Depending on where you live, you might have to deal with a pedantic and often self-appointed group of busy-bodies that call themselves a home-owner’s association (HOA). Unlike the “regular” entitled folks that might bother someone on a normal day, the esteemed members of some HOA’s feel like they truly can regulate what people do in the privacy of their own property.
A netizen vented online about a very annoying and paranoid email their HOA sent them after some of his birthday guests arrived in black SUVs. We reached out to the man who shared the story via private message and will update the article when he gets back to us.
One has to be very paranoid and nosy to make complaints about the sorts of cars your neighbors guests drive
Image credits: Ihor Lypnytskyi / pexels (not the actual photo)
But a man encountered a HOA run by people who truly were concerned about the black SUVs parked on his property
Image credits: Moetheoneandonly
Some folks can’t help but be annoying neighbors and even create whole organizations to enforce their “vision”
It might not surprise anyone that the first HOA’s were established for less-than-nice reasons. In 1905, Pasadena resident Henry Huntington, a railroad magnate, founded the Arroyo Seco Improvement Association which more or less functioned as an institution devoted to ensuring that only white people could live in his neighborhood.
At the time, it was legal to form zoning restrictions on non-white and even non-Christian residents, unless they were domestic servants, which should give you a pretty good idea about what sort of people we are dealing with here. It was only forty three years later, in 1948, that the US ruled that these sorts of regulations were illegal (Shelley v. Kraemer) and outlawed the practice.
However, this had little to no impact on the various busy-bodies that inhabit suburbia who truly think they should be able to decide what other folks do on their properties. For those who live in countries without this “institution,” it’s actually a lot worse than it sounds. In many parts of the US, HOA membership is mandatory, and that includes the regular fees.
In legal terms, the documents establishing an HOA “run with the land,” which creates a situation where all current and future homeowners will have to be part of the association. One might ask, why does this thing exist in the 21st century anymore. In general, the idea is to help maintain property value by keeping the entire neighborhood “up to scratch.” After all, it’s generally understood that a home or piece of land doesn’t “sit in a vacuum” and has much of its value derived from what is around it.
Image credits: Katerina Katsalap / pexels (not the actual photo)
HOA can often literally tell homeowners what they can and can’t do
However, it’s pretty easy to see how a “board of directors” of a mandatory, semi-permanent institution is going to attract the worst kind of people. Perhaps it’s unfair to immediately judge so many people just for “engaging” with their neighborhood, but the existence of groups like the one this man posted to indicates that many residents feel the same way. There are times where it’s perhaps a good thing to have some body that can rule on disagreements, but the color and type of cars is just too far.
After all, if you have gone to the trouble of purchasing a home, you probably want to enjoy the privacy that brings. In many cases, homeowners have to contribute funds to a HOA. Imagine paying that is basically a monthly subscription for the “privilege” of living on the property you own and then seeing them literally harass you over the sort of cars your guests drive. Unfortunately, entitled neighbors are just a reality of life, but them having the supposed “power” of a HOA behind them is a lot worse.
In many places, HOA have strict guidelines on what sort of things homeowners can display, regulations for, say, the heights of fences and even the color homes can be. Unfortunately, these tend to not be based on anything more than the general preferences of the “board of directors.” One might be forgiven for thinking that the idea that some random neighbors can tell you not to paint your house however you want is downright ridiculous.
If this story did make you feel truly annoyed at this body of paranoid neighbor-watchers, the good news is that the man did later share that the HOA actually found his post. He gave his reply, which can be found further down in the article. Let it be a warning to those deeply entitled neighbors out there, literally thousands of internet users would suggest that you just mind your own business.
Image credits: selin yağcı / pexels (not the actual photo)
Some readers wanted more details
Others gave some suggestions for what he should reply with
Later, he shared another email sent by the HOA and his response
