While there are benefits to HOAs, such as yard and driveway maintenance. These legislative bodies can also cause lots of additional stress for homeowners. One Redditor shared their frustration with a sudden rule change.
There are several communities on Reddit where folks can go to rail against their HOAs, including r/f***HOA. In a post on this subreddit, one homeowner stirred the pot with a story of an unusual demand: "[A] friend of mine has lived in their home for years without any issue," they wrote. "Suddenly HOA wants her to install dusk-to-dawn floodlights over the driveway."
HOAs are unfortunately notorious for sowing chaos among the households they oversee. One of the biggest struggles HOAs foment is the ability to make eco-friendly changes and upgrades. Folks have had to contend with fines, complaints, and outright bans when making even simple choices.
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Homeowners have tried to swap out portions of their lawns for more environmentally friendly native plants, while others have taken their HOAs to court for blocking their ability to install solar panels. Not all HOAs will be amenable, but homeowners may be able to band together to advocate for looser restrictions. Laying out the case for not only the cost-effectiveness of eco-friendly changes but also how important they are for the health of our planet may be angles to focus on.
Redditors had a lot to say about the restrictions placed on homeowners by overbearing HOAs.
"Definitely lawyer up; they can't just change governing docs on a whim or suddenly make new rules up on the fly," wrote one person.
Someone else advised, "If there are no mandates included in the CC&Rs, then they cannot be forced to install additional lighting. The HOA can not demand anything that will create additional expense for a homeowner if it's not an already established mandate."
Another homeowner recommended, "Check all the HOA documentation that lists how new rules are created and take effect."
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