One homeowner was nearly at the end of their patience after an illegal decision by their homeowners association to deny them access to solar panels.
Solar is one of the most effective ways to save money on your bills. Once installed, solar panels provide free clean energy for decades. That's great for your wallet and the planet.
But this Redditor was facing a roadblock. They posted seeking help in the r/solar subreddit. "Has anyone here gone ahead with a project after HOA denial?" they asked.
According to the original poster, the law was definitely on their side. "I live in Illinois, where the state doesn't allow HOAs to deny solar installations," they revealed.
Their HOA, however, had not gotten the memo. "My HOA has denied my application three times and currently doesn't give a reason," they said.
Their HOA's stubbornness offered them few paths forward. "I'm strongly considering the route of HOA waiver, and am wondering if anyone has experience in this area," they said.
Another Redditor shared their horror story in the comments. "I'm also in IL and had a hell of a time with my HOA," they said. "We wound up getting our state representative's office, our city, and the panel distributor involved and they still didn't back down. … It came down to our city inspector approving everything and telling our HOA 'This is how it is going to be done.'" According to this Redditor, they also experienced retaliation from the HOA later when it was time to replace their fence.
Other users offered advice.
"If it were me and it had been 90 days since I had submitted my first request and it had been outright denied I would be having it installed as soon as able," one commenter said. "I would keep all of my documentation showing correspondence and replies, and if they tried to block me or hinder me in any way, I would absolutely sue."
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Any homeowner looking to install solar panels with the minimum hassle and expense should check out EnergySage's free tools to get fast, no-obligation estimates and compare quotes.
If you're staring down an uncooperative HOA, there are also ways to change the rules. Check out this guide to get started!
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