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Why would anybody subject themselves to such petty tyrants?


Also, I am not at all clear on the who going to jail thing.

Since when can an HOA jail anyone?




Purple peril: Homeowners group threatens family over swingset's color

Published August 14, 2015

| FoxNews.com



http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/08/1...up-threatens-family-over-swingset-color/

A Missouri mom said Friday her homeowners association is threatening her with jail all because her children’s backyard swing set was painted purple—more than two years ago.

Marla Stout says the homeowners association for the vast Raintree Lake subdivision in Lee’s Summit has complained to her that the color is not in harmony with other colors in the neighborhood. She’s been told if the treehouse/playset isn’t removed she or her husband could be fined or even jailed. The Stouts and the homeowners association have an Aug. 21 date with a judge over the dispute.

“In order for us to ever go to jail obviously we would have to be found to be wrong and we have to refuse to pay any fine,” Stout told Fox & Friends Friday morning.

She insisted they’ve done nothing wrong and have not broken any rules, nor have they refused to pay any fine. The HOA had obtained a fine but it was overturned when the Stouts appealed.

Stout said she offered to repaint the swing set gray but that was rejected.

"Apparently they don't like gray either," she said. “We got very frustrated. There’s somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 homes in our community. There’s all kinds of colors. There’s people with bright purple doors. There’s trees that are the color of this swing set.”

Her daughters, 8 and 5, wanted to paint the swing set the color of bubblegum. They agreed to purple when Stout said she didn’t want pink. The swingers were in the backyard for a year before the HOA notified them about the offending color.

More than a dozen neighbors have signed a petition in support of the purple playset and on Tuesday those neighbors gathered in support of the Stout family at a community meeting, Fox4KC reported the other day.

Stout told the station the HOA sent a letter saying she hadn’t gotten the playset property approved before putting it up and that the color needed pre-approval.

Another letter from the homeowner’s group said the lawsuit will cost the Stouts “far greater than any principal you are trying to prove.”

During a brief conversation with FoxNews.com Friday, a woman with the homeowner's group declined comment. "We can't talk about it because it is going to court Aug. 21," the woman said.







URL

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/08/1...up-threatens-family-over-swingset-color/

It is typical of a neighborhood where the houses are all within sight of another.

It is supposed to protect you and your investment from people who cannot police themselves. Cars on blocks in driveways, lawn that is 12" high, pink paint, all within sight of the neighbors.

Homeowners Associations forces people to practice common sense.

Doc

HOAs and all the covenants and rules that they entail are something that these people sat down at a desk and knowingly signed their name to and agreed to abide by.
Are there sometimes petty despots and azzholes in HOA boards? Absolutely. Do they sometime make what seems like unreasonable requests or orders? Yes. But at the end of the day, the homeowners are the ones that KNOWINGLY signed away a ton of their rights and agreed to live under those rules for a "greater good". Sound familiar?

John

^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^

We live in a sub, where everybody has several acres, and we don't feel inhibited or restricted in any way. All of the land/building use restrictions are simply common sense IMO.

The case cited above is ridiculous, I certainly agree.

NB

The wife and I are moving from an individual tract into a subdivision that has a HOA. Our covenants are common sense type things and pretty lax. Why some of these folks move into certain subdivisions that make you have to review/approve every little thing is beyond me. You get what you signed up for in those instances.

^ That right there is funny as schit ^


Mike

the groundhogs out my way got together and formed a HOA and started complaining about the fence around my garden. so i shot them all.

Huh?

I don't have a problem with HOA's. Sheep need someplace to live too.

So pus-sies can live in harmony snitching on each other in their pickethoods, think we have a couple hoa cops on this site.

This.

Though I fail to see why anyone wants to live where they can see a neighbor.

I hope to never have to live in any kind of subdivision ever again. Its about the worst place a person can live.

I've seen both sides of the deal.

I rented a duplex in one in California. After I gave the owner a deposit the HOA informed me I could not park a pickup in the driveway, no matter how nice it was. I came pretty close to telling a women to GFH, but I was able to squeeze the truck into a garage.

There definitely were some corruption issues going in that one, too. At one point the owners got a letter saying, oh several duplexes need roof repair, don't worry we picked a contractor for you. The owners raised hell at the next meeting, asking how these contractors were chosen, etc.

You knew damn well the HOA officials were lining their pockets on the deal, but I don't know if they were ever caught. I do know some of the owners that objected suddenly started getting harassed over trivial code violations, and you knew that was payback.

On the flip side, I had friends that had a nice house, and their neighbor across the stress was an eccentric single woman, who would not keep her yard in order; it always looked like crap. On multiple occasions people complained, and I think they finally had to hire crews to clean up her yard, and charge her for it. My friends finally relocated, and sold the house for big bucks. It the yard across the stress had looked bad, it might have cost them some real money.

I'm in one now. I've had minor gripes, but overall it's okay, and adds a layer of security.

The job that pays me well is specialized, and has to occur at a physical plant. It would be nice to live out in the country, but it would cost me one to two hours each way in commuting time, every day. I've seen people do that, and it winds up running them ragged. I probably will look for a rural home, when I retire.

I saw that on Fox news and thought there was nothing wrong with the color and those kids were having a good time on it. The play sets in stores come in some pretty wild colors when you buy them. If the yard was trashed with junk every where that is different. Why don't people mind there own business. Reminds me of the Democrats in congress wanting to control every thing in our lives.

If you don't like them, don't live in a neighborhood with one and make sure you read the covenants before buy the house. They are a necessary evil if you are living in a development. It only takes one jackass to cause problems.

HOAs have as much power as home owners give them. It's all a contract thing.

Many HOA's are run by retirees with nothing better to do than run around looking for infractions, even if they have to invent them.

Stupid rules deserve to be broken.

HOA's make it hard to burn an Airstream in your yard.