Homeowner was fined for sitting in his own car after curfew. He checked the records and found the HOA wasn’t even legal — so all 21 homeowners sued
The cranky old president had no choice but to retreat.
A newlywed's life took an unexpectedly disturbing turn as soon as they stepped into their new house. A man (u/GFTRGC) decided to purchase a home with the inheritance he received after his grandfather's death. However, his decision turned into a nightmare when, two weeks after moving in, a gentleman knocked on their door and introduced himself as the president of the community's Homeowners Association (HOA). Soon, he started patrolling the neighborhood like a police officer, looking for reasons to issue fines. In fact, the author said he was even fined for sitting in his own car outside his residence. Frustrated, he began investigating the HOA's legal status and found the board wasn’t even legal. The post shared on October 17, 2019, has 10,000 upvotes.
A surprise HOA fee
After his grandfather's death, the man bought a house with the help of his father-in-law, who had previously worked in real estate. After 90 days of renovation work, the couple finally moved into the house and were happy to start their new life. However, only two weeks later, a man who identified himself as the HOA president trespassed on their property. He demanded they sign the HOA rules and pay $90 as dues.
Confused, the homeowner contacted his in-laws to discuss. His father-in-law was angry, saying HOA rules should've been disclosed before the sale. However, eventually, the couple agreed to pay the fees. "We agreed that the $30/month fee wasn’t horrible, especially because they did provide a really nice playground for the neighborhood. So I agreed and signed the rules," he explained.
Recurring encroachment
A month later, the couple encounters the HOA president again while hosting an evening house party. They were lighting up a bonfire when there was a knock on the door and familiar yellow lights outside. It was the president again. He told them to stop the party inside because it was past curfew time. It was 10:05 pm, so the couple stopped the party inside. The next day, however, they received a letter from the HOA, accusing them of putting lives in danger with a bonfire and drinking. It left them confused because they never drank at the party. The pestering continued, from party to playing football on the street. Every time the couple heard the police siren and the blinking yellow lights, they were jolted into cognitive dissonance.
The last straw
One night, after returning from work, the author stayed in his car to take a phone call so as not to disturb his baby daughter’s sleep. The terrifying yellow lights flashed again, and the loud police siren clanged again as the president barged in to say that he “looked suspicious” talking on the phone like this. The president blamed him for being a troublemaker and even nudged his shoulder, pressing him to go inside. At the moment, he already had two fines of $180 each for the “offences.”
Frustrated, he started digging deeper into the HOA laws. He soon found two discrepancies that could help him get rid of the president's torturous treatment. According to the law, the HOA rules should have been served to residents within 45 days of purchase. Since the man and his wife didn’t move into the house until 90 days after purchase, they could file a violation against the HOA. The next discrepancy was the final blow. After the city lines split, the HOA failed to register and lost all its rights. This implied that the president was illegally collecting dues and fines from residents. With the help of 20 residents, he filed a lawsuit. The judge also imposed a $21,000 fine on the HOA, plus a $2,000 court fee. The cranky old president had no choice but to retreat.
Most people hate HOAs
According to a YouGov poll, 18% of Americans, including 27% of homeowners, currently reside in an area governed by an HOA. But most of them, precisely 61%, say they would prefer living in a neighborhood without an HOA. Nearly half (45%) of Americans believe HOAs hurt their lifestyle. Similarly, 32% bluntly disapproved of HOAs managing the neighborhood and 34% said they blatantly disliked or hated them.
'Get him for impersonating a police officer'
Meanwhile, Reddit readers chimed in to express a collective loathing of HOAs. For example, u/jcmeyer5 commented, “I wouldn’t have signed to begin with, but you made the best of a bad situation. I’d have ripped the stupid light off the car for waking my daughter too.” u/Abby-N0rma1 said, “You could probably get him for impersonating a police officer with that light and siren too.”
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