db8vn]

@@compwiz878 - Petty complaints bring petty responses.

[@Luthiart]

@@GWNorth-db8vn They post that in every thread about a homeowner standing up to the HOA. They're probably one of the HOA control freaks.

[@GWNorth-db8vn]

@ - For virtually anything you can say on the internet, there's a troll waiting to jump down your throat to tell you you're wrong.

[@sheryljeanne]

Tell them tough crap. Your grandfathered in you bought your house before they existed and get off my lawn

[@Pedasi66]

Lived in Marco Island, FL and the HOA cited me many times because there was bird poop on top of the mailbox from ground owls, which are protected. I would clean the mailbox almost daily but when we were out of town it obviously piled up since their burrow was right next to it. Finally an FWC officer gave me a written warning that my continuos cleaning was disturbing the owls, so I sealed their notice in plastic and posted it on the side of the mailbox and never heard from the HOA again. 😅

[@compwiz878]

Stay Petty

[@lamarw7757]

I call BS. The mail carrier would cause more of a disturbance.

[@hanselito2416]

Youre a problem solver 😂

[@davebrown9725]

​@@lamarw7757 The mail carrier would be at the mailbox for a minute or less, maybe not even every day. OP was spending more time and more invasive work than the mail carrier when cleaning the mailbox..

[@daviddelgado6090]

Marco Island has the most beautiful beach. Congrats.

[@MsBlackhawk69]

I lived in a building that had 4 units. Previous owner had no issues that all 4 units smoked. When new owner took over, one unit vacated and one of his non-smoking friends moved in. This tenant complained so new owner decided he didn't want smoking inside. We took it to landlord tenancy court and the judge ruled in our favor citing new owner can't alter existing leases without permission from all tenants.

[@ronw59]

You were lucky, as the judge must have been a smoker! They usually push their agendas, not what the laws say.

[@ericpaul4575]

So in less than a year new leases would be drafted that ban smoking.

[@krypton1260]

Well? Was the complaint valid? If their apartment smells like the inside of an ashtray because of their neighbors, the complaints are valid. Doesn't matter if they just moved in and immediately started complaining if the complaints are valid.

[@Delimon007]

@@krypton1260 Thank you! Having to put up with that nonsense is dumb. Smoking indoors is pretty dumb too because all your stuff will smell like it. Just go smoke outside. Not that complicated.

[@MsBlackhawk69]

@@krypton1260 If you have an issue with smells in a rental, you address it BEFORE you move in, not after. Or don't move in.

[@jenallen5202]

I will not live in a HOA.

[@ambulocetusnatans]

They don't want you to smoke because after they put a lien on your property and finally kick you out and flip your house, they save money if they don't need to paint.

[@davidchristensen811]

If someone is smoking in a house for 25 years, the house would need to be sold to a family of 100% smokers with no children....or sold at 20% market value. It's going to take a lot more than a coat of paint to try to get rid of the smell. I said "try" as you will never get rid of the stink 100%. That said, I don't agree with the HOA saying you can't smoke in your own house.

[@scrapman502]

Re-paint, re-carpet, Extensive tar removal from appliances, No matter how much you try to clean, you can always tell if a smoker has been in the room. Nasty habit regardless. All the smokers I know at least go outside their homes to smoke. My father included.

[@gremmann]

Sarcasm is a wonderful thing

[@jeffmccrea9347]

. You have no idea how right you are. My mother smoked like a north pole chimney for 53 years and died from lung cancer in 1996. I finally quit in 2003. My father quit in the 1980's. After mom died, he was so set in his ways that aside from continuing to keep it clean, he changed nothing in the house right down to the clothes in her closet. Dad died in 2000 and I inherited his house. The white ceilings were still yellow with smoke and required 2 coats of Kilz to cover them, 3 in the dinette where her perch was where she spent most of her waking hours. The carpets had to be replaced and the furniture had to go. It cost $6,000 to get that house ready for sale. Not complaining but that was the extent of, for lack of a better word, damage of her smoking from moving in, in August of 1974 until her death in February of 1996, 22 years.

[@shawnkelly695]

​@@scrapman502i smoked in my apartment for 5 yrs. I quit 1 year ago and cant smell it. I walk into smokers homes and oh ya i smell it but not in my home a year after i quit

[@mcwolfbeast]

Control freaks should be banned from HOA boards. They need to instate a psychological fitness test for members.

[@ksgraham3477]

I thought being an "Amy*" was prerequisite. *AMY is the actual name of the person we all now call "Karen." I really think the original person who called 911 on the birdwatcher for racial reasons, the original NIMBY, AMY, should bear the shame.

[@peterfitzpatrick7032]

BAN HOAs...

[@barryc9115]

HOA’s themselves should be deemed unconstitutional in the entire country. They are fully communistic in their entirety.

[@dangerousliberty]

Same standard for politicians too.

[@90762709]

I have been in one hoa and it was absolutely miserable.

[@ross-smithfamily6317]

1:15 No, it's NOT LEGAL!! When HOAs impose illegal prohibitions, the courts should require HOAs to pay ALL attorney's fees to the plaintiff(s).

[@grolaw]

The HOA pays the attorney’s fees is just a tax on the homeowners. You are looking for a requirement that the officers of the HOA pay. But, nobody will ever serve if the officers are liable. That means you are looking for an errors & omissions insurance policy that covers your officers.

[@jeffmccrea9347]

...1:15 No, it's NOT LEGAL!! When HOAs impose illegal prohibitions, the courts should require HOAs to pay ALL attorney's fees to the plaintiff(s)... UHHH, you might want to review your state's HOA laws before making such a sweeping statement. You must define the term "ILLEGAL" first because unless specifically prohibited by local, state or federal law, pretty much anything written into a contract, if agreed to by all parties, is binding regardless of how silly or outrageous. Once, the group Van Halen had it written into the fine print of a contract with a concert venue that there would be a large bowl of M&M's in each dressing room but any brown M&M's were NOT to be in them. If they were, the contract was null and void. Were they diva's? NO. Were they bigots? NO. David Lee Roth, lead singer, did some stage acrobatics that needed certain safety rigging. Van Halen put the M&M stipulation into the contract to see if the venue management actually read the contract or just signed it all excited to have a big name in the house for the prestige. This was for Roth's safety to be sure that the rigging specifications were actually seen by management and followed. If management didn't see the M&M stipulation, they probably didn't see the rigging parameters. Technically, just between you, me and the constitution, the third party in this sentence provides exactly zero protection to anyone from you, me or the HOA. If I, as some Joe, or in my case, Jeff, off the street were to walk into your house and search it without permission or warrant, I will have NOT violated YOUR constitutional rights in any way, shape or form. I could be arrested and prosecuted under any number of local, state or even federal laws but none of these laws were written with the constitution in mind or even in their texts. The constitution ONLY protects us from a local, state or federal government. If a stipulation in a contract or HOA agreement doesn't specifically run afoul of a specific law, and if both parties agree to it, it's binding on both parties. If the HOA agreement says that you can't paint your bathroom black, if it isn't prohibited by a governmental law, you'll need to return that gallon of chalkboard paint to Home Depot and figure on another color, my friend. You signed the agreement when you moved it. You should have read it, now you're stuck with it. Now, if something blatantly illegal like agreeing to a night of prostitution once a year as an HOA fundraiser, this would get laughed out of court before the "ALL RISE" echo died.

[@alphaomegaalines5935]

@@jeffmccrea9347 would that mean that i can forbid you from thinking about stuff? and if you do i can fine you?

[@jeffmccrea9347]

@ ...But, nobody will ever serve if the officers are liable... Just because the supreme court gave THE LYIN' KING a free pass doesn't mean that everybody is entitled to one. NO ONE ANYWHERE should be entitled to a free pass for wrong doing. Whatever happened to adults standing up and taking personal responsibility for the things that they do, right or wrong instead of hiding behind, "I was only doing my job / what I was told. It didn't fly for NAZI death camp guards at their Nuremburg trials, it shouldn't fly for anyone else.

[@jeffmccrea9347]

@ ...would that mean that i can forbid you from thinking about stuff? and if you do i can fine you?... Technically yes. If we both entered into a private contract that didn't violate local, state or federal law, agreed upon it's stipulations and signed it in a legal fashion ie. witnessed and notarized, yes it would be binding because the constitution has no prohibition against this activity being conducted between two private citizens of legal age. In fact, there is no prohibition against the CIA, NSA or FBI, all government entities, doing it either. Why you ask? Because these government entities ARE NOT FORCING YOU TO SIGN the contract. You still have a CHOICE. You sign the contract and get the job, or you don't sign the contract, run down the street and apply at the local sheriff's office. It is still up to you and how bad you want the job. It's when the government coerces someone to sign a confession or nondisclosure agreement under threat of illegal consequences where it runs afoul of the constitution. The constitution only protects us from the government, not ourselves or others whom we allow to take unfair advantage of us. This is why record companies and movie studios get away with paying naive artists pennies on the dollar while making millions on their work and intellectual property without ever getting prosecuted for civil rights violations. Research John Fogarty, founder of Creedence Clearwater Revival and his court fights with Fantasy Records. He won several battles including one suit against John Fogarty for sounding too much like.....wait for it.....John Fogarty in supposed similarities between his songs, Run Through The Jungle, controlled by Fantasy Records, and The Old Man Down The Road, written by Fogarty after he parted ways with Fantasy. Fantasy controlled the bulk of his intellectual property for decades, by signed contract, unfairly but none of the lawsuits filed by and against him ever mentioned a constitutional violation as all were about contractual disputes. Creedence Clearwater Revival's music portfolio from the late 60's and early 70's made Fantasy Records over $100 million but Creedence was paid only 19c per album sold and no residual royalties for music used in movies or played on the radio. John Fogarty personally lost $40 million and the group, as a whole even more, because they didn't read, or have a lawyer read the contract with Fantasy BEFORE they signed it. The sad part is that, legally speaking, Fantasy Records did nothing wrong. All it did was to adhere to P.T. Barnum's philosophy that said, "There's a sucker born every minute." In Creedence's case, sometime in the 1940's, 5 suckers all aligned like lucky stars. Lucky for Fantasy Records that is.

[@Komainu959]

I love my condo association. I got a notice that my window fan was a nuisance and was dragging down the value of everyone's property and that I had to remove it. This window fan simply sat on the inside of my window, behind the screen. So I fixed it. It was removed and in it's place I had gone to WalMart to have a large printed picture that I took of the window fan, I than placed that picture in a nice cheap frame and strung it up to hang from the ceiling so that it basically looked just like my window fan was still there on a casual glance. While the association has rules on the color and pattern of your curtains, there are none about art you can see from the window. Pettiness is the most delicious type of revenge.

[@GUITARTIME2024]

Sounds lame.

[@MrHerrjon]

The best HOA story I've heard: A friend of mine was living under the tyranny of an out of control HOA. He got himself elected as president of the HOA and disbanded it. Win.

[@vincemajestyk9497]

I looked at a house about 13/14 years ago that was in a 'small' HOA community. it didn't even come up until I looked at the disclosures and the fee was ridiculously small like $30-$50 a year. They said it was to maintain the common groundscape and landscaping. But I was not convinced. Once you have an association it can always be expanded.

[@firstlast9916]

Currently in a 5 year fight with the HOA over my lawn that had weeds in it. They hired two law firms to come after me over the weeds. I finally spent the $5000 to replace the grass 6 months ago and guess what happened. They continued harassing me and said that my new lawn might grow weeds in the future so they will continue fining me for non compliance. No joke.

[@marilynv6224]

Why in the hell did you spent 5000.00 when an HOA should be doing all the work and maintenance b/c that his why an HOA was created for so you don't have to. So, where is all the money every home owner pays HOA to? If you have weeds, they are supposed to send someone to cut the lawn.

[@donbeary6394]

@@marilynv6224 it was his lawn and not a common use area that's why, the HOA is not responsible for maintaining your property, that's your responsibility

[@1johnnygunn]

Talk with a da about harassment, or file an order of protection against every person on the hoa board.

[@johnwhite848]

Yeah NO IT'S AMAZING HOW THINGS HAPPEN YOU KNOW ACCIDENTALLY A HOUSE BURNS DOWN WHEN NO ONE IS HOME ALL KINDS OF THINGS CAN HAPPEN AND THE FUNNY THING IS ITS ALWAYS THE PROBLEM PEOPLE THAT SEEMS TO WANT TO RUN OTHER PEOPLES LIVES AS THEY DON'T HAVE A LIFE TOO ATTEND TO SO THEY END UP WITH ALL KINDS OF THINGS TOO DISTRACT THEM FROM BOTHERING OTHER PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY ARE SO BUSY WITH PUTTING THEIR LIVES BACK TOGETHER

[@KurtBob]

When home shopping any listing with HOA was immediately a no-go.

[@Hurricanelive]

No smoking, no drugs, no alcohol, no women - unless you're married - no foul language, no red meat! Land of the free.

[@SeijinDinger]

isnt it amazing how easily contract law can allow you to sign your rights away?

[@billyjoesmo8251]

I heard of this place they call it California😂

[@simonedallachiesa9804]

You forgot: no book with sex content.

[@rockriverlady-ue6nu]

thanks for the good laugh

[@ericemmons3040]

. . . No slouching, no swearing, no cake, no ice cream, no TV after 10 PM, no listening to opera. . .

[@NancyK-cu6xj]

I live in a senior apartment complex where the manger keeps a list of rules that is constantly growing. I walked into our laundry room and saw a note posted stating when washing towels, we were limited to washing 5 towels as one load.

[@sidserv1978]

I'm a smoker as well as my wife. We do not smoke in our house. We have kids in our home so that is the number 1 reason why we do not. Now if someone told me that I cannot smoke on my own property then that would be a start of a war they do not want. HOA's are getting too big for their britches. They need regulated.

[@reddyfreddy]

No smoking inside a private home?, Smoke out in the front yard. I can sorta see that in a condo. You can smell what's cooking next door.

[@billchmelik5697]

They need disbanded, outlawed.

[@ashkebora7262]

Good thing everyone voted for the dingdong that tears regulations down so that corporations can rule you, too!

[@DKNguyen3.1415]

@@reddyfreddy they will definitely ban smoking in your own yard if they can ban smoking in your own home. Have you forgotten how HOAs ban people from doing certain things outside their home all the time?

[@fredfinger7092]

They need to be abolished, not regulated.

[@johnnixon4085]

Right after high school a friend who lived in an HOA community received a fine for replacing the windshield wipers on his mother's car in the parking lot because of a rule against working on cars there. There was also a rule against parking on grass in the community. But there was no rule against driving on grass, and no rule against working on cars inside of the house. So we removed the sliding patio door, drove his car across the grass and into the living room, where we did a motor swap. I usually prefer having a basement, but having a slab was pretty cool in this instance.

[@5400bowen]

My brother had his Norton P11 engine in pieces in his bedroom in a rented apartment in San Diego in 1969. Never heard a peep.

[@hardlybentspoke1506]

Our HOA has a rule against performing maintenance on vehicles other than in the garage. Sounds overly strict, eh? Well, we had one guy who not only worked on cars on his garage apron, but did commercial work on outside vehicles. He would pressure wash a greasy engine or transmission, flushing the spooge down the gutter past ten other houses, and would regularly block the street with vehicles, preventing access to garbage trucks, amazon deliveries, or fire department vehicles. Knowing the difficulty of getting mr. mechanic to follow the rules he had agreed to, we just endured his behavior, hoping for a lightning strike. Thankfully, he moved after about four years. So, put me down on the side of knowing the rules and having the honor to do as you promised.

[@tonymouannes]

If changing the windshield wipers is what the rule means, it's stupid. Do they fine people for wiping out bird poop too? Where is someone supposed to replace their windshield wipers?

[@christytaylor5554]

​@@hardlybentspoke1506 I understand you had the other end of the extreme, however fining someone for changing WINDSHIELD WIPERS?? NO, just no. That's draconian and tyrannical.

[@stevebell4906]

@@tonymouannes You are expected to pay a mechanic and go to him....They are trying to be up scale...

[@pelqel9893]

And this... is why our founding fathers created a Constitutional Republic, and *not* a Democracy.

[@VALENCIA-d7f4q]

Exactly!!!!

[@JoeR203]

My condo's HOA likes to rewrite the bylaws anytime a resident finds a loophole for something. They also pay a guard company to have 24 hour security for the complex. That's 24 hours a WEEK. He's here for 3 days from 1-9pm. A time when no crime would be committed. He's not here to police the complex for the residents. He's here to police the residents for the complex. They pay this company $40k a year to have him make rounds and check the basement storage areas for leaks. Something the board members can do for free. And they have raised the commons fees every year for the past 3 years. They have enough money in reserves but they always want more "in case major work needs to be done". They're talking about getting new siding and roofs for all 20 buildings. They don't want to repair anything. They want to replace it. Even though it doesn't need it. Yes, HOAs suck. Been looking to move for awhile now but can't find something that suits my needs.

[@Whyme266]

Why would anybody want dictators running their property 😂

[@VernonEmerson-w8f]

On the same note, though, why would anybody wanna dictator running our country but yet still, we have one!

[@baldeagle5297]

@@VernonEmerson-w8f No, we just voted him out.

[@labtechrob]

@@VernonEmerson-w8fIt’s the end of democracy! Oh noes!! 😢

[@bobair2]

​@@baldeagle5297 incorrect.

[@baldeagle5297]

@ Well. It was actually his cabinet and advisors, but that's splitting hairs.

[@8lakk5unshine]

I'd like to see my HOA try this. I don't even smoke, but as a Native American smoking tobacco is part of the way of life or religion. It would be like trying to tell someone they can't pray in their home.

[@GUITARTIME2024]

Yeah, ok. Everything's a religion.

[@lah67]

they'd probably ban praying too, if someone's religion involved some kind of burning incense. karens will be karens. 🙄

[@8lakk5unshine]

@@GUITARTIME2024 You must be part of that HOA.

[@GUITARTIME2024]

@@8lakk5unshine not at all

[@RonSafreed]

HOAs have banned like Bible studies in someone's home!!

[@danacarroll2954]

My mother, rest her soul, was right. Back when the seat belt law was being implemented, she had an argument with my aunt. She said she didn't disagree that seat belts were safer. However, she was adamant that once you allow the government to tell you what you can do in your car that eventually it will move every other aspect of your personal life to include IN YOUR HOME. There will be no limit if we allow these rules implemented.

[@LittleKitty22]

I'm in low income housing in the UK, and the landlord - a housing association, ie the equivalent to HOA - has been terrrorizing me for years with constant (at times 4 times per week) demands to come in, sniff around in every nook and corner, and even looking into my closets, cabinets and cupboards! When I tried refusing, I got falsely accused of having violently attacked the person, and of being a drug dealer and hiding my stash in there! The landlord has also sent people that have recorded me in my own home - without my consent. I am not allowed to refuse to let these people in because if I do, they get a court order based on phoney excuses of "needing to check how I live", and that gives them the right to break the door down and come in anyway. As for smoking - I've had many neighbors over the years that smoked weed, the smell goes through walls and always made me sick to the point of passing out because I'm allergic to it, landlord just said that their right to smoke weed outweighs my right to health and even my life. But smoking cigarettes is now illegal everywhere here in the UK, both outdoors and indoors, and I'm awaiting the notification at any moment that smoking cigarettes in my own home is no longer allowed.

[@princesspikachu3915]

@@LittleKitty22I’m allergic to tobacco smoke. Highly allergic to the point of suffering severe asthma attacks. Weed doesn’t bother me at all.

[@foresterofthenorth1004]

You are talking about two separate entities. One is where you move into, which is what is being talked about here, and the other is supposed to help all people.

[@jodyariewitz7349]

Omg...THIS!!💯👌❤ Your Aunt was spot frigging on...I had the exact same argument since high school because a friend of mine had her seat belt lock up upon crashing and only the FIRE burning through it finally allowed her escape. Granted she could have died being ejected out of the car as well, but THAT would have been a choice SHE made! Same with the whole cell phone thing. I'm the only 1984 watching Gen X that I know that was too put off by "big brother watching " that I've literally NEVER owned a smartphone. I have a "clamshell" in the car for emergencies, but it's a obviously not a smartphone. They're not invited into my day to day life like that.🎉

[@wendygassman4826]

As a former condo owner and a non-smoker I had a neighbor who smoked and we could smell it thru the walls and it was horrible. Its one of the reasons we moved. Also by the pool the smokers were only allowed in one area but you could still smell it and it was right by the entrance. Again we are non smokers and we did not make an issue of it but it was one of the reasons why we moved.

[@aml_5797]

The wrong paint story reminded me of something in an HOA back when I was a kid in the 90s. A person wanted to repaint. She took the paint samples to the HOA board and got them approved, so she repainted her house. The HOA didn't like the colors once they saw it on the house and started fining her for the colors they approved.

[@jenjen2824]

If she paid she was a sucker

[@RRaider]

What do you call a bunch of Karens? An HOA..

[@OLDMANTEA]

So what do you call people who complain of HOA rules after agreeing to them?

[@chrish.5784]

@@OLDMANTEA IMO anyone who agrees to live in an HOA is either a control freak, a sheep, or extremely naive/ignorant.

[@aml_5797]

@@OLDMANTEA Too many people don't read the rules, or get the rules changed on them. I feel for them, but they should've known what they were getting into. Caveat emptor.

[@robwiljas]

@@OLDMANTEA Smarter than they were when they signed. They learned the hard way. Anyone who joins an HOA has voluntarily given liberty for the sake of property values.

[@yodaflyz]

​@@robwiljas That extra $ you supposedly gain in property value when you finally sell will seem like nothing compared to the years of dues, fines, & harassment. Actually, being harassed by a greedy HOA board is likely why your going to want to move in the first place. You can't put a price tag on being able to live with all that extra stress.

[@EWSFoTo]

I'm a non-smoker, and I've been sitting for two years on the board of the seniors' residence where I live. One day the board tried to ban smokers from smoking in their apartment. I was the only one fighting against the resolution and I won, for the time being. There are limits not to be crossed in individual freedom and your house, your apartment or any other place that serves as a place of residence, is the only place where you are still in control, must be preserved from the perpetual lessons donnors.

[@candicavasos4866]

My daughter's apt there's no smoking in or out of the apt. Non smoking apt complex. Well I don't visit her lol.

[@lisaadams42]

The smoke gets into other apartments. I don’t like it.

[@candicavasos4866]

@lisaadams42 my daughter's apt doesn't allow e cigs/pot either

[@EWSFoTo]

@@candicavasos4866 Pot i can understand, it is drug and it smell very strong. Vape really don't smell it's non-sense. When you know aout it before, you can choose not to go. But i am totally againts any rules in your private home. That's my point of view. Enough tyrany. Do want you want at home it's nobody business.

[@sheryljeanne]

Because once they cross that line there's more violating your rights

[@Derek-Adams]

Mortgage loan underwriter here. 1) If you are unsure whether or not you are buying a home in a HOA, ask to see a copy of the Title report. If a property is subject to covenants of an HOA or deed restrictions, it will be spelled out in a Title report. DO NOT rely on a Realtor to tell you whether or not a property is in a HOA. 2) Before closing on a home in a HOA, ask to have a copy of all the rules/covenants of the HOA and review it carefully before purchasing the home. Now, having said that, state laws may vary but many HOA’s will not release those documents to you prior to loan closing. Buyer beware! You need to *really* want that home if you’re buying in a HOA that won’t allow you to see the covenants first; otherwise, keep looking.

[@brianred8]

I bought a house in 2021 as a first time home buyer…. I am SO GLAD I didn’t get involved in a place with an HOA.

[@bullcrapptv]

I've only lived in one neighborhood with an hoa. Part of the management company's fee paid for someone to drive around all day every single day looking for violations. Hundreds of letters went out each month. I vowed to never live in one again.

[@RonSafreed]

No different than police departments that have citation & arrests quotas for cops to fulfil or else!!

[@victorswenson7054]

Those who give up liberty, for comfort, deserve neither. - paraphrasing Benjamin Franklin

[@susanolson3611]

i see what you did there 😄

[@Flies2FLL]

No, it was "Anyone who gives up an ounce of liberty for an ounce of security deserves neither and is bound to lose both".

[@runbutterrun]

Not "Comfort", it's "Freedom." If you are going to paraphrase a single sentence, please get the gist right.

[@victorswenson7054]

@susanolson3611 Thanks Susan, we keep repeating the same mistakes. Ben was very wise.

[@victorswenson7054]

@runbutterrun its a paraphrase, my paraphrase LOL

[@JoeR203]

In the case of condos where you have several units in a building, it's to help prevent fires and displacing families due to damage. I'm in a condo complex so it would be good if the HOA did that. At least I wouldn't have to inhale the pot smoke that lingers in the air from the units where people are smoking. Sure they'll say it's medicinal, but that's BS. You're only allowed to have a certain amount. The amount that's in the air is way more than the legal limit.

[@crowe668]

I agree that multi[le units in one structure can be problematic...but nothing will stop busy bodies like you Im sure. Hit a bong and relax.

[@pcs9518]

When we were house hunting we had a letter from the mortgage company saying we were approved for x amount for the house. We found a house we liked and I asked the realtor if there was an HOA realtor said yes and I told the realtor that was a deal breaker I’ve never seen so much disappointment in someone’s face as we walked away from the deal.

[@andrewvirtue5048]

Then that's not a home, you don't own it, that's an apartment, that you rent. HoA is *_LITERALLY_* the next step down in size of government from a city. They should be regulated as such. And so, they have no authority to say that you can't smoke in your own home. Not that they ever had that authority.