For years I have read horror stories on the internet about homeowners associations.
It seems like everyone has an aggravating anecdote about dealing with one of these organizations.
I’ve heard about people getting fined $200 for leaving their garage door open for an entire afternoon while working on a car. I know it’s normal to get citations for having grass that is too high, but I think it’s excessive to get angry about an open garage unless the resident was doing it 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Other homeowner associations won’t let you have sheds or clothes lines in your backyard. It’s common to have restrictions on the color you paint your house and the type of fence you can put up, if any at all. Thankfully I live in a community with a great homeowner’s association that is focused on helping and assisting residents instead of just harassing and policing them over trivial grievances. The best part is having an association president that used to be a building contractor. He knows all of the best companies in town from electricians to HVAC companies. When I needed a new air conditioner, he helped me get a discount at a company owned by a former associate of his. I easily paid 30% less than the normal market value for that same air conditioner. It’s a relief being able to get a good deal on a good air conditioner from a quality heating and cooling company. This is proof that a homeowner’s association doesn’t have to be inherently corrupt to run efficiently, it just takes patient and thoughtful owners to run it and keep leadership out of the wrong hands. I have my HOA president to thank for my HVAC referral.