Homeowners Associations: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

[@spinozatheobvious626]

Seeing this from the Netherlands, where HOAs only exist for apartments, and have nowhere near these powers, it's obvious that 'freedom' in the US is primarily for corporations, not individuals.

[@MachaMongRuad]

Your assessment is so accurate that it hurts. 😣

[@prettyevil6662000]

Good news, corporations were deemed 'people' by our government decades ago, in order to get around lobbying laws (if corporations are people then they're allowed to spend their huge amounts of wealth on paying off our congresspeople, because it's a first amendment right to do so). So they can say it's good for 'people' and be totally accurate. Just not what most of us consider people. But we're not the people our government cares about.

[@Halcon_Sierreno]

Freedom is nothing but propaganda.

[@Isdezenaambezet]

Can't say I ever attended a VVE meeting in my old building.

[@spinozatheobvious626]

Just a random example of a difference: a seller is required to give the buyer financial statements and meeting minutes of the HOA. The idea that there would be no transparency of what you'd be getting into with an HOA is astonishing.

[@someguy4911]

I remember reading a story a few years ago where a guy had a house out in the country. Soon a developer came in and built a HOA community around his house. His house was legally excluded from the HOA as it was not part of the development, but still in the neighborhood. On the back of his house, he had a huge deck. The HOA started harassing him about the deck saying it did not meet the rules and needed to be removed. He kept telling the them his house was not part of the HOA. Then one day he came home and his deck was gone. The HOA sent in contractors to remove it. He sued them and won. The court made the HOA rebuild his huge deck. That ended up bankrupting the HOA. Man, I wish I could buy that guy a beer!

[@HOAexposed]

Love it! Great ending. Now if only all HOA’s would go bankrupt!

[@gwadason971]

That’s some big deck energy right there

[@Apollo-Tracks]

​@@gwadason971 Nailed It

[@Kellybelleee]

HOAs are so villainous that we are routing for this guy! 😂

[@StelCreator]

I'm so glad that had a happy ending for this guy and his deck

[@emeraldaly7646]

I was born in 1986 and John's assessment of my ability to own a home is very flattering.

[@MikeHL78]

Born in 1978. Working as a journalist. It made me laugh, too.

[@user-th1pv6ks5o]

2004. 💀

[@aaronyayger]

"The generality doesn't apply to me, an individual, so it doesn't apply!"

[@begbie4799]

@@user-th1pv6ks5ou prob die off heat anyway so at least you don’t have to worry about owning a house…

[@travisking9895]

@@user-th1pv6ks5o Oh, you're screwed. Sorry.

[@TheREALJosephTurner]

A couple years ago, an uppity neighbor tried to start an HOA in our neighborhood. No one in the neighborhood was interested. She then hired a company to constantly bombard us with HOA propaganda, hoping to wear us down. Keep in mind, this is a very old neighborhood with average and below-average condition houses. Since I own the most physical properties (I bought the properties with the worst-condition houses and demolished them), the company really focused on trying to pressure me to get on board. And wouldn't you know it- there is almost as few rules for deed restrictions as there are for HOAs! So I had 100-year deed restrictions placed on all of my properties saying that they cannot be part of any HOA for as long as the deed restriction is active. Problem solved!

[@Patrick28538]

Nice! so you did this when you built the homes?

[@sidauthur7836]

​@@Patrick28538 demolished

[@Ghostwolf82]

You sir are a genius. I applaud you.

[@leahsundvall5894]

Brilliant!

[@KeegoTheWise]

i’m an incredibly non-violent person, but if an HOA secretly bought my house a year before evicting me for less than a Happy Meal i’d be catching multiple life sentences

[@Radiodragonofdoom]

The one time in history jury nullification becomes relevant. No reasonable jury would convict you.

[@SpammusX]

​@@Radiodragonofdoom You underestimate the jury.

[@Trentacus]

Concurrent or consecutive sentences?

[@mikemann1960]

The worst part of Capitalism.

[@Ergoperidot]

@@mikemann1960 I mean, the conditions of workers in global south countries is pretty not great. There are just a lot of worst parts lmao

[@jadeykg123]

A few home owners in my dads neighborhood tried to start an HOA a few years ago. They had a meeting to vote if it should be put in place and only two people voted for it. Those people were then ostracized to the point they sold their homes and moved. Truly the best outcome imo

[@memyself898]

we just joined and subsequently managed to purge all our the old board members on our HOA. They were awful. 2 of the 8 have so far put their homes up for sale.

[@michaelbuehler3897]

"They had a meeting to vote if it should be put in place and only two people voted for it. Those people were then ostracized to the point they sold their homes and moved." *good*

[@lindseyp9131]

this happened in my neighborhood as a kid. My dad who is typically never involved in anything went house to house and ran a serious campaign against it. The neighborhood voted against it by just one vote!

[@viktorasantanaitis8602]

@jade Gourley what you do than with tash collections and roads, who fix that?

[@112428]

​​@@viktorasantanaitis8602 The local elected government, who should be doing it in the first place.

[@aarronforeman7290]

As somebody who used to be a manager for a HOA management company, I can tell you that everything in this is 100% correct. I was told by my boss on day 1 that I needed to have my assistant do daily inspections of all my communities and that if she didn't find at least 1 violation during each inspection, she wasn't doing her job correctly. And the board members are a joke... I oversaw 13 communities and never once did I have a board of directors that were decent people... all self absorbed penny pinchers who wanted to pass on their misery to other hard-working homeowners. I quit after only 7 months of employment - my breaking point was after an elderly man who had over $30k in back fees... all because he didn't get the boards "approval" to paint his house... and the management company I worked for was in the process of foreclosing on his home.

[@Halcon_Sierreno]

😨😨 Your story about that old guy..... wow. You almost sold your soul to the devil. 30k$ on bullcrap imaginary fees. 😨😨.........

[@spritemon98]

I'm shocked you lasted 7 months

[@bobxyzp]

Wow America sucks

[@margotpreston]

Tyr, that's horrible.

[@patriciabeard5521]

😢

[@margaretconnor5623]

Our HOA hated us cause we were a mixed family. One time, they kept sending people to steal the number off of our house and then fine us for our house number not being clearly marked. Every time we replaced it, it went missing again the next night. So my dad superglued it to the house. We then received a fine for superglueing our house number to which my dad said 'How did you know it was superglued if you weren't the ones removing it?' they stopped and dropped the fines.

[@callumcox705]

That’s insane

[@Mrjonezzz]

That doesn’t surprise me because the original purpose of HOAs was to keep black people out of neighborhoods. This is a verifiable fact that can be researched.

[@PUREisthename]

That's disgusting

[@margaretconnor5623]

@@PUREisthename Oh it gets worse. They would call the police and have them camp outside our house so that anytime my brothers left the house they would be stopped because 'someone reported black teenagers being suspicious'. And the black man who lived three doors down from us who was working and caring for his ill mother constantly had his house egged and windows broken and would be fined for the 'mess'. And then they'd have the nerve to smile at us in church as though they hadn't been racially harassing my family the day before.

[@marcokrueger3399]

​@@margaretconnor5623What the actual... Isn't there any possibility to report those hate crimes?

[@panamafloyd1469]

When I bought my place (2013), I insisted to the real estate agent that anything in a neighborhood with an HOA would be immediately rejected. She said that as a buyers' agent, it was the most common request buyers had.

[@Anoalekontrieger]

The first thing I told the agent as well. No HOA, I don't care if the house looks like a castle with 20 swimming pools. No bloody HOA. How those things are still legal baffles me.

[@rebeccasidden5637]

I guess that's true until you are in an HOA

[@therabbithat]

I can't believe this is real. . This is like an April fools joke for the rest of the world to see if we will believe every dystopian thing about the US

[@thebipolarpsychonaut4984]

I bought my house the same way in 2011 as I only see downside to living in an HOA.

[@mangosteak]

​​@@rebeccasidden5637 they are hell. If I own a house I want to do whatever the hell I want within my rights on MY PROPERTY. Not have some bullshit HOA council on a powertrip govern what I can or can not do.

[@thomandstacieverroad8417]

My grandfather lived in a neighborhood with an HOA. After a lengthy battle over a flagpole that was 1 ft too tall he went around to each of the board members houses at night and burned their lawns with fertilizer. He then reported them to their own boary that they weren't following HOA rules to keep grass at acceptable length. They didn't have any grass at all as the fertilizer burned it to death 😂 Gramps was a legend.

[@Skullair313]

Don't post this unless the statute of limitation has passed, some guy may want to come after you

[@pixelk8261]

Holy shit thats iconic. Did he get away with it?? If so, thats actually a good tactic. If the hoa doesnt bar people from fucking up your property and fining you for small infractions, then people could use the same lack of regulation against the hoa.

[@accuratealloys]

Freezing Round up in an ice tray, then toss the cubes into the yard at night. Ring cameras can’t catch that.

[@EmmaEquinox]

​@Skullair313 the absolute chances of that happening are as close to zero as you can get. The sheer odds of some random schmuck who HAPPENED to be a .. "victim" of Gramp's legendary exploits finding this random comment in a KZbin video about HOAs is astronomically low. Also I doubt people who run HOAs are John Oliver's Demographic. They're mostly conservative arsewipes

[@thomandstacieverroad8417]

@@Skullair313 they'd have to go after my grandfather and he's been dead for years

[@laalaa99stl]

The fact that HOAs can perfectly, legally bypass even SCOTUS rulings on desegregation is some truly dystopian BS.

[@dissonanceparadiddle]

The fuck? !

[@xiaoka]

They didn’t, they tried.

[@myTERAexperience]

With this SCOTUS i prefer most ignore their rulings.

[@captianfail1406]

Just a normal thing for the US.

[@petergerdes1094]

But that's just not true. In Shelly v. Krammer SCOTUS specifically held that racially restrictive covenants can't be enforced and federal law prevents HOAs from being overtly discriminatory. Is it true that HOAs can implicitly discriminate? Yes, ofc but that's no different than city government or anywhere else. Bad but nothing special.

[@realsheasmith]

Jerry as a homeowners association leader is freaking perfect. Love that Voice Actor

[@allenzhu3478]

Damn! that's why that voice is so righteous and irritating! great job, I too love the voice actor

[@tyrael1983]

Put some respect on cyril figuses name

[@stereo-soulsoundsystem5070]

omfg I knew that voice was familiar! and so shit eating...lol

[@miked172]

@@tyrael1983 He's also Jerry on Rick and Morty.

[@souleaterX296]

As someone who is indeed under 35, I can confirm the chuck e cheese site does not disappoint. This right here is why I enjoy this show

[@theAmazingDavidKidd1]

It was awesome

[@silvermegaman8519]

​@@theAmazingDavidKidd1 my entire thought was what did I just watch

[@GeneralDragon011]

Came back from Last Squeak Tonight. Yes, it's actually as long as he said it was. Man, Chuck E. Cheese's history is fasinating!

[@hallowen]

I snuck a peek even though I'm just past 40, and you are indeed correct 👍

[@dustbunny6381]

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED

[@gillianbird5233]

As a Canadian home owner, it's shocking to hear that things like "trash collection" and paving roads aren't covered by local government taxes! Aren't these homeowners paying taxes for these services?? The states is such a broken place, it honestly shocks me!

[@mehere8038]

the lack of freedom is what shocks me most! I rent in Australia, but my front garden is a great big vegetable patch - and we're alleged to be really bad on renter rights here! Just disgusting to not have control over a person's own home! Stuff like pools & other dangerous stuff is reasonable to require approval to build (from appropriate authorities who decide the outcome based on safety, not a whim), but just insane they can control the colour of shutters or what trees are allowed in a garden they don't own!

[@Chiater]

@@mehere8038 I do know certain places in Canada have rules for homeowners.. Some condos require you to have certain curtains and such since they're visible from the street, not have certain items on your balconies, etc.. I don't know if we have anything to this level (maybe gated communities) though

[@MissIncorrigibleOfOz]

Also renting here in Australia @@mehere8038 but in an apartment block. I have been told I'm not allowed to feed the cockatoos because they hang around and get destructive and we aren't allowed to have washing drying on the balcony but other than that, they have little impact on me. I can't imagine that HOAs provide a hard rubbish collection.

[@mehere8038]

@@Chiater no junk on balconies here is pretty normal too, although it's been modified by government regulations to be nothing visible from the street, which in many cases leads to people enclosing the bottom part with nice looking stuff & hiding junk behind that, one of my neighbours for example has what looks like a gorgous hedge from ground level, but is actually just a piece of fake grass hanging over the railing. I think the landlord, or body corperate if it's an owner, do have the authority to stop it, but they tend not to & things have been made difficult for them in stopping stuff, by legislation that was introduced to combat inappropriate demands by owners & body corperates. I think there's a balance that's needed, yes landlords/bodycorperates/HOA or whatever should have the option of maintaining property values, but this still has to be balanced with people's freedom to control their own living spaces! Controlling what's visible from the street is very different to going onto goggle maps to see what's in someone's backyard & fining them for that!

[@mehere8038]

@@MissIncorrigibleOfOz Try my neighbour's trick if you want washing on your balcony :) A piece of fake grass from bunnings, hung either in front of, or behind the railing seriously looks great - and hides the washing behind it :)). I think the washing thing is pretty common, cause they don't want units to look like traditional images of slums in other countries. I think there is actually something in the rules where they have to provide alternative clothes drying options to be able to enforce it, but I personally see their point on this one & think it's better just to avoid it or hide it if needed. The cockies is a challenging one. I've recently had to stop feeding my familly, but I chose to do that myself, because there was a screamer that moved into the area & it was beyond a joke, dawn every morning, absolute screeching, so I didnt' want to upset my neighbours & knew it would if I didn't stop the feeding, at least for a little while until that stopped, even though it wasn't actually any of my family that were doing it. I miss my cockies! Really hoping I can return to feeding them soon & noise is reducing, so I hope I can. That must be really horrible for you to have been told you are not allowed to feed them! I know how much mine mean to me & yes, they CAN be destructive, but they can be managed too, feeding them doesn't mean they're hanging around being destructive! I really feel for you! pets, including wild ones, make such a difference to mental health don't they! That's really sad they're taking away your ablity to have that connection to nature!!!!!! I hate that! & yeh lol I can't imagine a hard rubbish collection under the circumstances described in the video! Let alone the chance to collect from the hard rubbish! I live next door to 130 units, in a council that offers 1 free on demand hard rubbish collection per year, in addition to a few scheduled general ones. Body corperate in that unit block's attitude was "if council wants to fine us, I'll just start ringing every week & giving a different unit number & booking a once a year free collection". So we've ended up with council just agreeing to schedual it on a set day & rubbish out only 1 day before it (not that people comply with that) & the area next to the bins becoming a weekly hard rubbish collection point, which is pretty cool for foraging :) My most recent was about 20 old records to use for my pouring art. Rather cheaper than the $3 each plywood circles or similar priced canvases! Got a few old mirrors for my garden to make it look bigger & increase reflected light for better growth too, love the hard rubbish at the best of times, but a permenent one 50 metres from my door is awesome :) (especially when it's out of sight & smell from my home)

[@mariarozoosuna5697]

My mom’s HOA ended up charging us over $2000 after we missed one yearly payment of $100 on a condo that had burnt down, the month after she died. They hired attorneys to send a demand letter for us to pay. $100 fee, $1900+ in attorney’s fees, on a nonexistent condo because of the fire. Still wish the absolute worst for all those involved in kicking us when we were down.

[@IRgEEK]

Very similar to what happened to us. The property was still intact, but my wife became very sick and I just overlooked the silly annual fee because we were a bit distracted and missed the payment FOR THE FIRST TIME in 20+ years!~ Terrified my Kids by sending out law enforcement to serve me and after lawyers fees was $1,100+ a bunch of aggravation.

[@rg8438]

"Still wish the absolute worst for all those involved in kicking us when we were down." ME TOO. Been there with a coop board. Fuck those motherfuckers to hell.

[@beardzgorski8397]

May they burn in hell!!!

[@lilducko]

Why is ur mom's HOA asking money from you?

[@thegreatautlsmo2695]

@@lilducko cuz his mom fucking died? Are you serious?

[@patflynn2379]

I bought a condo when I was 25 in 2007. I thought I was doing the responsible thing. I had a good career, making good money. 6 months later, the housing market collapsed and I was $100k underwater. At the same time, the HOA did a special assessment for renovations on the whole complex and said my share was $26k. When I said I couldn't pay, the HOA asked if I could get a home equity loan which I, of course, could not. So the HOA put a lien on my property and threatened to foreclose. I couldn't refinance because of the lien and I couldn't pay the lien because I couldn't refinance. The HOA eventually did foreclose and I had to declare bankruptcy. The HOA ruined my life. I was seriously contemplating ending my life. Things are much better now but I had to start my whole life over from scratch. Buying a house was the worst decision I ever made in my life.

[@anonymousposter6461]

You should [redacted].

[@DayneandtheStars]

Wow, that sounds horribly traumatizing. I'm glad you didn't end yourself. That takes great strengh

[@ycoyle2803]

I feel for you guy. I talked to so many folks when I did mortgages that were underwater and they felt the same way. I was genuinely fearful for some people who couldn’t be accommodated with a new loan.

[@LaDonaLivengood]

Buy a home with no HOA

[@j.dragon651]

Buying a home is great decision. Deciding to buy one in a prison is a bad decision.

[@user-xy6gm6ug5c]

My neighborhood dissolved our hoa back in the 90's. I can't be more thankful for that.

[@dexternelson]

We bought a home from a developer while they were building the neighborhood and our contract did not have an HOA established because everything was still being built, (best way to buy a home by the way if you're going to do it). After about a year, the neighborhood built up around us and the HOA, which was created for the new home buyers, harrassed the crap out of us to try and get us to sign an agreement to join the HOA. Remember, we bought before one existed from the developer. There was no HOA provision in our agreement, so they couldn't force us into the HOA so we had to agree to join the HOA, and their tactics were absolutely ridiculous. Three times a week, we'd have someone come by our house to "meet with us" about joining, including lawyers. They tried to force us into paying fines, leave warnings, etc. BUT as long as we ignored them, they were uninforceable because, we weren't part of the HOA. So, they put a stop sign in front of our house, and made that a designated bus stop, so it became a hassle to even leave the house sometimes. They even tried to put a lean on the home, but it was dismissed because the judge saw all of their tactics and was absolutely disgusted. We never did join the HOA, but to absolutely tick them off, we sold the home direct to buyer, and the people that bought the home also had ZERO obligation to the HOA, not for lack of them trying to make sure that if we sold it, the person buying would be automatically part of the HOA. That was kicked out because, again, the judge was ticked off at them. As far as I know, the people that bought from us still own the home, and they haven't joined the HOA, which is good, because their fee at $2500 a year. Screw 'em lol

[@ShaferHart]

What the fuck. HOW could they even put a bus stop in front of your house?

[@candacen7779]

Good for you! I love hearing stories of people who managed to evade or get out from under the thumb of HOAs.

[@cariwaldick4898]

This would be my dream scenario. Every time they'd come knocking, I'd add another gnome to the front yard. I'd paint my mailbox pink, and I'd have my Christmas lights up all year long. Every time they did something antagonistic, I'd pay them back with more kitsch.

[@dexternelson]

@@ShaferHart Yeah. The house was on the main street in the neighborhood so school busses would hold up traffic in front of our house all the time. They made the pick up and drop off just a few feet from the end of our driveway.

[@dexternelson]

@@cariwaldick4898 lol. We weren't like that. I think my mom figured someone was paying for the attorneys and all the stuff they were doing. If that's what they wanted to spend the money on, let 'em

[@cecribbs]

I fought my HOA and won. You have to understand how to play the game. A shared drain flooded my 1st floor condo. Because the drain was used by more than one unit it was considered community property and therefore the responsibility of the HOA. After 3 months of refusing to pay up, I called my local city inspectors office and asked for a code inspection of the building I was living in. I advised I had safety concerns, etc. A week later, the inspector came and He found 10 violations for my building alone. So he promptly called the HOA office to discuss the “violations”. Well needless to say, the HOA was extremely upset with my “tactics”. I advised that I would continue with my “tactics” until my condo was repaired. They finally agreed to cover the cost of the repair. The city also required them to repair the code violations or face fines. Haha 😂 I sold and moved out within a year. Just not worth the hassle living in a HOA community.

[@jeepliving1]

LOVE how you turned their own tactics against them. Bravo!

[@micheleb7898]

Bravo.

[@modicool]

Yeah, that selling and moving out piece is crucial. Fuck them then move, because I guarantee they'll retaliate.

[@Onigirli]

That's what's up!!

[@harrysiddall3392]

>you have to understand how to play the game There shouldn't be a game to play is the point.

[@bien.papachin]

love living in a country where freedom is priceless

[@ethangregorymorrow]

My aunt was going through stage 3 breast cancer and her HOA fined her because she couldn’t bring her trash bins in by 5pm. She was getting fined while going through chemo and crippling medical debt. Thank goodness she has good neighbors and they started bringing it in for her. It’s absolute insanity.

[@artboymoy]

Sounds like the neighbors should maybe run for election to the board. They sound like kind understanding people.

[@Moscato_Moscato]

@@artboymoy the neighborhood getting rid of the hoa would be better because who’s to say that her neighbors running the program wouldn’t also do the same thing to someone else

[@1925683]

But if the neighbors got on the board, they could start working towards the abolition of the HOA.

[@domestikgoddez9823]

i never saw any benefit from HOAs. only grief. sorry for your aunt.- like she needed the harassment for how much...she probably paid over a thousand dollars a month? they charge so much and do so little . a total scam.

[@PhonkEcho]

It's a money making scheme just like payday lending

[@Jchmcom]

My mother missed her HOA yearly bill and rather than send her a reminder they sent her to court. She never received anything in the mail saying she had a court date so the HOA won in absentia. What would have been a $140 once a year bill turned into a $6500 lawyer fee. We have a woman that lives on our street that is a member of the HOA and will constantly walk the street looking for things to complain about. I pulled up to my house once and she had opened our garage door and was looking inside. She claimed the door was open and she was "just checking to make sure nothing was wrong. Our garage door is broken and we dont ever open it. I recorded her opening the gate to our back yard recently and we received a letter a few weeks later saying we had "too many ant mounds in our back yard." I showed the letter and the footage to our local police department and we now have a restraining order against her. The next time she violates our privacy I may very well enact castle doctrine or just sue our HOA for harassment.

[@ralphalf5897]

Yup. You just described the same demand for uniformity that comes from the left and their ilk on a daily basis. Conform or else". Liberalism is a mental disorder.

[@BRBS360]

"The next time she violates our privacy I may very well enact castle doctrine [...]" Good. You Americans have so many guns, at least put them to good use for once.

[@girasol911zoom]

I was just think that people need to go after the individuals too not just the HOA

[@AlanF0007-j4f]

Why are you waiting for the next time mate?

[@mencken8]

@@girasol911zoomThat’s not happening, unless the individual has done something illegal. The laws and bylaws are full of “save and hold harmless” language to protect board members.

[@IamGoen]

My number one rule when I looked for a house every time I moved in the past 20 years was to never buy a home in an HOA controlled neighborhood. That rule still applies if I ever move again.

[@deepakfineberg]

WHen the ghetto moves in you will wish you had one. Mkay

[@GoldPicard]

With all the stories I've heard over the years it's the same with me, if I ever decide to be closer to town than I am HOA's are a no-go for me unless I can get an Iron-clad exemption reviewed by my lawyer. If I own not just the building but also the land upon which it sits who the hell are you to tell me how I must run my house? And my sovereignty would be enforced through law and force which I would make abundantly clear before day one.

[@Bobchai]

I'm grateful to have bought property in an older neighborhood with no HOAs. If the neighbors want to paint their house purple, put up a flagpole or park a boat in their front yard, it doesn't annoy me in the slightest -- it's a symbol of freedom. One could say that the lack of rules lowers property values, but that does not apply here -- where ANY single family house is worth over $800,000. I am not gratified at all by the upsurge in local housing prices -- I am saddened by it.

[@nancymcmonarch]

I don't know how people in those creepy communities can feel like they really own their homes . And the fact that they conceal the HOA "agreements" from prospective buyers is shady af. They're flat-out acknowledging that their intrusive rules threaten to bring DOWN everybody's property value.

[@GoldPicard]

@Nancy McMonarch they're flat out asking for themselves to be visited by the modern day equivalent of a Pinkerton payed for by everyone else in the community, you want to act like an unregulated organization? Be prepared to deal with the consequences in any number of unconventional ways.

[@-erm2918]

My first experience with HOAs was in the 80s, in ARIZONA. They had a rule that you couldn't hang your laundry out to dry, in ARIZONA, SO FOR FIVE MINUTES. They had others that were also ridiculous, I told my husband there is no way I would ever live somewhere with an HOA, and I haven't. Such horror stories.

[@j.dragon651]

At work in Colorado I would soak my shirt and put it on to keep cool, dry in fifteen minutes.

[@trevorendeavors7972]

I don’t live in AZ but I’m currently there in a trailer park AND THEY HAVE THAT RULE HERE TOO!

[@-erm2918]

@@trevorendeavors7972 crazy. What is so horrible about washed clothes 😂

[@castform57]

​@@-erm2918it makes the area look like it has "poor" people, you know, "those" people. Most traditionally, black people.

[@slartibartifastoverdrive195]

@castform57 I grew up in Arizona. We had a washer and dryer. In the summer, we used clothes lines, because it was genuinely faster, more effective, and cheaper.

[@stopmikeandjim3196]

We bought our "forever" home in 2018. One of the stipulations we had was no HOA, which meant we were limited to older homes (and eliminated the possibility of building one). It made the buying process take about 8 months, but listening to this it honestly seems like it was worth it

[@VirtualBilly]

Refusing to join an HOA doesn’t stop you from building your own home, stupid.

[@abigaelbalbuena1917]

It is. Perfectly done.

[@Sercumference]

Older homes are built better anyways so no real loss. That said when I purchased land I looked for areas with no restrictions as I don't want anyone telling me what to do on my own land.

[@gregfox2449]

New homes are built of press board and made shoddily. I imagine most new homes will be falling apart in 50 years or at least needing lots of repair.

[@Spanluver]

But you can add on like knock out walls and build a second story, right? So screw em

[@bangslamwham88]

Honestly John's videos on American society leave me with the impression that the country is on the verge of tearing itself apart. I say this as an outsider.

[@xiaoka]

It’s been the same for nearly ten years he’s been doing this show. We are still here.

[@lauraelaineallen21]

Y'ain't wrong

[@TheTeddyGuy28]

Negativity earns views.

[@greteb1951]

Lmao u right

[@carlito3810]

Pretty sure this show is funded by the government to scare people from immigrating to the US. - it works :D (joke8)

[@PaulYoung-hn5ir]

All the houses in our HOA voted out the board and replaced it with 2 ppl. Then we reduced fees to $250/year and told everyone to do what they want but just keep the front yards looking nice. It was the best 10 years I ever had living in an HOA neighborhood.

[@seangutierrez1337]

In that case, everyone living in a bad HOA should do a board revolution and vote to kick the entire board out.

[@brian5o]

I am so happy that you and your community was able to get together and overthrow the board. As someone who hates HOAs, that warms my heart. Your community's example is the way an HOA should be, a few people from the community looking out for the community, not some corporate a-holes looking to shake people down.

[@KitC916]

how about dissolve them all because no one should have to pay a mortgage to be micromanaged plus glorified protection racket money

[@KitC916]

seriously could some start lawyer start a RICO suit over HOAs

[@Theomite]

Hopefully no one will ask why those each of those 2 people only have 8 fingers now, but hey, there's no law requiring them to explain it.

[@seamusrichardson6011]

I’m thinking of how a guy whose been here since the 80’s got a HOA built around him, and they’ve been trying to fine him and such for having his hobby cars in his yard. He however has taken the understandable position of “I never joined your stupid HOA, I’ve been here since this was woods, I ain’t listening to you” and has won one of the lawsuits

[@John_the_baptized]

What confuses the hell out of me is that the people who are so damn adamant about not being told what to do by a government aren't doing a damn thing about this.

[@markusbrauns4274]

Roe v Wade is so much more important, but I get where you are coming from. It's insane to me too.

[@JGLy22086]

It costs money. I can’t afford it!

[@SemperGumbi0369]

and the board members are just down the street!! maybe it's the Jar Head in me but Just saying!

[@heathmcrigsby]

We are. This isn't a left or right issue. HOAs are evil to everyone.

[@cclark8280]

@@markusbrauns4274I get that’s important and it’s horrible it’s been repealed. This is more crazy it’s easy to have another kid. It’s not so easy to buy a new home.

[@Standardhumanbeing]

“If you’re under 35 this story isn’t for you. You’ll never own a house.” Ok. Just because it’s true it doesn’t mean you have to say it out loud JOHN.

[@perplexed8880]

he's trying to spark a revolution :)

[@unseeliesidhegoddess]

Honestly it should be 45. The only folks my age who own houses also had well off parents who helped them out.

[@GodzillaMonsters8]

I agree and I was thinking "ouch". haha

[@jamiepx9]

​@@unseeliesidhegoddessso right! Either rich parents or they live in the middle of nowhere where homes don't cost as much. That is what my friends did they work from home and live in the small town in the nowheresville Texas 😅.

[@rabidhellhound9714]

37 now, and I own a house because A) I married someone who had a duplex we sold to buy one, and B) I've gotten damn luck in the past 4 years with jobs. Otherwise I'd be totally fucked and still stuck in an apartment spending thousands on rent and getting NOTHING back out of it. It really is true that owning a house is a MASSIVE wealth boon for the middle class. Because at least the money going into it comes back out. Either if I move or pass own and my family inherits it. I think it's super shitty we're allowing so many apartments to be made that don't give ownership to tenants and thereby keep them poor.

[@flameraven42]

Truly, nothing in America can't be turned into a racket to squeeze people and trap them in debt.

[@samsonsoturian6013]

Shut up

[@queenb5189]

Oh i agree!!!

[@koacado]

The land of the free...

[@arbyjack2552]

Student loans..medical debt

[@livewiiiiire]

It's the American way. Our country is a capitalist hellscape

[@tellmeofyourhomeworldusul6060]

My house is 119 years old. The oldest home in my very old neighborhood, which is one of the most lovely neighborhoods in my city. We do NOT have an HOA. Thank god.

[@MayTheSchwartzBeWithYou]

I've received HOA violation letters for the following: - Having a custom address plate right next to our front door installed by the previous homeowner - Having a wire through the front of our home to power the front patio sprinkler installed by the previous homeowner - Listing our spare bedroom for a short-term rental (our address was not even in the listing) - Having Christmas-style solar powered white lights-which frankly didn't even work-on our balcony railing - Having our garage door open for "too long" - Not having plants in our front patio planter - Having "weeds" in our front patio planter that were not actually weeds - Having our Ring camera doorbell on our door instead of where our existing doorbell is (where the camera would be useless) - Having laundry in the window to dry out - Using a BBQ grill in our front patio - Having our trash bins out the morning after trash day Fuck them. So hard.

[@MayTheSchwartzBeWithYou]

@RugMuncherReal "Poor" because I earned an easy $1K per month doing nothing? Whatever you say, kid.

[@haberdasherrykr8886]

Use those violation letters as toilet paper

[@TheAutumnNetwork]

@@MayTheSchwartzBeWithYou Poor and lazy. Get a real job.

[@Vinicius-qz5op]

Bro, that infiuriates me. Imagine buying your own house and not being able to do whatever you wanted to it. Like I’ll paint my house purple if I feel like it and no one can do shit😅

[@lavrentivs9891]

I always find it curious that they give people fines for something the previous owner did, but presumeably not the previous owner. Feels like they single people out.

[@aishahaji-ali1599]

As someone younger than 35, I did my due diligence and stopped the video at 0:35 and went directly to the link. It was great. I can’t believe they made two completely different segments for one week

[@nicholassimmons9706]

When I was in graduate school one of my classmates was a middle aged guy who owned a house in an HOA in Temecula, CA. He removed his front lawn and put in an olive tree and some drought tolerant landscaping. The HOA came after him. However in CA there is apparently a law that renders any restrictions on planting drought tolerant landscaping unenforceable. When the HOA tried to penalize him he took the HOA to court. His olive tree and drought tolerant landscaping stayed right where it was and the HOA had to pay all the expenses they incurred on themselves by trying to collect from him. Thereafter, other members of the community also began removing their lawns and planting drought tolerant landscaping.

[@amicaaranearum]

Every time an HOA loses in court, an angel gets its wings.

[@QueenMegaera]

A+ for saving water, increasing the biological diversity of that area, AND fighting that stuck up HOA.

[@shadowninja6689]

I've read about HOA's in CA fining members for not watering their lawns during a severe statewide drought when state laws made it illegal to water your lawn.

[@nicholassimmons9706]

@@shadowninja6689 Maybe they shoulda taken them to court? Idk. I also can't remember if that law was in Temecula city, Riverside County, or California. It may have been a Temecula City law that backed him.

[@LorettaMoore1234]

My daughter and her husband were house hunting in Washington state. They found the home of their dreams. Was ready to put in a bid when they found out it was in an HOA. They passed on it and the homeowner 1st agreed to drop the price $30,000. No. They then offered to prepay the HOA fees for a year. No. They found a beautiful home not in an HOA. They drove by the house last week and it's still for sale.

[@irenesings]

My husband and I bought a condo when we first got married. The HOA was such a nightmare we sold the place and moved to a house with NO HOA! We will never live under an HOA ever again! This piece is so true and so sad and horrifying at the same time.

[@theamaeve8175]

Unfortunately fewer and fewer houses are not on HOAs :/

[@DeCSSData]

@@theamaeve8175 I think the market would judge them if just no one would buy there...

[@theamaeve8175]

@@DeCSSData there's only so many houses and people need homes.

[@cotati76]

It’s almost impossible to find housing that doesn’t have an HOA these days. You got really lucky.

[@Jimboquacks]

I live in a HOA in Miami where they increased the HOA fees by 300%. It was insane. I had no choice to pay the increase. But the good thing is it pissed off a lot of people. And stuff happened to vote out the board and replace the management company. To then find out the board was stealing money. $2 million roughly in the last 4 years.

[@katstorm13]

Damn! We got a 28% increase this year, but in the 17 years I've been here it's only gone up like 5 times, all of which were about 2-8%

[@Jimboquacks]

@@katstorm13 Yup, 2 people on the board went to jail.

[@Triple_J.1]

Prison Ftw

[@mikeloeven]

That scandal might be enough to prove breach of contract and let you claw your house out of the HOA alltogether

[@Jimboquacks]

@@mikeloeven I don't know much about that. But you can look it up. It was the Hammocks HOA community in Miami Florida. All I did was vote to remove the board and elect a new one.

[@virtuaperson2440]

As someone who always checks the "no HOA" box when looking at homes, that 82% statistic is very concerning

[@lmpnchi9416]

I'm going to guess most of those homes are in actual cities where some level of individuality is still permitted

[@sixoutof1500]

The statistic applied to *new* construction, specifically. I work in a field that gives me a pretty good look at *new* housing construction and most new construction is subdivisions/suburbs. So it's unsettling but not surprising.

[@sixoutof1500]

Also, best of luck with the home search! No HOA 🤟

[@zombieluka]

Yeah it truly sucks being in Phoenix where every fucking suburb has an HOA. One of the reasons why I hate it here.

[@Blackdog4818]

There are very few HOA's in rural Indiana where I live. But then again, it's Indiana. I'm the worst neighbor as far as cutting hedges (I don't) or letting trumpet plant overtake my mailbox until it looks like "Little Shop of Horrors". Surprised this hasn't led to a LOT more violent confrontations. If I lost my house...After paying it off over 20 years, I'd be VERY angry.

[@kayeroskaft9619]

Thank you for this episode. Watch out for feeding ducks, having a tree that looks like itself, and wanting a bench outside your door.

[@queenbey6678]

When my HOA tried to penalize a few people over trash cans being "visible from the street", it turned into every house leaving their trash cans out front and people threatening to burn down the clubhouse. Needlesstosay, they haven't bothered anyone about trash cans in years.

[@KitC916]

Y'all should have just dissolved the HOA

[@immortaljoe6468]

omg that's awesome

[@arielvining9305]

Thats really the only solution. Community activism! Also, the HOA should def. be dissolved.

[@Greeniykyk]

Fight the Power!

[@duncangamble3428]

Now That's What I Call Democracy!

[@BrBill]

After living for a while in a development that had an HOA, never again. Just one of the reasons: my neighbor was out of work for an extended period, and they were really struggling to make ends meet. The HOA came down super hard on them for having paint flaking off his eaves, and threatened a near-immediate fine that was super extreme. Because the family were hurting for money, this man in his late 50s climbed onto a 22 foot ladder to paint his eaves and trim, which were over 16" feet high. You're seeing where this is going. When he fell, he broke his leg & hip, and dislocated his shoulder. HOAs are a scourge on the country.

[@sandyallen1523]

😢

[@12x2richter]

It sucks how universal they are. We had an HOA and it wouldn't allow me to work on my car on the weekends with the garage door open. So we moved, and with the realtor were like "What else in the area is in our price range?" "There are over 150 houses for sale" Ok, how many aren't in an HOA? "3"

[@patrickskilz2182]

And see? You are doing your part in dissolving the HOA system by moving out and not engaging. This episode has me seriously confused. HOAs are shit, they've always been shit. So, don't buy a home in an HOA development. Problem solved

[@brianh9358]

@@12x2richter Almost invariably when a suburban neighborhood is built an HOA is established to run things. You pretty much have to buy your own land and build a new home these days to keep yourself out of an HOA.

[@katherinemoran7137]

Did you not read the part where the homeowner was struggling to make ends meet? Also, if a bit of flaky paint can destroy the value of the neighborhood, then the property wasn’t worth very much to begin with and we’re all being scammed.

[@harrysiddall3392]

Bizarre to me as a foreigner that, for a country that values freedom as one of its core values, America has things like this. Functionally, Americans are some of the least free of the first world. Never have i heard of a private organisation issuing fines for trees "not being tree shaped" anywhere else in the world.

[@EarlyBirdCraft]

As an American I can tell you that most Americans love being told what to do. Hence the cult type of businesses thrive in America. From churches to MLM pyramid scheme

[@lassehaggman]

Reminds me of American health care. As long as it is a private company, Americans just drop their collective pants and let themselves be abused. At least the government is not involved, so it is not "socialism". You should try freedom once, it is great.

[@ShakaCthulu]

The only freedom in the US is the freedom the wealthy have to prey on everyone else.

[@mmboiler10]

As an American I agree. We arnt free. But man, the uneducated people in this country really think we are

[@AlyssaTaylor9]

In an HOA I used to live in when I was a kid, they threatened to fine my parents for a bench in their front yard, for letting our cat outside off-leash (all he did was flop on the sidewalk to enjoy the sun) and because our trash cans were visible from a side angle on the sidewalk. Would love to say "I'm never living in an HOA again" but if you want to buy anything at all then that's easier said than done.

[@mojoman64]

What a perfect ending for Jerry Smith's character. He finds some control befitting his level of spine as an HOA dictator.

[@moinakitchen1962]

all i've learned from years of watching this show is that America has a million ways to stumble into extreme debt but only like two ways to get rich

[@NotShowingOff]

The way to get rich is to figure out ways to put ppl into debt🤷🏻‍♂️

[@annalieff-saxby568]

1. Be born rich. 2. Steal, legally if possible.

[@ShakaCthulu]

There’s a reason so many here go postal and it’s not gun proliferatiion. If it were, Switzerland would have as many incidents per capita. There’s a level of hypervigilance & daily stress in USA you won’t find in other developed countries.

[@LobbyDaLobster]

​@annalieff-saxby568 there's also onlyfans

[@pauldickinson772]

@@ShakaCthulu The main reason Switzerland has safe gun proliferation is because they have mandatory military service. Anyone who has a gun received and adequate amount of training and anyone who couldn't complete that training doesn't own a gun. In essence, they use their military to enact adequate gun control.

[@MorriganReads]

I might be born in 2000 and never able to own a home, but when I lived with my dad, we lived in an HOA neighborhood. I was about 12 years old and really into gardening and environmentalism. When we moved into this house it was my first time with a big yard, and I decided to plant butterfly bushes. They weren’t “approved plants” according to the HOA. So they literally sent people to dig up a 12 year old girls garden. And then fined my dad for making them dig it up.

[@silverouroboros6774]

What the fuck.... how do you do that and not like, burst into flames

[@JulioIbanez-ri1ut]

Land of the free

[@crankyoldperson6871]

So fucked up.

[@professional.commentator]

That's so messed up. Reminds me of that lemonade stand skit video where the cops destroy a little girl's lemonade stand because she didn't have a license for it.

[@LillyP-xs5qe]

​@@JulioIbanez-ri1ut as ratm said "land of the free, who ever told you that is your enemy"

[@hambone4984]

My parents bought their house prior to 2008, after the housing crash a bunch of homes were bought up on their block by one company. Some random guy moved in down the street and whenever a house was sold he'd show up and introduce himself as the head of the HOA. He then started harassing my parents saying they had to join the HOA. They told him to go to hell since they were there prior to the HOA. He then started leaving fines for them for every little thing. They threatened to sue and press charges for harassment and he immediately mentioned he was doing it for the company that owned the houses on the neighborhood. They sent a cease and desist to the company and finally got left alone after they put up a 7 foot fence around their house. It took over 5 years and multiple talks with their lawyers to finally be left alone.

[@joshuafurr9439]

Yep our neighborhood voted to have an HOA a few years after we moved in. They got a "hell no" from me. I don't know how the process is supposed to work for becoming one when it isn't currently one, but it failed anyway. Wasn't even close on the vote. We have a nosy asshole that likes to walk the neighborhood and call the city on any violations they find. I wouldn't be surprised if they were the one that even suggested the HOA.

[@rickstadel5285]

! ! -- OVER FIVE YEARS ! -- and how much did they have to pay the lawyers? !

[@richiefarrell4726]

Holy shit that sounds like a nightmare

[@ryanleethomas]

Also, how do they even prove that some random dude who is an owner in your area is representative of an HOA? If a house exists prior to and outside of an agreement among all neighbors involved, then how would the HOA be binding at all? Their house would just not be included? Like, someone shows at your doorstep and hands you a fine and you’ve never seen them before, I’d ask them to prove 1.) they’re some authority 2.) that my house is somehow under that authority if I’ve never seen them before and owned the property before the HOA existed.

[@joshuawindham9657]

This is disgusting in a country that appreciates and fights for freedom that we could have this type of authoritarian bullshit.

[@mecongberlin]

For country of freedom loving people, who don’t want the government to mingle in their affairs, it’s always amazing to see how they like to mingle in the life’s of others.

[@kcthonian]

I just bought my first home last year. After living in an HOA as a child, the very first "demand" I gave my realtor was, "No HOAs". I don't care if they're giving it away for free. It's a scam that I will never be part of. I get great amusement from the fact that HOAs were (supposedly) intended to increase/maintain property prices and values. Yet, it's becoming a deterrent to buying the home... meaning the house is worth less.

[@RedLineShortFilms]

​@Leah Jiraiya Oh trust me, I wanna miss that scam link.

[@janedoe3915]

Sounds like hoa’s r just a way to fine and/or foreclose on a homeowner so the HOA can buy the house for $3.00. Essentially, just a group to steal money from those with less money.

[@Helelsonofdawn]

keeps the poors and ghjettos out

[@aick]

HOAs were always meant to "keep out the riff-raff" ie the black and poor.

[@aick]

@@Helelsonofdawn "The ghettos"? You mean us jewish folks? You are, of course, referring to the foundry district in Vienna my people were restricted to... unless you're just not saying "black", which is weird AF.

[@BlueJay73FFS]

Literally, "HOAs suck and we should get rid of them." is the one of the only things I can agree with with my conservative former colleagues. I even remember driving through one neighborhood around election time and the neighborhood had a pretty even split of Dems and Republicans based on the lawn signs, but everyone, and I mean EVERYONE had "No More HOA" signs on their lawns as well. Nobody likes a HOA unless they are the HOA.

[@KitC916]

And yet developers who are all about "supply and demand" and "THE MARKET" don't seem to understand there's a demand for safe affordable housing and absolutely ZERO demand for HOAs. NO ONE WANTS AN HOA. STOP MAKING THEM. THE MARKET IS SAYING THEY DON'T WANT THEM. STOP FOISTING THEM ON PEOPLE.

[@TheRealLaughingGravy]

What's funny is, the Republicans probably think their horrible HOA is run by nosy woke Democrats and the Democrats probably think it's run by nosy fascist Republicans.

[@Boris80b]

Conservatives (with exceptions) are more likely to display a "tough luck" mindset when it comes to other people's misfortunes. It is different when it comes to their own misfortunes though.

[@Darca1n]

@@KitC916 If they can prevent there being any other alternatives to HOA homes, they don't have to give a shit. That's literally their entire strategy, and probably said management companies absolutely are lobbying HARD to make sure only HOAs can be built.

[@haberdasherrykr8886]

i love you people are solving problems on the internet like children One guy even brought the big guns OOH CAPITAL LETTERS WOW¡!!!!¡!!!¡!!!

[@minecrashinhard]

I had the privilege of inheriting a house. Then I learned of the HOA my grandfather had fought for years. They tried to exploit me for thousands and even put a lean on the home but I found my grandfather's old paperwork and now have picked up his old fight. I now understand many of the shouting contests he'd had on the phone.

[@jestersreign7530]

Believe I heard a Reddit post about someone who inherited their grandparents place. It wasn't apart of the HOA. Didn't stop the HOA from trying to force finds regulations and trying to place a lien on their house with fake paperwork saying that they joined the HOA.

[@uarthchylde]

lien on the home

[@im_not_here_to_fight2744]

God speed your good fight 👀

[@phisicoloco]

Jesus F Christ

[@That_Guy_Says_Hi]

If you're going to be a bear ... BE A GRIZZLY! outside the box - fortune favors the bold - go for it. Best of luck!

[@byusaranicole]

Wow! Suddenly I feel really really incredible about my 60-year-old fixer upper in a pre-HOA neighborhood. Also acknowledging that even owning a home is a privilege that many people not very much younger than me may never have.

[@stevethepocket]

That "selling the house for three bucks" thing is absolutely the sort of thing that should be investigated for money laundering or something similar. As if HOA tactics weren't mafia-like enough already, that one is clearly a racket to trick people into paying for a house, gouge them for extra money, and then when there's no money left to gouge, steal the house back to sell to the next sucker.

[@robertholtz]

Money laundering? Why money laundering? I agree with you that the situation needs investigating and justice but how on Earth is that money laundering?

[@mjenkins65]

This is one of the aspects of the story that is completely unbelievable. There is NO WAY that the home was foreclosed on and sold without the homeowner's knowledge. The foreclosure process is well spelled out in law and requires a lot of mandatory notices. Also, if there's a mortgage on the house, the bank would also have been informed and taken action well before the $3 sale. There's definitely something fishy about this part of the story.

[@ChristopherCricketWallace]

racketeering maybe?

[@mantus202]

@@mjenkins65 It's unbelievable because it's not true. That's what's called a sheriff's sale, which often goes for little to nothing, because you're selling the house subject to the first mortgage. In other words, you buy the owner's interest in the house, but the first mortgage company still owns it. This doesn't happen until after a lawsuit.

[@justamom4902]

I it as the same. Just a big scam.

[@Sweetness3410usne1]

My wife and I lived in a townhome community and everything was fine, while the development was still underway. Our problems began when the developer decided to build luxury condos to complete the project. Within a few years, the people living in "luxury" took over the HOA board, raising dues and fees continually. Those of us in the "regular" townhomes started to fill the squeeze -- and realized we were actually subsidizing the luxury units because they paid the same dues we did, despite their larger units and driveways requiring much more maintenance. Long story short, the regular condos became primarily rental units, with many of the HOA board members purchasing them as investments. My wife and I bought a house, with nearly an acre, in an older neighborhood that borders a wooded conservation area. And there's no HOA! How sweet it is! We've got two lovely sheds in the back yard. We've got mature trees everywhere -- and we love them all, including the oddly shaped ones. We've painted the door and mailbox fire engine red. I strung colored lights across the front of the house and ran a PEACE flag up the pole. We are free at last!

[@joshuawindham9657]

Hallelujah my friend, live free or die

[@TheRevies]

HOAs are basically an answer to the question “what if Karens formed a union?”

[@joellahrman4557]

There is some truth to that. I've lived in two neighborhoods with HOAs and they've both been pretty hands off, but then people complain that they don't do anything or enforce anything. And if you don't have one at all, people endlessly complain about their neighbors. There's just no pleasing people!

[@dariusalexandru9536]

lool

[@nicolenotizieeamici]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@hcf4kd1992]

And Mel Gibson

[@theamaeve8175]

Also the answer to the question "what if libertarians lived in communes?"

[@cyrus2546]

My HOA just raised the price from $541 in May to $826 in June forcing me to figure out how to move.

[@Marco48375]

It's always incredible to learn how much is broken in the US.

[@Terpe75]

The US is so broken and messed up that you would think it was built upon thousands of old Indian Burial Grounds.

[@ShinGallon]

"Greatest country in the world" only applies if you're rich, everyone else is treated as expendable fodder for capitalism AT BEST.

[@wendypursel3142]

I'm glad I'm at the other end of the birth cycle. We are killing each other very slowly.

[@dfuher968]

And this is, why over here we roll our eyes, every time Americans condescendingly tell us, that all our rules and regulations are stealing our freedom and crap like that. No, our rules and regulations GIVE us freedom. Coz theyre there to protect us, among many many other things from being exploited like this.

[@joeriveracomedy]

Hoa is what is fixed about USA. Unless sec 8 is allowed there you can avoid ghetto scumbags you run into outside the hoa. Sign me up.

[@meganturner4916]

I'm so glad that he coved this. My very good friend, who is a paralyzed veteran and a purple heart recipient had this happen to him while I was living with him. It took a lot of work, but we tracked down the person who had purchased his house at auction, (without my friends knowledge, because of unpaid dues) and we were able to convince him to sell it back to us at the same price he purchased it. My father and I bent over backwards to come up with the $5k and made it happen. The fact that this can happen to anyone, especially someone like my friend is beyond disgusting.

[@chompythebeast]

It is simply inhuman to put profit before even a person's access to a home, yet profit, so long as it runs the system, is and will be put before _all_ humanity. We need radical change

[@thomasgilbertson7060]

The fact that you had to do that makes me worried about this country. The buyer could have easily said no. A veteran should be an honored citizen not treated like trash.

[@shaec3405]

I just literally GASPED. WTF

[@cynthiavaldez5941]

​@@thomasgilbertson7060 Agreed

[@Fleischkopf]

i hope you guys are fine now :(

[@Rude_i_Wredne]

As a millenial, I thank you for this video. It made a perspective of never owning a home MUCH better!

[@realhojo4]

Don't worry. The home owner you'll be renting from will pass all the HOA fees onto you and evict you when you don't pay.

[@Fools_Requiem]

Most homes still aren't part of HOAs. Most NEW homes are, but there are still a lot of homes that aren't brand new.

[@CheKappara]

​@@dylan_the_wizard holy shit

[@Sllice]

Don't let that copium make you feel better, go out, work hard, earn that home

[@rouliettapouet9213]

@@dylan_the_wizard How is it legal while it is INSIDE your appartment ? This is such a bullshit. How don't understand why you US citzen aren't rioting :(

[@jordanashford2343]

I am a young HS Government teacher and I have told my students multiple times that HOAs and School Boards in America are the worst forms of Representation. There is no check on their power.

[@kylesizemore2751]

There is though. In most cities the community can vote out any board member at any time by majority rule. Most of the time HOA's get bad because the home owners just don't pay attention or get involved.

[@patriciahitt1445]

My friend owned a condo. The HOA sent a paper to go in and redo her patio on the second floor while she was on vacation. They put the planters up on the railing. She was gone for a month. The papers didn't take down the planters and she started being get fines for the planters. It was the HOA people that put the planters up there.

[@DrBjamin]

FFS do you mean PAINTER?

[@kirielbranson4843]

@@DrBjaminwhy would painters put up planters? But why would papers do anything. Sure you can three hole punch a piece of paper and put it in a notebook but papers rarely do anything on their own. Never, I meant never.

[@KB-gq7ou]

​@@DrBjaminI think I lost braincells 😂

[@Cycology_Major]

The hell are you talking about... papers??

[@natalie306642]

@@DrBjamin Thats what I thought too..wtf

[@kaorufan8]

One single person in my neighbourhood tried to start an HOA and the rest of the neighbours decided to throw a block party, not invite her until she apologized for it, and set the DJ in front of her house where he proceeded to do the exact thing she'd been complaining about in the first place: playing "ethnic music" all day (from noon to eight pm). Her husband and kids, for the record, were welcome to the party, fed well, and her youngest even won a round of jumbo connect four

[@LindaC616]

Awesome! 👍 but how is she single and married with kids? 🤔

[@kaorufan8]

@@LindaC616 single as in "one person, no one else was joining her in this attempt" not single as in "lacking a partner"

[@CaseyWilkesmusic]

@@kaorufan8 what do you mean “lacking a partner?”

[@viktorasantanaitis8602]

Trol level 9000 is she employed?

[@TheNotoriousDUDE]

@@CaseyWilkesmusic Did you even read their comment in its entirety? "Lacking a partner" as in "single".

[@steffanpiper]

Having Jerry come in at the end was the Chef's Kiss.

[@Someone-yd3yt]

Australian here, US HOA's are insane. Organisations like this shouldn't be allowed to have this much power.

[@julesmasseffectmusic]

Strata boards seem awesome in comparison

[@jamesh4569]

"Freedom"

[@somestormchaseridjitwithwi2024]

Oh. Agreed. 😑😑😑😑

[@nicolenotizieeamici]

Exactly

[@anamazzullo3090]

I agree. Welcome to the land of the brave and free... 💔😢

[@valkolupus]

Ironic that in “the land of the free” private companies can decide about the ornaments, color, trees, repairs, and even the objects in the backyard of your own house!

[@stzi7691]

America: the land of the fee for the home of the enslaved. 😳

[@stephaniechilders5176]

First time?? Land of the free is more like "land of the corporate entities that have entire control over almost all aspects of our life but we somehow pretend we have freedom" lol..

[@gregdubya1993]

You sign up for it. LOL.

[@BizzeeB]

But - they can have all they assault rifles they want, so there's that!

[@krakencreations6266]

No HOA for me! I ripped out my entire lawn and plant fruits and vegetables each year. It may not look as "nice" as a well-manicured lawn, but I don't care. ^_^

[@samanthacline1265]

When my husband and I were searching for a house, any listing that had an HOA received a hard pass from me. My husband entertained the idea of a couple houses in HOAs, and I put my foot down fast because I don’t believe that a small group of strangers should fine me daily because they don’t like something truly trivial like the color of my front door.

[@rinwhittney5039]

good for you, there's too many horror stories on how shitty HOAs are

[@Bobby3OOO]

It's fine -- people who react this strongly to them aren't usually good neighbors anyway. Enjoy the giant pit bulls and uncut grass and commercial vehicles in your new neighborhood

[@scottgardner5918]

​​​​​@@Bobby3OOOyes, obviously pit bulls are always bad. Bahahahaha you should probably stop being a coward and just say what you mean. But no, I'm sure you're an amazing neighbor. Lol

[@legopieface]

@@Bobby3OOO OH NO! DOGS, GRASS, AND VEHICLES???? THE HORROR

[@kurrie3280]

@@Bobby3OOO Yours is perhaps the most stupid comment I have read today.

[@kayakrazy1]

At 22:01: to the old guy being removed, bench and all: " Eat shit, Ted!!"😂

[@patrickgreene5028]

I am actually a board member for our COA, and oh boy am I familiar with all of these tropes. Being the rare millennial that can afford a home and decides to get into the local politics (granted, this was after the COA royally pissed me off), I am constantly fighting against the weight of bad COA habits, embodied by both other board members and members of the community. And especially our management company. I was floored one time when I was advocating for condo fee leniency in the early days of COVID, when the management company and our lawyer retorted "there's no need, if they can't pay we can just take their home." Totally casually, as though that was not the most horrific thing they could possibly say. And don't get me started on the blanket excuse for all terrible rules: "property value". We live in a townhouse style condo, so we really do need a COA, because all units are physically part of a larger building, but somehow the knee-jerk to do more than just ensure basic maintenance is baked into so many of our owner's minds. I have spent over a year trying to rewrite our rules, with community involvement, to get rid of all the stupid rules. And that is just a start. It just just a constant up-hill battle, but we NEED more young open-minded people running for these boards. After a few years I am getting burnt out, but I know if I step down, I'll probably be replaced with someone regressive.

[@b4rbarbar]

I still vote for ritualized global suicide - it's more likely to see results

[@fss1704]

What does it really take to run for president of this shit? I bet if you put chatgpt to write a manifesto you can overturn their votes pretty fast.

[@bradk8590]

Keep fighting the good fight. Nothing is going to change unless someone makes it change.

[@drextrey]

As you said, it will eventually roll downhill, The kind of people who want to join HOA/COA or the kind is the petty power trip kind of people, who enjoy destroying other people well being. In short they mostly bitter old man who want the world to burn.

[@bizichyld]

As a 31 year old aspiring homeowner, I’m appalled at the dark side of Chuck E Cheese your investigative team uncovered.

[@cameronwulff]

It was one of the best segments they have ever done

[@ZT1ST]

I'm kind of surprised how the Chuck E. Cheese episode seems to have taken a Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov level twist; "We thought this segment was going to be much shorter, but then..."

[@EcceJack]

It was fascinating, yes!

[@Seagaltalk]

tsy

[@bizichyld]

Now that I actually watched the Chuck E Cheese story, I stand by my original comment. That was actually more entertaining that the HOA story.

[@jamesmiller2521]

It quickly escalated from “Ted can’t have a bench” to “Pat was forced to sell her house for $3.24”

[@tammygarrett8427]

Pat did not sell her house they took it for 3.24 after she had already given them all the late fees and the law cant help because there are not laws to hold them accountable

[@misterb3577]

Worse than that. She didn't even know her house had been sold for $3.24 until an entire year afterwards. And that whole time, she was paying thousands in HOA fines for a house she no longer owned. They likely didn't even give her the small amount of money they paid for the house, just deducted it from her debt. Literally ripped her off. She paid who knows how much to own her home and furnish it, then paid monthly fees to the HOA, then thousands in fines to the HOA, only to lose every cent of investment into her home when the HOA just took it from her for an insultingly low price. I wouldn't be surprised if this was a regular racket they were pulling on new neighbors to basically rob them of all their money and take the property back, only to sell it again to some other victim and repeat the process.

[@sea_triscuit7980]

​@@misterb3577 if I were her I'd actually go postal

[@pete_lind]

@@tammygarrett8427 There is 2nd amendment and bet that was open carry state , at that point what more have you to lose ? What jury would convict a person who finally snapped at HOA ?

[@Storman_norman1]

​@@misterb3577 😊ד

[@jessedavis3378]

Oof. The opening got me good. My sis was born in 1987, and lives in her home her and her husband own....I was born in 1989, and I'm currently trying to find a landlord that will let me have a pet! It's almost impossible where I live and there's no way I'm getting a house in this market lolol

[@DustinHaning]

When I bought my house I purposely avoided HOAs at all costs. With the budget I had, it significantly reduced the options I had, but I'm so glad I did.

[@JonJenkins1982]

Right? You have to pay like a 15-20% premium if you want the same house sans HOA.

[@EarlyBirdCraft]

Same.

[@that_auntceleste5848]

Individual solution is to buy a house in an older neighborhood. Collective solutions may need state level regulation, or just a really good grassroots campaign to elect "Not Minding Your Business" directors to HOA boards that hold elections.

[@Oroberus]

Boy I'd love to see your face the day you get noticed that your house was integrated in an existing HOA based of some 'freedom' of some rich dude 3 houses down the street xD

[@bobbodaskank]

My house was originally in an HOA, but sometime before we moved here, the HOA was dissolved after a neighboring development found out they'd been charged HOA dues for over a decade... but they weren't part of the HOA. They all sued and the HOA was disintegrated from orbit. They were one of the bad HOAs too. My sister lived here during the dark times, and the HOA fined people (including my sister) for not having a certain species of tree, which wasn't native and couldn't survive there. My neighborhood is still lined with dead trees, but they're slowly being torn down by the wind and sometimes getting replaced.

[@Br0nto5aurus]

"Bad HOA" is redundant. "Good HOA" is an oxymoron.

[@cavscout43]

Small call out on inaccuracy here: HOAs aren't only run by local owners. I was in one in CO (Buckhorn Valley can go f--k themselves) where it wasn't even owners that ran it. "we're waiting for higher occupancy rates in the neighborhood before we'll allow the residents to self govern" Total grift and scam. They threatened to tow my truck for having an ATV in the back, in spite of there being no such rule that applied. "Well some people complained about seeing it" was the rationale.

[@vinista256]

Thank you-this made me even more grateful for my little 1954 house in a podunk town west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Some of my neighbors put up CRAZY decorations, even for minor holidays, and seeing them makes me smile. Some of us wait a little longer than we should to mow. Some people have impeccable landscaping. There’s a funky variety of roof types and colors. We all live in peace with one another, and we’re not an income stream for predatory attorneys.

[@mrsdragonite]

Hello from Wytheville! Lol❤

[@joshmay2944]

@MrsDragonite some of the most beautiful country anywhere. I live in Eastern KY and love our mountains!

[@Marijuanifornia]

The entire United States of America is nothing but an income stream for predatory attorneys. Watch the 1942 USDA film *Hemp for Victory* (filmed in Kentucky) and end the war on drugs, replace foreign imports, bring manufacturing jobs back from overseas, reduce government spending, reduce crime, reduce pollution, replace fossil fuels, end deforestation and stop climate change. The film was banned from the public after World War II to create this toxic corporate-owned hell that we live in today.

[@stephenriggs8177]

1905 house, here. Teddy Roosevelt was president. No HOA!

[@rickosborne6521]

That's the way it ought to be. It's your property, no one should have the ability to fine you for decorations. I love my 1970s neighborhood in Utah for the same reason - I may chuckle at the folks who keep xmas decorations up from halloween to valentine's day, but whatever - it's their house. Not my business, or anyone else's.

[@brittassss]

The land of the free.... Nowhere else in the world, there's a HAO with that much power.

[@Vandicoup]

*HOA

[@NikkiSmith]

We bought a house specifically because there was no HOA. Turns out the current city government started as an HOA, and still has many of the same nonsense restrictions, just without the dues. We’re fighting to overturn one of those ordinances this summer. Wish us luck!

[@TheMarjolein96]

You're still paying dues, they just call them taxes now.

[@segamai]

Good luck bb! A pox on those bottomfeeding wastes of air

[@RhizometricReality]

Violence is cheaper. Stink smoke balls are a fraction of the price and can be thrown anywhere. Ruin lives back.

[@mylex817]

​@@TheMarjolein96but at least there is some transparency, judicial oversight and procedural rules that put a bit if an (imperfect) limit on abuses of power.

[@BayuAH]

Basically, they try to passing their responsibilities to another. What a scheme.

[@SuperJohncarter]

As someone born in 1989 the whole, "those of you born after 1988 this episode isn't for you, you don't have hoas, you don't have homes and you never will" really hit hard

[@DoodleThis]

You and me both

[@hoid9407]

Too hard. That was a sucker punch for first thing in the morning.

[@felleroerdere3351]

If you were born in '89 and haven't yet realized how fucked we've been since 2002 (I was born around the same time, so for our generation, this is where it was officially done-for), then I have a lot more to teach you about the malicious dysfunctionality of American Capitalocracy. It's beyond time for a general strike. No bills, no work...we don't even need anyone in the streets. We can strike from the comfort of our own homes. And when we do it that way, there's no violent clashes with police for the Capitalist media to exploit for propaganda, no effort needed by our generally lazy population. We would just...have the entire system's balls in our hands. And every day even 50% of stores, restaurants, banks, supermarkets, construction crews were sitting comfortably at home? Just another twist of those overripe balls. And we'd have A LOT of negotiation power. A LOT.

[@libbyhobbs4637]

You are the voice of your own future. Use it or lose it ....plan ahead.

[@silverfoxxflame]

Even worse because my sister a few years older than me DOES have a home. Oof

[@D901694]

In my last neighborhood the HOA went after a retiree who used to be a para-military operative for a three letter agency. They didn't like his shed in his back yard or the handrails he had installed on the stairs leading up to his front door. The last thing I heard was he still has his shed and handrails and four of seven HOA board members resigned with one moving out of the community all together.

[@alipainting]

😅 so that's what we have to do

[@sv2697]

Cleaning ur AR15 outside in the front yard sure helps.

[@estefanolivares4159]

I'm willing to pay this man to do the same thing in my HOA

[@driziiD]

step 1: be a para-military operative for a three letter agency

[@EveryThingGirl238]

You want to see stubborn, meet a military man. Hard heard like mules.

[@tsmith906]

This is pribably the most directly heart breaking segments ive ever seen from John. The fact that all of this is SOMEHOW legal is just... wow.... Fuck this world.

[@christopherbohanan4453]

Yeah, America gets worse every day

[@funtechu]

Making sure there was no HOA was my #1 weed out criteria when buying a home.

[@kcthonian]

Same. I refused to even think about them, lead alone look at them. It just isn't worth it, no matter how low the price is.

[@SecularMentat]

It is definitely very high in my list as well.

[@kristinaerickson2353]

Will always be my number one weed out. The government already controls too much of what I can and can't do on my own property.

[@SleepySeaGames]

Same, closing in 30 days or so and I checked for HOA before ever looking at a place

[@Mo-wq8ez]

Was it easy to find a place without HOA? How do you avoid it?

[@mikotomisaka8714]

Just to let you all know, as a 22 year old, I did go and watch the Chuckie Cheese episode.. and yes, it is a FULL episode, with ACTUAL well written jokes and the typical John oliver "Guess what, its bad!" So feel free to head on over XD

[@TheKlaun9]

But does he say "It's true" to an opinion / to some anecdotal point? Without that, it's just not the same. I have no idea what chuckie cheese is, but I'm gonna watch it if he says it

[@SeppelSquirrel]

Gotta say, I'm impressed that they didn't bring up Five Nights At Freddy's even once, and even said that kids these days don't like animatronic!

[@SodaPopBarbecue]

They should link it in the description so the visually impaired can actually hear it.

[@eat_pray_porg8450]

Yes! Basically this was a two-for-one deal on episodes from LWT! Two great episodes! 😂

[@MitchellTF]

@@eat_pray_porg8450 ...I get the feeling he meant for it to be online only, and it just... Went. Insane. Especially since it was ALL SET UP TO A CALL BACK. Like, 29 minutes for a hilarious callback.

[@Xeroize7459]

Ran into similar issues with mine myself. Their latest attempt was trying to say my curtains were "tattered" and needed to be replaced (they are fully intact). I responded with photographs of my curtains, a subpenoea for the evidence they had of the violation, and a warning about committing purjury if the claim were made in the court of law. They backed off.

[@Valaran1]

You think they backed off, but in fact they foreclosed on your house last week.

[@seta1999]

My HOA used to email me every other day, reminding me that the trash bin should only be on the driveway on trash days and that I needed to remove it afterward, or I would be fined. They always included a picture, but the problem was that the picture wasn't of my property, and I always brought my bin inside after the trash was collected. I always ignored the emails since they didn’t pertain to my property. But, in their last email, they addressed me by name, and I thought, "Hold on a fcking second." I replied, informing them that the picture wasn't of my bin or property. They simply responded with, "Oh... okay."

[@mamasmurf7830]

The number one thing I made sure of, when I was searching for a home, was that it WASN’T in an HOA….. I’ve been on my property for 15 years, and have never regretted that decision! 🙌

[@ellasmommy9278]

I have a friend who's in her 70s and has lived in her house for over 30 years. She wanted to repaint her house. She found the original color, and wrote to her HOA several times over 6 months and they never responded. So she painted it. Two weeks later she got a nasty letter from the HOA saying her painting was not approved. She actually had to take it to court.

[@nataschaneve1329]

Did she win?

[@rickstadel5285]

! !

[@ellasmommy9278]

@@nataschaneve1329 yes

[@uniraffesaur]

I appreciate your creation of a genuine alternate episode for us who are living in our parents’ houses in our late 20s

[@far2ez539]

Don't feel bad. I'm 30 and live in an apartment making 350k/year. Due to the high cost of living of the west coast cities that can pay this level of salary, home ownership is a laugh for me as well. Someday I'm sure it'll happen, but after taxes and rent and inflation come for me, the idea that I need to make 10x poverty wages and save up for 10 years to eventually buy a 2br home in the city where I work is insane. Parents houses or not, the situation is crap.

[@noechavez8047]

I lived with my parents until I was 38. Because of that I ended up inheriting the house, lot, vehicles, money, and jewelry, etc etc. As for kids... I wouldn't want to bring another human into this horrible world just to suffer along with the rest of us... I've got plenty of nieces and nephews to then leave what I inherited to them so that they may continue the family name(s). I am one of 3 other boys and 4 other girls... also.. living with parents not paying anything I managed to save about $185,000 over a 10 year period. I then invested half into stocks and the other half into raising property value/repairs/remodeling. It's jarring how fast I went from basement dweller to home owner with a $250,000+ net worth.

[@darkriku12]

@@far2ez539 yeah I have engineering buddies who are buying houses together in order to afford them. If the top folks are struggling, how the hell is this market still afloat?

[@amanawolf9166]

@@far2ez539 I'm turning 40 here and was living with my parent... and now I'm living alone in the same house. In all honesty, I would never harsh someone living under their parent's home if they're actively working and doing their best. Yea, there are people who mooch off their folks, and there's also people who work their butt off while having crap thrown in their faces. I think what irks me the most is the mentality/political crap where if you live with your parents you're not trying hard enough. Also @Noe Chavez, amen to that man. I don't think I'd want to have a kid with how much BS the world throws in your face.

[@marialindell9874]

300 likes

[@Zerpersande]

I knew very little about HOAs before watching this clip. But even then the little bit that I knew was enough for me to know I would never, ever, under any fucking conditions buy a home in such an area. Part of the reason for that is it I’m not a sheep, But the main reason is I just don’t like people telling me what I can do in and/or to my house.

[@guzy4289]

I can’t believe John Oliver talked about the neighborhood I grew up in. The same neighborhood had this ridiculous flag policy. My parents put up a welcome flag in the front yard and were told to take it down or face fines, and that the only flags they’re allowed to display are the US Flag, the AZ Flag, and the Gadsden flag. People rebelled by putting up pride flags around the neighborhood because the policy was so stupid. Eventually they walked it back.

[@danielfay8963]

I lived a few blocks away, and it honestly doesn't surprise me at all that val vista lakes had a crazy HOA. As is our neighborhood had a pretty bad one, and the lakes neighborhoods always struck me as far worse.

[@cocobutter3175]

I would have put up the Gadsden flag. The city of Gadsden flag. The one from Alabama. Technically, you're still following the rules. And that's my favorite way to follow rules. It's ironic, though, that the Gadsden flag is one of the only three flags they allow, since it represents "willingness to act in defense against coercion and is associated with the ideas of individualism and liberty". Seems ironic. I like that everyone went with the Pride flag, though.

[@rivercitymud]

The irony of putting the Gadsden flag on a list of approved signage is sublime. "Don't tread on my grass."

[@kastaway2]

Good for them. Associations have rules and powers. They are disclosed up front.

[@edwardallenthree]

Wait, the HOA allowed some namely conservative political speech but nothing else? Wow.

[@ORO323]

Anyone looking for their 1st home should always ask: "Is this part of an HOA"? Can literally mean the difference between peace and insanity.

[@michaelell389]

The fact that someone can purchase a home without knowing it is in an HOA blows me away. In NY where you basically are required to have a Real Estate Lawyer to do a purchase the fact the property was in an HOA would 100% come up before you signed a contract even.

[@lilianchan4111]

Some HOA fees might also be very high, on top of your mortgage. My in-laws’ home has a $1200/mo HOA fee, on top of their mortgage.

[@cwg73160]

@@michaelell389 If you say “the fact” one more time, you get the meal for free.

[@BrentStewart]

I would ask for a legally notarized document stating the house WAS NEVER, IS NOT CURRENTLY, and NEVER WILL BE part of a HOA before buying.

[@doomedwit1010]

@@michaelell389 I am always surprised to find out there are states with mandatory lawyer review. How do I get that passed in my state? I could use some more clients that have no choice in whether or not to hire me.

[@whatever_12]

For those saying you can choose not to buy into.. Many people often inherit a property with Hoa ( especially now as sg&boomer used to love the concept ) . A colleague who's husband passed away 3 year's ago and was struggling to meet end month, inherited her grandma house last year. Due to it being in the other side of the country they couldn't move their immediately despite wanting to (they were renter in bronx). After 5 month they took possession of this incredible gift that was gonna change their life. The next day opening the mailbox they find a lot of late fees from hoa, along with fine for overgrown grass, a tree branch that they consider dangerous and should be cut and debt collector fee It amounted to $5,600 a sum the single mum with 2 teenager couldn't afford. They knew damn well the grandma died and who the new owner were gonna be as there were hoa docu signed during the change of ownership. Yet the company manging the hoa didn't bother calling and informing about any of these issues. Thankfully the local judge ruled it unfair as no attempt to contact the family were made

[@micahlish]

Thank goodness! Sorry this happened

[@DLCarrington]

Maybe you can choose not to buy into, but the options, especially for new builds, are DWINDLING!

[@joanyraquel]

In Florida it is also almost impossible to find a home without an HOA... so in many case you have no choice

[@ThePsychicFish]

They're literally evil

[@candacen7779]

Actually most Baby Boomers I know absolutely hate them.

[@SloppyLazyEGG]

HOA took my fully paid off house, with those bs tickets, and it piled up, and they foreclosed my fully paid off house. I've waited for so many years for the mainstream media to mention something about HOA, I hope there is a class action against all hoa one day. It took me so many years to get of homelessness. They didn't just rob me, they forced me into homeless, when I've paid off everything for that roof over my head. I didn't have any where to turn to, and there were no lawyer take those type cases.

[@alisonwinkler2114]

You bpught a house, paid off the debt in full and then were forced to live on the street? That's shocking. I hope you can get some help to get your house back.

[@rmcjr5206]

I lived in an HOA community for less than a year. In that time I was fined for not having a parking pass for a (non-running and unregistered) project car that never left my private garage. I don't know how they knew it was in there, and they refused to tell me. My best guess is that they climbed up my stairs high enough to look through the little windows at the top of the garage door on some day when I left the lights on in the garage. Never again. I'll live in my truck before I live in another HOA community.

[@ernestbennett376]

A lot of HOAs have nosy neighbors who spy on other neighbors

[@jawstrock2215]

some real 1940 Germany shit right there.

[@kxmode]

Hell On Asphalt

[@TiffSage]

We just moved to Texas for our kindergartener's cancer treatment. Our former HOA in Florida repeatedly would not let me speak during the public comment section of our monthly meetings because I would not remove my PPE mask first. The meeting was held in a small indoor room. So, my choice was to have a voice in the neighborhood's governance or to risk exposing my leukemia-ridden child to any manner of illnesses. For those unfamiliar, a fever of 100.4 will land a child with cancer in the hospital every time, and at worst, it could lead to sepsis and death. I'm disgusted by the entire experience.

[@Adrian-uq4yb]

I’m so sorry you had to deal with that nonsense. All the best to you and your child.

[@iamV10010]

Oh my god, they knew you were going through one of the worst things a parent could experience and still treated you like that?? Your horror story dealing with an HOA and many other accounts similar to it being told here proves that the people who run them have only 2 interests in mind; to gain property at insane markdowns using legal loopholes and calculated attacks disguised as "rules", and to continue being sadistic high school bullys into adulthood. It blows my mind the darkness people will embrace once given even an ounce of power. And to cause such grief to someone with a sick child dealing with a very serious diagnosis? Evil. Pure evil.

[@soccermommyNPC]

what an abhorrent person, i’m so sorry you had to deal with that.

[@pa5666]

That is so disgusting. I honestly don't know how people can live with themselves who do these cruel things to people in horrible circumstances. I hope your child and you are doing as ok as you can 😢

[@honuswagner9348]

your mask wasn't actually preventing anything though. You chose to participate, and they said no masks while talking, and you chose not to adhere to that. Florida isn't liberal (thankfully). You could've taken you mask off for the few minutes you'd have been talking. Underwear doesn't stop a fart, how is a mask going to stop a virus?

[@RaffBuilding]

A business partner and I who bought a condo were frivolously sued by the HOA because the president thought something illegal was done because we bought the unit at a good price in bankrupcy court. The HOA had numerous "special assessments" to the owners to fund the lawsuit, which we also had to pay. In other words, we help fund the suit against us. The HOA lost every legal step and appeals, wasting like $250k and then had another assessment to pay all of our legal fees plus interest.

[@ilfd921]

good for you. In Nevada it is different. You can lose a house and if you have a question no one calls you back.

[@frankwhite1816]

Serving up justice one joke at a time. We love ya, John. Never change. 🙂

[@terryhayward7905]

It really must be great to live in such a free country.

[@esta7763]

The "R" is silent in the word "free"

[@TheTonyEntertainment]

brilliant@@esta7763

[@HowToChangeName]

Fee country

[@DimT670]

Free to get screwed

[@McMxxCiV]

I don't know who said it, but I think they were right when they did: "America's freedoms are too important to be threatened by anybody exercising them".

[@Douglas-nt7jd]

In Utah. An HOA in daybreak kept charging my brother fines for having dog poop in his front yard. He doesn't own a dog. It's also part of the HOA to pick up after your dog. $74 per day. He went on vacation once and got charged $1400 for poop in his yard that wasn't from his dog while in vacation

[@nicolenotizieeamici]

I hope he didn’t pay

[@barbara.berlin.comedy]

@@nicolenotizieeamici And now his house is worth 5 dollars.

[@---jt5wg]

I feel this. On a much smaller level I got in trouble from my landlord for having dog poop out front of my studio. I do own a dog but my dog is 20 lbs. The shits out front were dinosized. Hm. I wonder why they sent me the email about the poop and not the guy next door who owns a great dane eh? I sent a photo of my dog's poop for comparison. I showed them that a freshly laid 20lb dog poop is literal acorns compared to the giant shits out front of my place and hinted "perhaps a larger breed, say a Great Dane, is responsible?". They never replied but I never got another complaint from them again either so I think they got the idea. For storytelling purposes it would have been amazing if you'd saved the 'he doesn't own a dog' for the very last lol.

[@norr3932]

This is awful

[@kenyasmith2652]

I wonder if the dog belonged to one of the HOA members. 🤔

[@guycore5478]

Honestly, too many of the stories I hear of HOA's are so abusive and heartbreaking that I'm surprised we don't hear about HOA murder sprees.

[@ribosoman593]

I had the same though. I feel that there is a legal argument to be made on the use of the 2nd amendement here...

[@Mehwhatevr]

@@ribosoman593 glad I’m not the only who is wondering about this. If the government can’t protect you, I’m surprised more people aren’t taking the law into their own hands. Especially for those who are so old they have nothing to lose.

[@XXX.0X]

You should watch "Fear Thy Neighbor" on the ID Channel.

[@RubbishFPS]

@@Mehwhatevr I know id be aiming one at the face of whoever had a problem with something on MY PROPERTY.

[@ChJuHu93]

US Declaration of Independence - Preamble seems fitting.

[@HungerGamesFan00]

"A family community with impossible standards" - you didnt have to go so hard with the attention to detail, but you did. godspeed, lwt team

[@16BitFerret]

I used to live in a HOA area. They kept harassing me when my boyfriend kept visiting me every week. Despite him always parking in the visitor spot and only being there for a day. Then when someones car got keyed they tried to blame me. All because I worked 2nd shifts. When we moved we made sure when we moved we made DANG sure the house we bought didn't have an HOA.

[@FauxFoxPaw]

Wtf? They harassed you about having a visitor come to your own home? That's insane!

[@drsiege3434]

Visitation rights? What was this, prison?

[@panstr952]

@@drsiege3434 It was her boyfriend so i would call it conjugal visit!😉

[@panstr952]

How can you make sure the new house doesnt have HOA? Cant the previous owner just lie to you? (NOT ANERICAN)

[@diaz-kasper]

@@panstr952 Because You have to sign a contract with the HOA before purchasing the property.