HOA and Parking

Last week, I alluded to a new parking policy that was put into place by our homeowners association.  As of March 1st, we were required to have parking permits in order to park in our townhouse complex or else face the possibility that our car could be towed.  The reason that we were given for having to begin using the permits is that they were trying to reduce the number of people that were delinquent in paying the HOA dues.

We had a couple meetings scheduled last week so I took a day off and picked up our permits that morning.  The new parking permits are placards that hang from our rearview mirrors.  We were glad they were not stickers because my wife and I really do not like the idea of placing stickers or decals on our cars.  You will never see a bumper sticker on one of our cars. 

Since the new parking regulations went into effect last week, we have noticed a lot fewer cars parked in our parking lot.  Now, there are a whole lot more people parked on the main road near the street to enter the complex.  The problem with that is that the street is on a hill and a curve.  Now, when we are trying to leave the complex, we have a difficult time seeing whether or not there is any traffic approaching because of all the cars now parked on the main road.

It is hard to say exactly the reason for the number of cars now parking on the road instead of the lot.  It would be surprising to see that we would have that many people delinquent in paying the association dues.  When we first moved in, the dues were always due in April.  I always paid it after I got my tax refund.  The new management company now asks for the first payment by January 1st and the second in June.  I usually pay the whole thing in February.

The other possible reason for the increased number of cars parking on the street could be with the manor in which the parking permits were distributed.  The management company required that people pick up the permits at the HOA meeting the evening of Febuary 22nd or to come by the management office after that date.  They would not mail the permits.  The office is only open Monday-Friday from 8am-4pm.  Most people are working during those times so it would be difficult to pick up.

The number of cars parked in the parking lot really does not impact us in anyway.  Each house has two clearly marked assigned parking spaces.  So, the only way parking in the lot impacts us is if somebody is an inconsiderate ass and parks in our assigned space.  The increased number of people parking out on the road, however, is a concern due to the obstructed view of approaching traffic.

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Snow Parking Zone

Ever driver knows, or should know, what a "no parking zone" is, but how about a "snow parking zone?"  I was out the other night delivering pizzas when I found this sign in a parking space at townhouse complex in Crofton MD.

Generally speaking, I am not a fan of home owners associations.  They do little more than collect money and tell you what you can or cannot do with your personal property like how big a Christmas lights display you have or what color you are allowed to paint the shutters on your home.  This, however, is actually an idea that I like.

I live in a townhouse complex here in Bowie.  Each home has two assigned parking spaces.  We have a handful of unassigned visitors parking spaces.  This works out pretty well for all of us, unless somebody in the neighborhood has a large number of visitors.

One of the issues we have in our lot occurs whenever there is plowable snow.  There simply is no place for the plow drivers to pile up the snow.  The "snow parking zone" helps to alleviate the issue.  This particular complex has taken two visitors parking spaces and designated those spaces for the plow drivers to pile up the snow.   

I Still Hate Snow

Image via WikipediaWe had a fairly nasty snow storm blow through the DC area last night.  It was one of those heavy, wet snows that cause a lot of problems with trees breaking and power outages.  We were fairly lucky in our house as the lights flickered a couple times but they never went completely out.  My brother lost his power late yesterday, and it is still out nearly 24 hours later.

It was also one of those storms that cause a lot of havoc on the roadways.  They expected the snow to hit pretty heavy right around the evening rush hour.  Evening rush hours around here are pretty brutal anyway, but add snow and ice and it makes it that much worse.  The local television news programs last night and this morning were full of horror stories about last night's commute.

Once again, I was lucky.  Yesterday at about 2:30, my department head came around and asked everyone if we were packing up to call it a day.  It was about an hour or so before the weather was supposed to hit the area.  I left shortly thereafter and made it home by 4:00 as it started to sleet pretty heavily.  It was a wise move, as the news reported total gridlock on the roads.  There were reports this morning of people taking over 12 hours to get home.  Several people just left their cars on the roads and started walking.

I woke up this morning and called into our office information line.  It said that the office would be opening at 10:00 but liberal leave was in effect.  I got up and started the process of shoveling the sidewalk and digging out the cars.  Our HOA rules require that we shovel the entire walk in front of our homes, which I proceeded to begin.  Then I started working on digging out the cars, starting at the front of them since the snow plows piled several more inches of snow in front of my parking space.

While I was working on digging out the cars, I could hear somebody singing as they were shoveling the sidewalks.  As they got closer, I realized that it was a group of Latino men who worked for the landscape company that plows are complex.  I knew they were Latino, not because they worked for the landscape company, but because they were singing and yelling at each other in Spanish.  It was then that I realized that they were shoveling the sidewalks of our complex, not the walks from the door, but the walks in front of the houses.

This was the first time that I had ever seen the landscaping company shoveling the front walks of the houses.  They usually only do work in the common areas of the complex, and we are responsible for the areas in front of our townhouse.  I was a little perturbed because I had shoveled my walk, and the residents of the houses on each side of me didn't have to bother.  If I had of known they were going to do the shoveling, I could have saved my self an extra 30 minutes of shoveling and concentrated on getting the cars out.  Such is life. 

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Thoughts on My HOA & My Neighbors

Image via WikipediaI came home this morning after running some errands, and as I walked from my car to my home, it got me thinking about my homeowners association.  Now, I have said before that I really have no use for my HOA.  All they are really good for is collecting dues and sending nasty letters telling me all the things that they have determined need work on around the house.

The most recent series of letters came about two months ago.  One was telling me that my grass needed mowing, which I confess had gone too long without mowing.  I do not have a mower and have to use a weed trimmer.  The trimmer I had was electric and the motor burned rendering it useless.  I eventually was able to come up with enough spare cash to buy a new one.

Another letter was also lawn related.  My front yard is completely in shade, and we have a heckuva time trying to grow grass in it.  Every home in my strip of townhouses has the same issue.  Still, the HOA sent a letter saying that I needed to seed the bare spots in my front lawn.  The other issue in front of my house was one of my favorites; the sidewalk needed to be power washed.

Fortunately, I have a power washer.  I spent a few hours on Labor Day power washing the front walk.  It turned out pretty good if I do say so myself.  I spent the next day raking a bunch of debris from the front lawn and threw down a bag of grass seed that said it was a mix designed to grow in shady areas.  To my surprise, the seed has sprouted and my yard is actually looking somewhat green.  Here is hoping that unlike in years past that the grass comes back in the spring.

So, if I have completed the work that my HOA said needed to be done and it has turned out pretty good, why would I be thinking of my HOA?  Well, the other houses in my little strip all have the same issues that my home has; no grass, dirty walks, etc.  I have always assumed that they have all received the same letters that I receive.  According to the letters I received, the work was to be completed in early September.  None of my neighbors have done anything.

The letters state that if the work is not completed by a certain date that the HOA will take further action including possible fines.  My yard is green, while my neighbors' lawns are brown.  The sidewalk in front of my home is a couple shades lighter than those around me.  Even though I think my HOA is a major pain in the ass, I want to be a responsible home owner and neighbor.  However, given that none of my neighbors have done the same, it does make me wonder.  Either my neighbors are not getting the same notices that I am, or they are ignoring them.

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HOA From Hell #7

I have no love for homeowners associations.  Outside of a few legitimate roles such as caring for common areas, most of them have rules that our a little too restrictive for my taste.  Some of them have rules that are just extreme and unreasonable, like not being able to smoke (a legal activity) in your own home or what type of Christmas decorations you can have. 

Now there is the case of Kimberly Broffman of Clearwater, Florida and the Lakes Homeowners Association.  Kimberly is a six year old girl who came to live with her grandparents when she was an infant when her mother was injured in a home invasion.  It was supposed to be a temporary situation, but Kimberly's mother has run into more difficulties and the child has stayed with the grandparents.

The HOA wants the little girl evicted from the home because their rules state that the community is a retirement community and you must be 55 years old to live there.  The grandparents, Judie and Jimmy Stottler, have been trying to sell their home with no success.  Mrs. Stottler wrote to the association explaining that until they sell their home they could not afford to move and would become homeless.  She thanked them for their consideration and understanding, and the HOA responded with a court summons.

I understand a retirement community wanting to have rules regarding kids.  They can be a little loud.  However, in some cases compassion should be the rule.  You have a child in a loving, stable family relationship.  To force the family to either put the child in foster care or become homeless is beyond heartless.  

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HOA From Hell #6

Image via Wikipedia

It has been a little over four months since I have had the opportunity to rant about a homeowners association. To me, they serve little valuable purpose and some of their covenant restrictions are a bit too onerous for me. About the only thing mine is good for is keeping the "common areas" mowed and arranging for snow removal on the few instances we get measurable snow. Oh, and I almost forgot, collecting the HOA dues.

So the latest HOA that has earned my not so famous "HOA From Hell Award" is the Fairfax Parkside Homeowners Association of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. These lovely folks have made it a violation of their covenant for you to smoke in your own home. Are you fucking kidding me??!! Residents are also not allowed to smoke outside in "shared" areas such as porches and garages, though they can smoke in yards and patios. Isn't this taking the anti-smoking crusade a little too far? What surprises me is that this was Wisconsin and not California that passed this rule.

Personally, I am not a smoker. OK, I used to like to have an occasional cigar, but I would never have one around my wife or son or in the house. Actually, Mrs. Dickster once had mercy on me on a cold winter day and said I could have a stogie in the basement. That experiment lasted less than 5 minutes when she could smell the smoke two stories above me. These days, I do not like cigarette smoke, nor do I like being around cigarette smoke. I once walked out of a restaurant because a group started smoking two tables away, and the restaurant did not have a no smoking area.

As a Libertarian, I believe in the philosophy of John Locke who said that "no one ought to harm another in their life, health, liberty or possessions." What they do to themselves is of no concern to me. In the privacy of one's home, I believe you should be allowed to do whatever you want so long as it is legal. Hell, there are a few illegal activities that I don't have a problem with people doing in their own home. I think it is a bit ridiculous that a homeowners association can tell somebody they can not partake of a legal activity in their own home.

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HOA From Hell #5

Have I mentioned that I hate homeowners associations?  Mine has become a royal pain in the ass, or at least the "Trash Nazi" roaming our streets is one.

On February 10th, our new trash regulations went into effect.  Today we received a notice from the HOA saying that we were not in compliance with the new regulations because we were not using a "secured trash container."  The new rules stipulate that we must use a 20-50 gallon Rubbermaid style of trash with a lid.  We are also not allowed to have those containers on the "exterior" of the house, except on trash pickup days. 

We are using a 20 gallon Rubbermaid trash can.  We have a lid.  The problem is, that we usually have  three tall kitchen bags of trash to put out on pickup days in that trash can.  With two bags in the larger can, the bags end up being higher than the top of the can.  It is impossible to put the lid on the can at that point.  Even if we had a larger container, three bags would not allow us to put the lid on the can.

We live in a fairly small townhouse.  They want us to recycle, so we have a large recycling bin.  We have a 20 gallon trash can to store our trash in for pick up days.  There isn't room in our home for a larger trash can or multiple trash cans.  In today's economy, I definitely do not have an extra $70 or the space to buy a 50 gallon container.

Our old rules did not require the use of a trash cans.  Most of the residents (us included) would simply put the bags out by the curb.  Most of the time, there was no problem with animals getting into the trash, though it probably wasn't the best situation.  I have no problem using a can.  We still have a lot of people that are not using any kind of container.  I am using the type of container they say I need to use.  The only problem is that the lid won't fit on the can.  

HOA From Hell #4

We received a notice from our HOA yesterday with a list of changes to our "rules." The two new rule changes pertained to putting out our weekly trash and visitor parking in the complex. The visitor parking rule changes don't bother me, because they really don't pertain to us. The trash rule change is more of an annoyance than anything else.

Over the last month or so, we discovered that we had a "Trash Nazi" living among us. Most of the neighborhood put their garbage out to the curb on trash day in garbage bags. I would say 95% of the time it wasn't a problem. Unfortunately, on two occasions we had some huge scavenger birds tear up some of the bags and spread some trash around.  So our neighborhood "Trash Nazi" went around and posted pictures of the birds and trash on our doors telling everyone the type of trash bags they should use or the type of trash can to use.  So now our new rules tell us we need to have a trash can with a lid with our address on it. 

No big deal, just annoying.  At least these rules aren't as bad as this woman's story in Orlando, FL.  She was renting a house with her boyfriend of six years and her four kids.  The HOA has forced her to move out of her home because their association defines a family as a married couple.  The rule also allows the HOA to ban gays, singles, and roommates from living in the neighborhood.  They lived in the home for almost a year before somebody told the HOA that the couple was not married.  There was no mention of these rules in her rental lease.

She is now suing the HOA, and I hope she takes them to the cleaners.  Not only is this another example of the unwarranted power these HOA's try to exert on their neighborhoods, it is ILLEGAL.  It is clearly in violation of the Fair Housing Act which states: 

Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act), as amended, prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of dwellings, and in other housing-related transactions, based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status (including children under the age of 18 living with parents of legal custodians, pregnant women, and people securing custody of children under the age of 18), and handicap (disability).

HOA Bah Humbug!

As I have said before, I hate home owners associations. First, there was this HOA who told a homeowner what kind of car he could park in his driveway. Then there was this group who waited until the owner had nearly completed rebuilding his house (an airplane crashed into the house, killing his family) before telling him the house wasn't exactly like his previous house and he needed to start over.

Now, up the road from me, in Frederick, MD. the latest HOA from hell is the Worman's Mills HOA. They have informed three residents of the community that they need to remove their Christmas decorations from the outside of their homes. The HOA says that the decorations are in violation of the HOA contract. They say "The contract is intended to preserve the character of the community and the investment of the homeowners."

We are talking about temporary holiday decorations. These are not permanent structures that could deface or degrade property values. We are not talking about members of the community that have failed to keep up the appearance of their property.

Another HOA From Hell

Last month, I commented on this lovely HOA. This one, may beat it.

In July of 2007, Joe Woodard of Sanford, Florida lost his wife and son when a plane crashed into their house. He has been building a new home on the lot for the past year. He has almost completed construction on his new home.

Now, the HOA (House of Management Enterprises) steps in. Woodard has received a letter from the HOA because he is "breaking their rules." They want him to tear down his nearly completed home. Here is what they say is the problem. His shingles and the elevation of his new house do not match the rest of the neighborhood. His new house is also a few feet longer in the back than their standards allow.

Woodard does not want to build the exact same house he had before, which is what he say the HOA wants. I fully understand why he would not want to relive the memories by moving into the exact same house he had before his world was torn apart. House of Management Enterprise, have a heart.

HOA From Hell

I suppose that somewhere Home Owners Associations serve some sort of useful purpose, but for the life of me I haven't seen it yet. The one for my neighborhood hasn't done much for me except take my money and send the occasional letter out to the neighborhood reminding us when we are allowed to put our trash out for pick up and where to store those trash cans. Granted, you want to have some standards in your neighborhood. You don't want the houses around you to be in total disrepair or to be overgrown with weeds and unmowed grass. So I guess they do have some use.

However, in my mind this HOA has gone just a little too far. In this particular neighborhood, the HOA is actually telling the residents the type of vehicle they can park in their driveway. Jim Greenwood bought a new Ford F-150 pickup truck and parked it in his driveway. The Stonebriar HOA has sent him three notices and threatened him with fines because his truck violates HOA rules. The HOA would allow him to park a Honda Ridgeline, Cadillac Escalade, or a Lincoln Mark LT because they are fancier and don't look so much like a truck. Mr. Greenwood argued on appeal that his Ford was not much different than the Lincoln truck and was told that "It is our belief that Lincoln markets to a different class of people."

"A different class of people?" What's next? Be careful. Next thing you know you won't be able to serve Folgers Coffee, only Starbucks. God forbid that you want to eat a Hershey's chocolate bar. Only Godiva will do for the Stonebriar HOA. Standards are fine, but this borders on snobbery at best, discrimination at worst.