@@Silver_wind_1987_ Threatening only tips your hand. If you don't have evidence already, you have no business suing. They should be only aware you're going to sue when they are handed the complaint by the process server.
And my decision to NEVER join an HOA is reaffirmed. Seriously, why join an organization where people demand control over properties they don't pay for?
The internet is so full of HOA horror stories. I would never willingly join one. I agree that no one else should ever be able to dictate what my house looks from the street like or whether or not it is the right color or telling me I am not allowed to park in my own driveway. I think many HOA's are horrible entities, and there should be legal recourse for the ones who go too far. There should NEVER be ANY rules beyond paying for combined expenses, such as yard maintenance, street maintenance (if it is a private street) and so forth. There should never be any rules requiring houses to be uniform in color, only certain mailboxes, parking on my own property, garbage cans in specific places and behind specific areas, not allowing sidewalk chalk, or trampolines, or swimming pools, or bicycles in the front yards, tree swings, tree houses, play houses, sand boxes...the list is endless for all of the ridiculous rules that are literally forced upon residents. Let people live their lives in peace!
Not just HOAs. Village boards, Town boards, School boards, condo associations- every one likely to be run by "tin plated dictators with delusions of godhood." And people actually vote for these people, then are too apathetic to vote them out again.
Story 2: oh no a cult of idiots are going to shun him how horrible 🙄 Also funny how they claimed that the community would fail without a HOA but everyone basically told them they were the ones dragging it down. Smh
That HOA present definitely had a Napoleon complex, she tried to expand the HOA by coecing homeowners outside the HOA to join it, and in true Napoleon fashion throws a hissy fit when it does go her way, and then dies
I've never lived in an HOA, but reading these stories there are 4 types of people on HOA boards: (in no specific order) 1: Lunatics. 2: Public service minded normal people. 3: Criminals. 4: Power hungry Narcissists. Perhaps there are other types, perhaps sociologists should research the question.
My country doesn't have American style HOA, but we have government sanctioned HOA for every neighborhood. Our HOAs have very limited power. They have no power to put lien on somebody's property. And the government put term limit to HOA administration, so they can be replaced by default, no matter what their tricks to remain in power. It removes Karens ability to terrorize the neighborhood.
If I paid for my house, either by cash or mortgage, pay the insurance and taxes, maintenance and upkeep - I'd be dammed if I'd let someone tell me what color to paint my front door or allow someone to "inspect" my home or garage. Why any sane homeowner would allow this is beyond me.
Because people forge their own chains. People sacrifice their freedom to do what they please on their own property in return for tidiness and order. And trading your freedom for anything is never worth the price.
They don't. Most of the time, the problem arose because the property was in the HOA long before a new guy buy it. There should be a law to limit the HOA membership to the owner, not to the property. So, if the previous owner sell the property, the HOA rights/obligation to manage the property is annulled and has to be reapplied by the new owner.
This mentality will be considered entitlement when you're in a HOA that had been long established or in a very private village with very strict rules... I had lived in a private village with an hoa when i was a teen, living with my aunt who took care of us 3 siblings while our mother work abroad. It was a nice hos and have strict rules, though could be bended depending on understable and acceptable event or excuse. Houses lines up on same color per street, which is one of the theme and very strict rule in that village... The idea and purpose of HOA is good, it's the people that runs it that can be crappy. But as the saying goes, the only truimp of evil is for good to do nothing... Not to mention, not because you bought or paid the land and house, means you can do whatever you want, there's always rules and restrictions depending on the area. You follow rules, or not live in that area, it's that simple. Or you can try to have a revolution or something like it...
@@gorilladisco9108are you saying because you bought an island in Hawaii, you must have the right to choose if you wanna stay in the same nation or declare your island a sovereign state, free from all rules? No, first thing you should do is learn if there's an hoa in the area and try to so some research how the hoa works, then decide if you wanna be part of that community and buy that land or rent in that area... The HOA has a good idea and purpose. It's the people that runs it that could be toxic or corrupt... Or maybe you can also try considering if yourself is the AH, because people of the hoa had been okay with their rules and regulations, or they would had elected the officers out or had done something about it... This is just like trying to migrate or live on a different country or area with rules that are uncomfortable to you, but it's been a long standing rules that preserves peace and order in that place...
I was on the board of a voluntary HOA. We had a community pool and only those who were in the HOA could use. Liability insurance got so high that we had to close the HOA down, demolish the pool and Build three houses on the land. Those who are part of the HOA got distributed funds for the sale of the land. We never find anyone for anything. We just had a good time in the summer in the pool.
It makes more sense if you're a homeowner and not a renter, I think. If you're paying $2k/m and planning on moving out of your house eventually, they're annoying people making it so that you can't have any fun. If you own your house and planning on selling it, their rules could mean the difference between your house selling for $1 million, or $3 million.
From the stories about bad HOA, it seems all stemmed from the difficulty to replace bad administrations. The Karens were typically a long time HOA admins, and everybody in the neighborhood seemed to be cowered by her. If Karens were easy to topple, she couldn't/wouldn't intimidated the neighborhood. So for me, the rule #1 if you ever have to decide to buy a house inside HOA, is to look at the difficulty to replace the administration, preferably for them to have term limits.
Well, unfortunately, it is an agreement between a private individual and a private organization. The law cannot stop a person from voluntarily waiving their rights and freedoms.
Story 2: so the land was not maintained at all prior to OP buying it, but the HOA still claimed jurisdiction over it. Yeah, that's entitlement. OH FINALLY SOMEONE PULLS OUT A FIREARM HAHAHA I don't usually condone gun use in the slightest but a lot of these stories I keep thinking "I bet things would be different if they had a double barrel".
PSA: Always have security cameras if you have an HOA or Karen anywhere in the area. Always immediately call police if crimes are committed against you or your property. Story 2: Every time they sent those "fines" through the USPS they committed felony Mail Fraud. Up to 20 years in prison & $250,000 fine for EACH one. Call the Postal Inspector. The "land-locking" is called Unlawful Restraint. Add in the "sign up and your HOA problems go away" and you get felony Extortion and/or Blackmail. Call the District Attorney.
Our old neighborhood did not have an HOA and we had a half purple/yellow, half blue/white house the next street over. I laughed every time I looked at it. 😮
15:03 ... it is a crime to stop someone from calling the police. It's a form of harassment and courts/juries do not take lightly when someone is hit with a "blocking someone from calling law enforcement". Sounds like this Karen just wants charges to pile up, or believes laws don't apply to her because of the all mighty HOA.
I understand the idea of a HOA it can be great in terms of keeping an area nice and having other services available for you. However, over the long run I find those extra services to be a loss in terms of what you can do with your property and how often they push on others. I will personally never join one.
From the stories about bad HOA, it seems all stemmed from the difficulty to replace bad administrations. The Karens were typically a long time HOA admins, and everybody in the neighborhood seemed to be cowered by her. If Karens were easy to topple, she couldn't/wouldn't intimidated the neighborhood. So for me, the rule #1 if you ever have to decide to buy a house inside HOA, is to look at the difficulty to replace the administration, preferably for them to have term limits.
Our subdivision was built in 1974. Ours is one of the fist houses built. They have a community building, a pool, a park, and a volunteer fire department station. You had to join if you bought a house, which we did in 1997. They keep the streetlights on, the median mowed and trimmed on our street (we're on the through street) and they don't bother us for much out of the $125.00 a year for the maintenance. The only time I've gone to the board meeting was when we were going to repaint the outside and they approved it with no problem, they were actually surprised I went to ask. Other than that, I've never even met the HOA people and they don't bother us. Of course, we're near retirement age, my husband's only working to pay off the house and he's done. So there ARE good HOAs but you gotta know where to buy and find out how things run before you buy.
From the stories about bad HOA, it seems all stemmed from the difficulty to replace bad administrations. The Karens were typically a long time HOA admins, and everybody in the neighborhood seemed to be cowered by her. If Karens were easy to topple, she couldn't intimidated the neighborhood. She wouldn't dare. So for me, the rule #1 if you ever have to decide to buy a house inside HOA, is to look at their bylaw, especially the difficulty level to replace the administration. It's preferable for them to have term limits. As the saying goes, power corrupts and absolute power corrupt absolutely.
HOAs are supposed to maintain and raise property values, but I would never even consider living in one. Honestly who wants to live in a neighborhood where somebody busybody karens can tell you what to do and how to live and have the power to fine you if you don't comply.
We had to submit a request to the HOA to cut down a large cypress tree in our backyard when we moved here. it was gorgeous but was too close to our house. We had to have people come out and inspect it and we did get to cut it to avoid any issues with roots interfering with plumbing and our homes foundation. It was sad to see it go but my dad built some really nice things from the wood.
My sister visited the US and stayed with friends. She went for a walk round the neighbourhood and said it was so boring, because every house looked the same and the plants were so perfect she actually felt the leaves because she thought they had to be artificial. They must have had an HOA. She didn't know to ask because back then we had never heard of such a thing.
I would live in my minivan before I'd live in an HOA. I own my three acre property, we have no HOA here. We all are older folks, mostly retired and on limited incomes. One idiot tried to start an HOA. We all let her know that crap will NOT fly! 😡
HOA's are the worst. I unfortunately live in one. One time we got a warning letter that we had to chop down a dying tree in our front yard. (There was no tree law in this) My mom was going to call some friends over to help do so but then I remembered watching something from a TV show and I told my mom to get approval to do it first. She looked at me in confusion and asked why she needed to get approval if she was warned to do so. I just told her to get approval first, and she agreed. I"m glad I warned her because apparently despite getting the warning we had to get approval to chop the tree down first. So I managed to help my mom avoid getting a fine.
@@autisticwitch7581 nowadays you have to move way out, I am not sure how other places are...but in the state that I am moving away from builders are buying up entire tracts of land, subdividing it and every house built there is automatically in their HOA. I am moving from this state because my realtor found it near impossible to find land to build a home that wasn't already bought by some group that wouldn't let you be exempt from the HOA.
From the stories about bad HOA, it seems all stemmed from the difficulty to replace bad administrations. The Karens were typically a long time HOA admins, and everybody in the neighborhood seemed to be cowered by her. If Karens were easy to topple, she couldn't intimidated the neighborhood. She wouldn't dare. So for me, the rule #1 if you ever have to decide to buy a house inside HOA, is to look at their bylaw, especially the difficulty level to replace the administration. It's preferable for them to have term limits.
I guess I’ve always worn my rose-colored glasses when it comes to home ownership. I used to envision home ownership as a kind of freedom and a way to build equity. I never thought it was possible to be subjected to more rules than a renter. Also, the possibility of being subjected to someone placing a lien on MY property because my trash cans weren’t in the right place. Really? No thanks.
🤦🤔🤔🤦 *I say it all of the time!* *Why in hell ANYONE would ever PURPOSELY pay big money for a home IN an HOA, for people to tell you what you can and can't do to your own home, is absolutely 🤯 to me!* *I just don't get it!*
Some states have very strict rules on old (mature) trees. In a neighborhood I once lived, not an HOA, we still had to abide by state laws to not harm the trees and even if they were damaged or diseased we could not take action on the tree, the state had to send in some department authorized to remove those trees. My dad warned my brother and I who had a habit of building treehouses to not touch certain trees because the state had a $75,000 to $100,000 fine for damaging or removing said trees. Before touching a mature tree, make sure you have permission IN WRITING from everyone with authority over such trees. Back when I was told the fine was the early 1980s and a NEW house was worth $50,000, so you can see how much that fine was in comparison to the price of a new house. Don't risk it, have an arborist who knows the laws come inspect the trees before paying them to touch the trees!
Hell some states will find you if you're caught picking/damaging flowers. If I remember right Colorado used to level a fine of $3,000 if you destroyed/picked a wild columbine flower. And given where I lived as a kid you could occasionally find entire fields of them I'd hate to be the idiot that bought a nice plot of land thinking it would be a good spot for a house only to find out I wasn't allowed to build in the field.
I count myself fortunate to be living in a condo community with a very *nice* HOA: very laissez faire, very cheap, yet providing all the community services such as lawn care and street/sidewalk maintenance during the winter. And the board is made up of nice people!
... until one day a Karen walks in 😅 You should make sure the HOA bylaws make it easy to remove Karens from the administration. There are stories about Karens that pour warnings and fines to the entire neighborhood to invalidate their rights of vote to remove her.
When your first get approached by an HOA, contact a lawyer and have them send them a Cease & Desist letter. After that record every contact, save ever note or letter and use it to sue them for harassment. A HOA run by smart people will respect the C&D letter, other HOA's will end up paying you.
Story 2: Honestly, with an attitude like that, the entire neighborhood would've suffered badly if the HOA did successfully expand. Like, it kinda checks off the boxes of a stereotypical power & money hungry group of boomers.
Viewing from afar (UK) I just can't understand why the freedom-loving people of the USA allow these HOAs to even exist. Why would anyone in their right mind tolerate an organisation which tries to to tell you what you can and can't do with your own property?
Originally, they wanted the freedom to keep "undesirables" out of their neighborhoods after the abolishment of segregation and the implementation of anti-discrimination laws. Some of the original HOAs actually had stuff in their bylaws like "no houses in this neighborhood may be Bought by, Sold to, or Occupied by persons of [Insert Race]" This shit was enforced all the way up until The Fair Housing Act of 1968. Now the HOA comes built into the neighborhood by the developer and if you want to buy a house there you have to follow the developer's rules until/unless they release the HOA to the residents.
Imagine being so power crazed that you don’t find joy in anything else in life as long as someone dares to defy you. Imagine throwing away your whole life until you stress yourself to death with it - over nothing!! I cannot for the life of me understand people like that and clearly her family are all just as awful so seems like they’re all a drain on society :-(
Moral of the story here: Don't buy a house within an HOA neighborhood AND don't buy a house that's built anywhere near an HOA neighborhood. And if I'm gonna be honest--What's EVEN the point of a neighborhood even having a Home Owner Association to begin with anyway?
From the stories about bad HOA, it seems all stemmed from the difficulty level to replace bad administrations. The Karens were typically a long time HOA admins, and everybody in the neighborhood seemed to be cowered by her. If Karens were easy to topple, she couldn't intimidated the neighborhood. She wouldn't dare. So for me, the rule #1 if you ever have to decide to buy a house inside HOA, is to look at their bylaw, especially the difficulty level to replace the administration. It's preferable for them to have term limits.
How do you do that? An HOA can appear easily after you bought the land. You can't prevent your neighbors from forming one. Sucky neighbors are sucky neighbors, HOA or not ...
Honestly I’d literally would rather live in prison than an HOA but there’s little to no difference between the two. And not some HOA presidents all HOA presidents think they can do whatever they want and they think that their word is equivalent to law. Never live in an HOA unless you like paying dues, being told what to do on your property, and not being able to express yourself.
Tree law can be brutal there was a story where a guy lost his house because he cut down protected baby redwood trees and owed the owner millions of dollars
If I was buying a house the first thing I would ask the realtor if the house falls under a HOA. Even if it’s a beautiful house or way under market value I would just say sorry I don’t want the house. 😡😡
I'm so glad my HOA isn't too bad. I've never gotten a fine or complaint from anyone. There is some drama on the Facebook group, but I mostly ignore it. My neighbors are great about returning packages that were misdelivered. It happens a lot in this area and everyone is good about returning them to the right address. Basically everyone is older than me here, but pretty friendly. Some are grumpy, but I brush it off.
Karen vs HOA trees story: And here she thought she knew the HOA bylaws so well. Glad they bit her. Not to mention it's only feasible to transplant new trees of a given size and smaller. And those trees will need care to ensure they survive. OP vs HOA story: If there were literally no common areas for an HOA to maintain (street, park, pool, gazebo, etc.), why the heck would anybody even join in the first place and pay any kind of dues? Somebody must have been either a good salesperson or blackmailer.
Because they want everything in order in their perfect neighborhood- "Alles in ordnung." These people should move to Germany, where the whole country is basically one giant HOA. Then again, Germany seems to be the only country that can balance both a market economy and social welfare, so. . .
@@MarkStockman-b4j What perfect neighborhood? Half the homes are older, one is a converted school building, numerous "rusty" fences and literally no common areas for the dues being paid to maintain, including the street itself as it's owned and maintained by the county. All those dues are doing are "enriching" the board members.
How stupid can you be?! First, the HOA cannot put a lien on a home. Only the bank that holds the mortgage can do that! Second, unless the tree is protected by the LAW, there is nothing the HOA can legally do about her cutting a tree on her own property! The home owner was NOT the Karen, stupid! HOA bylaws are ALWAYS trumped by actual law and from what I heard in that story there was no law against cutting limbs off a tree. In other words, shut the fuck up!
Don't threaten to call the cops, call the cops. "Hello police, there is a crazy woman purposely blocking my driveway with a large transit van and says she owns the street and that I have to pay her to be allowed to leave my property".
Story 2 - what an amazing story. 😂 Thanks to both OP and yourself for sharing this. I was gripped by the tale front start to finish. Absolutely wild behaviour. 😂 Edit - after listening to this a second time (cause that’s how good it is😂) I think if I had been OP at that HOA board meeting, listening to the other members blame it all on El presidente Karen. While calling them out for their bs, I would have suggested/implied that the cameras visible on my property were simply the latest I’ve had installed. That I had other cameras that i installed prior to moving in. Just to see them all squirm.
Yeah but she was a hustler, someone making money off that home. She really wasn't a resident, just an owner. She had no care for the neighborhood. Just someone who probably tell you they will fix everything but make you fix it for discounted rent
I won’t lie the whole rule that every house has to look identical and what not in the first story, does sound a bit silly, but Karen should’ve gone through with the council to get tree cut down instead of just going through with her plans.
Nope. The HOA has NO POWER over your private property. Only state law does and even then only under VERY specific circumstances. In other words, the HOA has no right to impose their will on her trees.
When it comes to the last story. I am not defending the family of the HOA in any way shape or form HOWEVER i do understand where they were coming from. It's understandable that they were coming from a place of anger and all and wanted to take that anger out on whom they saw that caused it not realizing that it was her who cause it. Yes what everyone except OP did was wrong. But to be that oblivious ignorant to their own wrong doings. They caused their own bad issues.
That HOA president quite literally Karened herself to death. That... just might be a new record for peak entitlement I've seen in a reddit story. I've heard of some mean parents or in laws, but I don't think I've ever heard of someone getting so angrily entitled that they gave themselves a heart attack before.
When you're dealing with a crappy butt-hole HOA (or neighbors), cameras are a requirement, not an option. You should be discrete about the cameras. That way the butt-holes would keep up their actions and do something really illegal. And you have a super weapon for the court. Also record every conversation, that blocking the driveway recording would put that woman in jail alone.
She DID NOT DO ANYTHING WRONG here, you stupid idiot! The HOA was making unreasonable rules that went WAAAAAAAY outside the law. You can't tell someone to not cut down or trim a tree on their own property. The HOA also has no right to place a lien on privately own property. Only a bank can do that and only when you have a mortgage.
Not all states have tree laws, you moron. In THAT story it was JUST HOA overreach. It had nothing to do with tree law. The "Karen" did nothing wrong. The HOA were the real Karens here!
@@protoborgI don’t have time to research every state, but regulations about trees extend all the way back to English common law, and they are in that regard considered a part of the real estate on which they grow. Damaging your neighbors tree (aside from specific exceptions like trimming back branches growing onto your property) would be akin to taking a sledgehammer to the exterior wall of their house. When the purchase of a property includes restrictions in what you can do to a tree on that property, which this lady was fully informed about when purchasing the house, then you just don’t violate that or else you face the consequences. This isn’t an HOA overstepping, this is a small group of like-minded homeowners who decided when they built their houses that they wanted a certain aesthetic to have legally binding requirements for themselves and future owners. It’s clear cut contract law, and the lady has no right to complain because she willingly entered into that contract on purchase. Don’t like it? Easy, don’t buy the house.
Quick question: Who prefers being told what to do, about over 100 things, in your own home? Maybe my mental preset is stuck on the 'you're not the boss of me' level of childhood or the over 21 adult who doesn't live with a parent anymore, so I answer to myself level. Part of it is definitely that I severely don't want to pay the same amount of rent/mortgage payment to someone to boss me around and cause me headaches just for living... I could be totally wrong. But then again.
![เปิด อาณาจักร หมื่นล้าน "สาระตั้ม" l [Nickynachat]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3XE0nPF4YkQ/mqdefault.jpg)
HOA: This neighbourhood will go to hell in a handbasket without an HOA!
Neighbourhood: *lives happily ever after once HOA is gone*
And nothing of value was lost
HOA: we will shun you!
OP: Don’t threaten me with a good time.
HOA: We will shun you!
OP: When are you going to start? Because now would be great.
What's the down side?
Is that bad? 😏
NEVER threaten to sue. Just sue. NEVER threaten to call the police. Just call them.
No. Threaten, so you got a paper trail. Gather more evidence. Than sue :D
@@Silver_wind_1987_ Threatening only tips your hand. If you don't have evidence already, you have no business suing. They should be only aware you're going to sue when they are handed the complaint by the process server.
@@pleappleappleap I'm being sarcastic if my smiley face didn't show that...
@@Silver_wind_1987_ Ah, yes. Sorry, I missed it.
And my decision to NEVER join an HOA is reaffirmed. Seriously, why join an organization where people demand control over properties they don't pay for?
@@chrisp.kernel9155 rhetorical. But I honestly see no reason to bend to the wants of people who don't live on, or pay for a property either.
as TFE has said in a few of his vids an HOA is communism lite.
The internet is so full of HOA horror stories. I would never willingly join one. I agree that no one else should ever be able to dictate what my house looks from the street like or whether or not it is the right color or telling me I am not allowed to park in my own driveway. I think many HOA's are horrible entities, and there should be legal recourse for the ones who go too far. There should NEVER be ANY rules beyond paying for combined expenses, such as yard maintenance, street maintenance (if it is a private street) and so forth. There should never be any rules requiring houses to be uniform in color, only certain mailboxes, parking on my own property, garbage cans in specific places and behind specific areas, not allowing sidewalk chalk, or trampolines, or swimming pools, or bicycles in the front yards, tree swings, tree houses, play houses, sand boxes...the list is endless for all of the ridiculous rules that are literally forced upon residents. Let people live their lives in peace!
@@DekrosnaArcana The Fat Electrican? Didn't expect to see another fan here.
@@chrisp.kernel9155 congratulations, you're in the minority
The way the hoa blamed op for destroying the hoa while completely ignoring that they were overreaching their authority and committing fraud
Every story I’ve heard of hoa sounds like power tripping idiots getting their rocks off by abusing the authority they have 😂
Well, yeah, if an HOA is reasonable and boring it doesn't get stories told about it lol
Well said!😂
Not just HOAs. Village boards, Town boards, School boards, condo associations- every one likely to be run by "tin plated dictators with delusions of godhood." And people actually vote for these people, then are too apathetic to vote them out again.
You got it!
Story 2: oh no a cult of idiots are going to shun him how horrible 🙄
Also funny how they claimed that the community would fail without a HOA but everyone basically told them they were the ones dragging it down. Smh
😂 If it's not broke get an HOA
It hasn't occurred to them that it's not the grave threat they think it is.
A simple cease and desist letter would/should have prevented all but the original visit from the HOA cult.
That HOA present definitely had a Napoleon complex, she tried to expand the HOA by coecing homeowners outside the HOA to join it, and in true Napoleon fashion throws a hissy fit when it does go her way, and then dies
A HOA just sounds like a whole neighbourhood of Karens.
I've never lived in an HOA, but reading these stories there are 4 types of people on HOA boards: (in no specific order)
1: Lunatics.
2: Public service minded normal people.
3: Criminals.
4: Power hungry Narcissists.
Perhaps there are other types, perhaps sociologists should research the question.
Granddad totally called it when he taught me "Give some people an inch, and they think they're a ruler."
My country doesn't have American style HOA, but we have government sanctioned HOA for every neighborhood. Our HOAs have very limited power. They have no power to put lien on somebody's property.
And the government put term limit to HOA administration, so they can be replaced by default, no matter what their tricks to remain in power. It removes Karens ability to terrorize the neighborhood.
HOA's don't exist where I live. So for me it's a really strange culture.
And the ONLY type I would actually want on an HOA are the second type of people. All other types should not be allowed.
False tetra-chotomy.
If I paid for my house, either by cash or mortgage, pay the insurance and taxes, maintenance and upkeep - I'd be dammed if I'd let someone tell me what color to paint my front door or allow someone to "inspect" my home or garage. Why any sane homeowner would allow this is beyond me.
Because people forge their own chains. People sacrifice their freedom to do what they please on their own property in return for tidiness and order. And trading your freedom for anything is never worth the price.
They don't. Most of the time, the problem arose because the property was in the HOA long before a new guy buy it.
There should be a law to limit the HOA membership to the owner, not to the property. So, if the previous owner sell the property, the HOA rights/obligation to manage the property is annulled and has to be reapplied by the new owner.
@@gorilladisco9108 That is an excellent idea.
This mentality will be considered entitlement when you're in a HOA that had been long established or in a very private village with very strict rules...
I had lived in a private village with an hoa when i was a teen, living with my aunt who took care of us 3 siblings while our mother work abroad. It was a nice hos and have strict rules, though could be bended depending on understable and acceptable event or excuse. Houses lines up on same color per street, which is one of the theme and very strict rule in that village...
The idea and purpose of HOA is good, it's the people that runs it that can be crappy. But as the saying goes, the only truimp of evil is for good to do nothing...
Not to mention, not because you bought or paid the land and house, means you can do whatever you want, there's always rules and restrictions depending on the area. You follow rules, or not live in that area, it's that simple. Or you can try to have a revolution or something like it...
@@gorilladisco9108are you saying because you bought an island in Hawaii, you must have the right to choose if you wanna stay in the same nation or declare your island a sovereign state, free from all rules?
No, first thing you should do is learn if there's an hoa in the area and try to so some research how the hoa works, then decide if you wanna be part of that community and buy that land or rent in that area...
The HOA has a good idea and purpose. It's the people that runs it that could be toxic or corrupt...
Or maybe you can also try considering if yourself is the AH, because people of the hoa had been okay with their rules and regulations, or they would had elected the officers out or had done something about it...
This is just like trying to migrate or live on a different country or area with rules that are uncomfortable to you, but it's been a long standing rules that preserves peace and order in that place...
I was on the board of a voluntary HOA. We had a community pool and only those who were in the HOA could use. Liability insurance got so high that we had to close the HOA down, demolish the pool and Build three houses on the land. Those who are part of the HOA got distributed funds for the sale of the land. We never find anyone for anything. We just had a good time in the summer in the pool.
Something is very messed up with all those HOA laws and regulations... those people on the boards should never have this much power to begin with.
It makes more sense if you're a homeowner and not a renter, I think.
If you're paying $2k/m and planning on moving out of your house eventually, they're annoying people making it so that you can't have any fun.
If you own your house and planning on selling it, their rules could mean the difference between your house selling for $1 million, or $3 million.
@@ashblossomandjoyoussprung.9917 Actually, last time I checked, homes not in HOAs were selling higher than comparable homes in HOAs.
From the stories about bad HOA, it seems all stemmed from the difficulty to replace bad administrations. The Karens were typically a long time HOA admins, and everybody in the neighborhood seemed to be cowered by her. If Karens were easy to topple, she couldn't/wouldn't intimidated the neighborhood.
So for me, the rule #1 if you ever have to decide to buy a house inside HOA, is to look at the difficulty to replace the administration, preferably for them to have term limits.
Well, unfortunately, it is an agreement between a private individual and a private organization. The law cannot stop a person from voluntarily waiving their rights and freedoms.
Story 2: so the land was not maintained at all prior to OP buying it, but the HOA still claimed jurisdiction over it. Yeah, that's entitlement. OH FINALLY SOMEONE PULLS OUT A FIREARM HAHAHA I don't usually condone gun use in the slightest but a lot of these stories I keep thinking "I bet things would be different if they had a double barrel".
😄
PSA: Always have security cameras if you have an HOA or Karen anywhere in the area. Always immediately call police if crimes are committed against you or your property.
Story 2: Every time they sent those "fines" through the USPS they committed felony Mail Fraud. Up to 20 years in prison & $250,000 fine for EACH one. Call the Postal Inspector.
The "land-locking" is called Unlawful Restraint. Add in the "sign up and your HOA problems go away" and you get felony Extortion and/or Blackmail. Call the District Attorney.
I would rather live next to an all pink house then have an HOA in my neighborhood
Well, according to some HOA stories I've heard you you actually can live next to a all pink house AND in an HOA
Living next to an all pink house wouldn't be that bad. It's their house, why should I care what color it is?
Our old neighborhood did not have an HOA and we had a half purple/yellow, half blue/white house the next street over. I laughed every time I looked at it. 😮
I could never live in an HOA because I would BE the neighbor painting my house pink with bizarre lawn decorations. 😂
John Mellencamp little pink houses for you and me
15:03 ... it is a crime to stop someone from calling the police. It's a form of harassment and courts/juries do not take lightly when someone is hit with a "blocking someone from calling law enforcement". Sounds like this Karen just wants charges to pile up, or believes laws don't apply to her because of the all mighty HOA.
Story 2: “It’s just a 22”, yeah I still don’t want to be on the receiving end😳
Shunned? That’s a new one!😹
I understand the idea of a HOA it can be great in terms of keeping an area nice and having other services available for you. However, over the long run I find those extra services to be a loss in terms of what you can do with your property and how often they push on others. I will personally never join one.
From the stories about bad HOA, it seems all stemmed from the difficulty to replace bad administrations. The Karens were typically a long time HOA admins, and everybody in the neighborhood seemed to be cowered by her. If Karens were easy to topple, she couldn't/wouldn't intimidated the neighborhood.
So for me, the rule #1 if you ever have to decide to buy a house inside HOA, is to look at the difficulty to replace the administration, preferably for them to have term limits.
Our subdivision was built in 1974. Ours is one of the fist houses built. They have a community building, a pool, a park, and a volunteer fire department station. You had to join if you bought a house, which we did in 1997. They keep the streetlights on, the median mowed and trimmed on our street (we're on the through street) and they don't bother us for much out of the $125.00 a year for the maintenance. The only time I've gone to the board meeting was when we were going to repaint the outside and they approved it with no problem, they were actually surprised I went to ask. Other than that, I've never even met the HOA people and they don't bother us. Of course, we're near retirement age, my husband's only working to pay off the house and he's done. So there ARE good HOAs but you gotta know where to buy and find out how things run before you buy.
From the stories about bad HOA, it seems all stemmed from the difficulty to replace bad administrations. The Karens were typically a long time HOA admins, and everybody in the neighborhood seemed to be cowered by her. If Karens were easy to topple, she couldn't intimidated the neighborhood. She wouldn't dare.
So for me, the rule #1 if you ever have to decide to buy a house inside HOA, is to look at their bylaw, especially the difficulty level to replace the administration. It's preferable for them to have term limits.
As the saying goes, power corrupts and absolute power corrupt absolutely.
HOAs are supposed to maintain and raise property values, but I would never even consider living in one. Honestly who wants to live in a neighborhood where somebody busybody karens can tell you what to do and how to live and have the power to fine you if you don't comply.
The plot twist of the HOA Prez's fate straight up made my jaw drop for reeeaaalllzzzzz! Holy googly eyes, cookie monster! 👀
Yeah I was not expecting that at all 😲
We had to submit a request to the HOA to cut down a large cypress tree in our backyard when we moved here. it was gorgeous but was too close to our house. We had to have people come out and inspect it and we did get to cut it to avoid any issues with roots interfering with plumbing and our homes foundation. It was sad to see it go but my dad built some really nice things from the wood.
You didn't HAVE to request anything from the HOA as the law supersedes HOA regulations.
That old woman in the final story has NEVER been told no and it shows
She's gone down the garbage chute into the Inferno where she gets to enjoy a rather different set of friends.
My sister visited the US and stayed with friends. She went for a walk round the neighbourhood and said it was so boring, because every house looked the same and the plants were so perfect she actually felt the leaves because she thought they had to be artificial. They must have had an HOA. She didn't know to ask because back then we had never heard of such a thing.
First question I asked before I looked at the property I'm in now... "Is there any form of an HOA?"
And this is why HOAs shouldn't exist. I will never join one if at all possible
I would live in my minivan before I'd live in an HOA. I own my three acre property, we have no HOA here. We all are older folks, mostly retired and on limited incomes. One idiot tried to start an HOA. We all let her know that crap will NOT fly! 😡
First story breaks my heart, im not considered a "Tree Hugger" but trees mean alot to my family and cutting down old trees hurts my heart
HOA's are the worst. I unfortunately live in one. One time we got a warning letter that we had to chop down a dying tree in our front yard. (There was no tree law in this) My mom was going to call some friends over to help do so but then I remembered watching something from a TV show and I told my mom to get approval to do it first. She looked at me in confusion and asked why she needed to get approval if she was warned to do so. I just told her to get approval first, and she agreed. I"m glad I warned her because apparently despite getting the warning we had to get approval to chop the tree down first. So I managed to help my mom avoid getting a fine.
Story 2 - This is why I OWN my own house. Getting fined for having a car that’s the wrong color?! Are you kidding me?!
In HOAs even if you own your own house they can still do all these things to you. That's why never get a house in an HOA area.
@@SoManyRandomRamblingsthis is why I moved out to where nobody wants anything to do with any of that nonsense.
@@autisticwitch7581 nowadays you have to move way out, I am not sure how other places are...but in the state that I am moving away from builders are buying up entire tracts of land, subdividing it and every house built there is automatically in their HOA. I am moving from this state because my realtor found it near impossible to find land to build a home that wasn't already bought by some group that wouldn't let you be exempt from the HOA.
From the stories about bad HOA, it seems all stemmed from the difficulty to replace bad administrations. The Karens were typically a long time HOA admins, and everybody in the neighborhood seemed to be cowered by her. If Karens were easy to topple, she couldn't intimidated the neighborhood. She wouldn't dare.
So for me, the rule #1 if you ever have to decide to buy a house inside HOA, is to look at their bylaw, especially the difficulty level to replace the administration. It's preferable for them to have term limits.
That is an example of an HOA with too much power. They should face criminal charges
That HOA manchild-of-a-president sounds like a cartoon villain.
Story 1. Surprised that the Karen went against the HOA rules. They are usually the enforcers of the ridiculous.
I guess I’ve always worn my rose-colored glasses when it comes to home ownership. I used to envision home ownership as a kind of freedom and a way to build equity. I never thought it was possible to be subjected to more rules than a renter. Also, the possibility of being subjected to someone placing a lien on MY property because my trash cans weren’t in the right place. Really? No thanks.
so she died after a baby tantrum provoked a heart attack ?
such way to go
1st one: play stupid games and win stupid prizes.
And lose tens of thousands of dollars in the process 😂😂😂
🤦🤔🤔🤦
*I say it all of the time!*
*Why in hell ANYONE would ever PURPOSELY pay big money for a home IN an HOA, for people to tell you what you can and can't do to your own home, is absolutely 🤯 to me!*
*I just don't get it!*
Some states have very strict rules on old (mature) trees. In a neighborhood I once lived, not an HOA, we still had to abide by state laws to not harm the trees and even if they were damaged or diseased we could not take action on the tree, the state had to send in some department authorized to remove those trees.
My dad warned my brother and I who had a habit of building treehouses to not touch certain trees because the state had a $75,000 to $100,000 fine for damaging or removing said trees.
Before touching a mature tree, make sure you have permission IN WRITING from everyone with authority over such trees. Back when I was told the fine was the early 1980s and a NEW house was worth $50,000, so you can see how much that fine was in comparison to the price of a new house. Don't risk it, have an arborist who knows the laws come inspect the trees before paying them to touch the trees!
Hell some states will find you if you're caught picking/damaging flowers. If I remember right Colorado used to level a fine of $3,000 if you destroyed/picked a wild columbine flower. And given where I lived as a kid you could occasionally find entire fields of them I'd hate to be the idiot that bought a nice plot of land thinking it would be a good spot for a house only to find out I wasn't allowed to build in the field.
@@FirstIsa Yes! My city in Northern Nevada imposed a $5,000 fine for picking flowers in designated parks.
@DarkFluff maybe you should tell us about some of YOUR hoa stories.. Personal side of the Narrator.
That would ROCK
I count myself fortunate to be living in a condo community with a very *nice* HOA: very laissez faire, very cheap, yet providing all the community services such as lawn care and street/sidewalk maintenance during the winter. And the board is made up of nice people!
... until one day a Karen walks in 😅
You should make sure the HOA bylaws make it easy to remove Karens from the administration. There are stories about Karens that pour warnings and fines to the entire neighborhood to invalidate their rights of vote to remove her.
When your first get approached by an HOA, contact a lawyer and have them send them a Cease & Desist letter. After that record every contact, save ever note or letter and use it to sue them for harassment. A HOA run by smart people will respect the C&D letter, other HOA's will end up paying you.
Story 2: Honestly, with an attitude like that, the entire neighborhood would've suffered badly if the HOA did successfully expand. Like, it kinda checks off the boxes of a stereotypical power & money hungry group of boomers.
Ageist much? 🤨
Sounds like that entitled old B was a Boomer.
HOAs sound like roving gangs shaking people down 😂
It's the old "protection racket", Al Capone would be proud of them. 😮
They literally are in places like South Africa.
@@lancerevell5979 As well as every _yakuza_ in Japan.
Viewing from afar (UK) I just can't understand why the freedom-loving people of the USA allow these HOAs to even exist. Why would anyone in their right mind tolerate an organisation which tries to to tell you what you can and can't do with your own property?
Originally, they wanted the freedom to keep "undesirables" out of their neighborhoods after the abolishment of segregation and the implementation of anti-discrimination laws. Some of the original HOAs actually had stuff in their bylaws like "no houses in this neighborhood may be Bought by, Sold to, or Occupied by persons of [Insert Race]"
This shit was enforced all the way up until The Fair Housing Act of 1968.
Now the HOA comes built into the neighborhood by the developer and if you want to buy a house there you have to follow the developer's rules until/unless they release the HOA to the residents.
Story 2, they are begging him to join, while harassing him, that's not how it works 🤦♂️
Story 2: Clearly harassment. Should have reported it to the police and filed for a Restraining Order.
..."The Neighborhood was going to hell without an HOA" - It was already in Hell. It will take it some time to work its way out through purgatory.
The board were cultists of 🤡 Mammon.
That second story crosses into nuclear revenge a bit. I love it.
Story 2: I would have gotten a lawyer a lot sooner than that. Bully's like that don't stop till someone makes them stop.
I'd heard that last story before, but without the update. What an interesting end to that tale.
Imagine being so power crazed that you don’t find joy in anything else in life as long as someone dares to defy you. Imagine throwing away your whole life until you stress yourself to death with it - over nothing!! I cannot for the life of me understand people like that and clearly her family are all just as awful so seems like they’re all a drain on society :-(
Was that HOA lady 33 or 3 years old? That pouting sounds like something a 3 year old would do.
My answer: yes-33 in body 3 or fewer in mind.
Moral of the story here: Don't buy a house within an HOA neighborhood AND don't buy a house that's built anywhere near an HOA neighborhood.
And if I'm gonna be honest--What's EVEN the point of a neighborhood even having a Home Owner Association to begin with anyway?
From the stories about bad HOA, it seems all stemmed from the difficulty level to replace bad administrations. The Karens were typically a long time HOA admins, and everybody in the neighborhood seemed to be cowered by her. If Karens were easy to topple, she couldn't intimidated the neighborhood. She wouldn't dare.
So for me, the rule #1 if you ever have to decide to buy a house inside HOA, is to look at their bylaw, especially the difficulty level to replace the administration. It's preferable for them to have term limits.
How do you do that? An HOA can appear easily after you bought the land. You can't prevent your neighbors from forming one.
Sucky neighbors are sucky neighbors, HOA or not ...
TREELAW!
TREELAW!
TREELAW!
I was looking for this! Hahaha
TREE LAW!, TREE LAW!, TREE LAW!
It is funny, a HoA member calling a Karen a Karen, not realizing the HoA itself is a huge Karen
Story2: so harassment, illegal blocking, attempted assault, and extortion.
The moral of the story is never buy a house in a HOA.
I'm glad we don't have those here
This is the first time I head about a Karen being the victim of a HOA.
Those HOA are crazy. I'm happy it doesn't exist in my country. How to cut the grass, the trees, what flowers to plant, where to park your car.
Honestly I’d literally would rather live in prison than an HOA but there’s little to no difference between the two. And not some HOA presidents all HOA presidents think they can do whatever they want and they think that their word is equivalent to law. Never live in an HOA unless you like paying dues, being told what to do on your property, and not being able to express yourself.
The ending of the 2nd story was poetic justice.
19:31 Ding dong, the witch is dead!
Tree law can be brutal there was a story where a guy lost his house because he cut down protected baby redwood trees and owed the owner millions of dollars
That is NOT tree law. That is damaging SOMEONE ELSE'S tree.
If I was buying a house the first thing I would ask the realtor if the house falls under a HOA. Even if it’s a beautiful house or way under market value I would just say sorry I don’t want the house. 😡😡
I'm so glad my HOA isn't too bad. I've never gotten a fine or complaint from anyone. There is some drama on the Facebook group, but I mostly ignore it. My neighbors are great about returning packages that were misdelivered. It happens a lot in this area and everyone is good about returning them to the right address. Basically everyone is older than me here, but pretty friendly. Some are grumpy, but I brush it off.
Nothing like pitching the idea of joining a HOA while simultaneously telling the person all the things the HOA would fine them for. 😂
HOAs and Karens go together like peanut butter and jelly.
Karen vs HOA trees story: And here she thought she knew the HOA bylaws so well. Glad they bit her. Not to mention it's only feasible to transplant new trees of a given size and smaller. And those trees will need care to ensure they survive.
OP vs HOA story: If there were literally no common areas for an HOA to maintain (street, park, pool, gazebo, etc.), why the heck would anybody even join in the first place and pay any kind of dues? Somebody must have been either a good salesperson or blackmailer.
Because they want everything in order in their perfect neighborhood- "Alles in ordnung." These people should move to Germany, where the whole country is basically one giant HOA. Then again, Germany seems to be the only country that can balance both a market economy and social welfare, so. . .
@@MarkStockman-b4j What perfect neighborhood? Half the homes are older, one is a converted school building, numerous "rusty" fences and literally no common areas for the dues being paid to maintain, including the street itself as it's owned and maintained by the county. All those dues are doing are "enriching" the board members.
How stupid can you be?! First, the HOA cannot put a lien on a home. Only the bank that holds the mortgage can do that! Second, unless the tree is protected by the LAW, there is nothing the HOA can legally do about her cutting a tree on her own property! The home owner was NOT the Karen, stupid! HOA bylaws are ALWAYS trumped by actual law and from what I heard in that story there was no law against cutting limbs off a tree. In other words, shut the fuck up!
That's one of the craziest hoa stories I've heard.
Story 2: Shunning? Pretty sure the HOA was JWs.
One of the worst sects of Christianity.
Don't threaten to call the cops, call the cops. "Hello police, there is a crazy woman purposely blocking my driveway with a large transit van and says she owns the street and that I have to pay her to be allowed to leave my property".
Story 2 - what an amazing story. 😂
Thanks to both OP and yourself for sharing this. I was gripped by the tale front start to finish. Absolutely wild behaviour. 😂
Edit - after listening to this a second time (cause that’s how good it is😂) I think if I had been OP at that HOA board meeting, listening to the other members blame it all on El presidente Karen.
While calling them out for their bs, I would have suggested/implied that the cameras visible on my property were simply the latest I’ve had installed. That I had other cameras that i installed prior to moving in.
Just to see them all squirm.
So, are we supposed to be on the HOA's side for story 1? That's never happened before. Karen was rude, but I hate HOA's.
Yeah, it's kinda hard to be team HOA in that story. Getting approval from and HOA about what you do to your property is the worst.
@@VanillaBean2023 And also not legal.
Yeah but she was a hustler, someone making money off that home. She really wasn't a resident, just an owner. She had no care for the neighborhood. Just someone who probably tell you they will fix everything but make you fix it for discounted rent
I won’t lie the whole rule that every house has to look identical and what not in the first story, does sound a bit silly, but Karen should’ve gone through with the council to get tree cut down instead of just going through with her plans.
Nope. The HOA has NO POWER over your private property. Only state law does and even then only under VERY specific circumstances. In other words, the HOA has no right to impose their will on her trees.
@@protoborg though it depends if you signed a contract with the real estate.
Karen: cuts down multiple trees
Tree laws: "I'm about to end this woman's whole career"
What tree law? That was HOA overreach!
@@protoborg look up r/TreeLaw, messing with trees you don't own is a quick way to financially ruin yourself
Is anyone surprised that HOA lady's kids were just like her....
Also, did anyone else immediately start quoting Come to Candy Mountain, Charlie? Shun the nonbeliever!!! Sssshhhhhuuuunnnnn! 🦄
Given what those unicorns turned out to really be....seems fitting for an HOA.
@@robertc.9503 Unicorns or Unicorses?
"Aaaaaaaaaaaand, why should I care?" -Unicorse 🔷🦄
I will never understand the weird need for likeliness people have to the point to make HOAs, its just, plain stupid for me 😅
When it comes to the last story. I am not defending the family of the HOA in any way shape or form HOWEVER i do understand where they were coming from. It's understandable that they were coming from a place of anger and all and wanted to take that anger out on whom they saw that caused it not realizing that it was her who cause it. Yes what everyone except OP did was wrong. But to be that oblivious ignorant to their own wrong doings. They caused their own bad issues.
That HOA president quite literally Karened herself to death. That... just might be a new record for peak entitlement I've seen in a reddit story. I've heard of some mean parents or in laws, but I don't think I've ever heard of someone getting so angrily entitled that they gave themselves a heart attack before.
HOAs want the dues and the money from the fines. The more people, the more money.
2nd story.
I would have just simply told them to get off my property because I won’t be calling the police. And then just smile at them.
When you're dealing with a crappy butt-hole HOA (or neighbors), cameras are a requirement, not an option. You should be discrete about the cameras. That way the butt-holes would keep up their actions and do something really illegal. And you have a super weapon for the court. Also record every conversation, that blocking the driveway recording would put that woman in jail alone.
Brilliant! Especially that last story
When they said that the HOA Zone Expansion was her hill to die on I didn't think it'd be quite so literal.
Story #2: 19:40 well.. Haha.. OP's problems just "dropped" I would say.. Karma.
Story 1: While I’m no HOA fan, she knew what she got into and she F’ed around and found out like our friend said
She DID NOT DO ANYTHING WRONG here, you stupid idiot! The HOA was making unreasonable rules that went WAAAAAAAY outside the law. You can't tell someone to not cut down or trim a tree on their own property. The HOA also has no right to place a lien on privately own property. Only a bank can do that and only when you have a mortgage.
Every HOA ever: Without us, this neighbourhood would be hell!
Me: Because of your existence, it already is hell.
Someone wanted the old woman in their HOA... Hell Occupants' Association.
How are HOAs even allowed in the supposed country of freedom still baffles me to this day.
Because Uncle Sam is not as free as some other countries, despite his denials of that fact.
>the tree would lower the values of the properties surrounding
Good, if stuff like this happened all the time maybe houses might become affordable
I would have sent a cease and desist to that HOA quite early on.
11:13 - Shunned? What are they, Amish?
Or JWs.
Top takeaway from this entire video: Someone lives in a former school building and maintains the gymnasium where neighbors come to play basketball.
I wonder if it's possible to report people trying to get you to join an HOA as trying to extort you into a protection racket?
Story 1: oof, at the cross streets of HoA and tree-law is a skyscraper named “expensive lesson”
Not all states have tree laws, you moron. In THAT story it was JUST HOA overreach. It had nothing to do with tree law. The "Karen" did nothing wrong. The HOA were the real Karens here!
@@protoborgI don’t have time to research every state, but regulations about trees extend all the way back to English common law, and they are in that regard considered a part of the real estate on which they grow. Damaging your neighbors tree (aside from specific exceptions like trimming back branches growing onto your property) would be akin to taking a sledgehammer to the exterior wall of their house.
When the purchase of a property includes restrictions in what you can do to a tree on that property, which this lady was fully informed about when purchasing the house, then you just don’t violate that or else you face the consequences.
This isn’t an HOA overstepping, this is a small group of like-minded homeowners who decided when they built their houses that they wanted a certain aesthetic to have legally binding requirements for themselves and future owners. It’s clear cut contract law, and the lady has no right to complain because she willingly entered into that contract on purchase. Don’t like it? Easy, don’t buy the house.
S1 That's more than 10k lol. Oh my. 20 year old trees, looking at 40-60k in damages
A fake fine is another name for a scam. Sue them for that.
Quick question: Who prefers being told what to do, about over 100 things, in your own home?
Maybe my mental preset is stuck on the 'you're not the boss of me' level of childhood or the over 21 adult who doesn't live with a parent anymore, so I answer to myself level. Part of it is definitely that I severely don't want to pay the same amount of rent/mortgage payment to someone to boss me around and cause me headaches just for living... I could be totally wrong. But then again.
Thank you for the upload, Dark Fluff. Was having a bad day and your stories almost always cheer me up.
The cost of replacing a mature tree? I'm thinking a lowball beginning price is 10K. I've seen it cost over 300 k! 😮🌲 🌴
The rest of the board put the HOA Karen down. They didn't like her leaving them in jeopardy.