HOA Out of Control!

[TangoJuliet]

Originally posted by: Skiddex
i am actually on the board of our condo association (we call it an HOA as well) and we have our annual meeting tonight. sounds like your reserve fund was not properly funded for this type of event. Our current wording is that we cant have more than 25% of our annual association dues in our reserve fund which we are voting on tomorrow to change to at least 25% just for this type of occasion.

assessments and raised dues do suck, but people have to sign HOA agreements to buy the properties, but it is their loss. sounds like your dues sky rocketed...do you have a clause stating an annual max increase? i believe our board can only raise dues 10% / year outside of and emergency assessment.

I don't remember signing an HOA agreement when I bought the place but it may have been in the stack of papers that I was told to sign by my lawyer at closing - so I don't know.

I asked for a copy of the bylaws and I am still waiting on that from the HOA/CA.

I also just received another letter in the mail from the HOA/CA saying there will be an emergency meeting to vote on whether the board of managers can take out a loan to complete the repairs on the building.

It basically says vote yes and approve the loan or vote no and a special assessment of $2475 will be due by Dec 15, 2008.

 

[Kelemvor]

You left out the part at which point you contacted a lawyer to tell them what's happening and see what your legal rights are. What did the lawyer say?

 

[Elbryn]

I'd say at this point you're pretty much screwed. you'll likely end up paying since you already mentioned that you dont have the time to deal with this. i think many associations rely on that fact that someone has to take an extraordinate amount of time to organize, rally, and represent a bunch of other like minded individuals in the community to try to force a change. unless the hoa has done something that clearly violates the agreement you signed when you moved in. i dont know how large this community is but tango said that the hoa has paid out 50k already on top of repair costs. unless there is alot of people living there, that doesnt sound like they were that underfunded.. they just choose a poor way of spending it. sounds like your next move is to go to that meeting and share your opinion, try to get as many people together that you can that are mad about this too and ask the questions you have directly.

 

[Nitemare]

In Soviet America, Home is not yours....

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: TangoJuliet

I don't remember signing an HOA agreement when I bought the place but it may have been in the stack of papers that I was told to sign by my lawyer at closing - so I don't know.

I asked for a copy of the bylaws and I am still waiting on that from the HOA/CA.

I also just received another letter in the mail from the HOA/CA saying there will be an emergency meeting to vote on whether the board of managers can take out a loan to complete the repairs on the building.

It basically says vote yes and approve the loan or vote no and a special assessment of $2475 will be due by Dec 15, 2008.

WHOA! let me get this straight, you had a lawyer and didn't know WTF you were signing?

What the fuck did the lawyer do for you?

 

[TangoJuliet]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: TangoJuliet

I don't remember signing an HOA agreement when I bought the place but it may have been in the stack of papers that I was told to sign by my lawyer at closing - so I don't know.

I asked for a copy of the bylaws and I am still waiting on that from the HOA/CA.

I also just received another letter in the mail from the HOA/CA saying there will be an emergency meeting to vote on whether the board of managers can take out a loan to complete the repairs on the building.

It basically says vote yes and approve the loan or vote no and a special assessment of $2475 will be due by Dec 15, 2008.

WHOA! let me get this straight, you had a lawyer and didn't know WTF you were signing?

What the fuck did the lawyer do for you?

no I am saying that it was 2.5 years ago that I bought the place and I don't remember signing the hoa agreement. I may have but I can't remember that far back as there were a million papers I signed that day. That's all

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: TangoJuliet

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: TangoJuliet

I don't remember signing an HOA agreement when I bought the place but it may have been in the stack of papers that I was told to sign by my lawyer at closing - so I don't know.

I asked for a copy of the bylaws and I am still waiting on that from the HOA/CA.

I also just received another letter in the mail from the HOA/CA saying there will be an emergency meeting to vote on whether the board of managers can take out a loan to complete the repairs on the building.

It basically says vote yes and approve the loan or vote no and a special assessment of $2475 will be due by Dec 15, 2008.

WHOA! let me get this straight, you had a lawyer and didn't know WTF you were signing?

What the fuck did the lawyer do for you?

no I am saying that it was 2.5 years ago that I bought the place and I don't remember signing the hoa agreement. I may have but I can't remember that far back as there were a million papers I signed that day. That's all

It's clear you nor your 'lawyer' read anything then. A HOA/COA is hardly a one-pager.

 

[ultimatebob]

Originally posted by: Eli
Why the fuck anyone willingly subjects themselves to an HOA is beyond my comprehension.

It makes me angry just thinking about it. Fuck all that business. I'd have laughed at them if they tried to make me pay for someone else's crumbling foundation.

If you don't pay the dues, they'll just put a lean on the properly for the unpaid amount... and continue to hit you every month with interest and penalties. The lean is going to get paid by you one way or another.... either from cash or from the sale price of your house when you move. Either way, you just screwed yourself out of a lot of money.

 

[PrinceofWands]

That's what you get for living in a HOA. Your options are to move, or begin the systematic execution of every worthless piece of crap involved in the continuation of such an organization. Both are perfectly acceptable moral choices as far as I'm concerned.

 

[AkumaX]

Originally posted by: Nitemare
In Soviet America, Home is not yours....

it should be Home owns YOU!

 

[gar3555]

Originally posted by: Gibson486
Hand Or Auto?????

I believe in most industries it's Hand Off Auto.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: ultimatebob

Originally posted by: Eli
Why the fuck anyone willingly subjects themselves to an HOA is beyond my comprehension.

It makes me angry just thinking about it. Fuck all that business. I'd have laughed at them if they tried to make me pay for someone else's crumbling foundation.

If you don't pay the dues, they'll just put a lean on the properly for the unpaid amount... and continue to hit you every month with interest and penalties. The lean is going to get paid by you one way or another.... either from cash or from the sale price of your house when you move. Either way, you just screwed yourself out of a lot of money.

It's a lein. Much like brakes can break.

HOA's are inevitable in almost all new construction. However; the impact and what's controlled lessens as the homes grow more distant from one another.

IMHO most people that bitch about HOA's simply cannot afford the fees or were hoping to break the rules under the radar (not fair to their neighbors).

There are two types that can get out of HOA's, those that simply can't afford more than the worst property out there and then the other group willing to give up location or newness and/or simply pay a premium.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: ultimatebob

Originally posted by: Eli
Why the fuck anyone willingly subjects themselves to an HOA is beyond my comprehension.

It makes me angry just thinking about it. Fuck all that business. I'd have laughed at them if they tried to make me pay for someone else's crumbling foundation.

If you don't pay the dues, they'll just put a lean on the properly for the unpaid amount... and continue to hit you every month with interest and penalties. The lean is going to get paid by you one way or another.... either from cash or from the sale price of your house when you move. Either way, you just screwed yourself out of a lot of money.

hell they can even force the sale of the home to pay for it.

 

[PrinceofWands]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: ultimatebob

Originally posted by: Eli
Why the fuck anyone willingly subjects themselves to an HOA is beyond my comprehension.

It makes me angry just thinking about it. Fuck all that business. I'd have laughed at them if they tried to make me pay for someone else's crumbling foundation.

If you don't pay the dues, they'll just put a lean on the properly for the unpaid amount... and continue to hit you every month with interest and penalties. The lean is going to get paid by you one way or another.... either from cash or from the sale price of your house when you move. Either way, you just screwed yourself out of a lot of money.

It's a lein. Much like brakes can break.

HOA's are inevitable in almost all new construction. However; the impact and what's controlled lessens as the homes grow more distant from one another.

IMHO most people that bitch about HOA's simply cannot afford the fees or were hoping to break the rules under the radar (not fair to their neighbors).

There are two types that can get out of HOA's, those that simply can't afford more than the worst property out there and then the other group willing to give up location or newness and/or simply pay a premium.

You forgot people with IQs over 45...at which point they know that HOAs do NOTHING good, are a corruption of every value that matters, and will eventually be totally banned in this nation.

 

[OutHouse]

380 a month? how many units? i would get a financial statement on where all that money went.

PS I WILL NEVER LIVE IN A COVENANT.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands

You forgot people with IQs over 45...at which point they know that HOAs do NOTHING good, are a corruption of every value that matters, and will eventually be totally banned in this nation.

How many wealthy people have you heard complain about their HOAs?

It's a poor person's problem and they should be back renting more than likely anyway.

 

[TangoJuliet]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands

You forgot people with IQs over 45...at which point they know that HOAs do NOTHING good, are a corruption of every value that matters, and will eventually be totally banned in this nation.

How many wealthy people have you heard complain about their HOAs?

It's a poor person's problem and they should be back renting more than likely anyway.

um are you inferring that I am poor?

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: TangoJuliet

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands

You forgot people with IQs over 45...at which point they know that HOAs do NOTHING good, are a corruption of every value that matters, and will eventually be totally banned in this nation.

How many wealthy people have you heard complain about their HOAs?

It's a poor person's problem and they should be back renting more than likely anyway.

um are you inferring that I am poor?

are you wealthy enough to take on HOA lawyers?

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: TangoJuliet

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands

You forgot people with IQs over 45...at which point they know that HOAs do NOTHING good, are a corruption of every value that matters, and will eventually be totally banned in this nation.

How many wealthy people have you heard complain about their HOAs?

It's a poor person's problem and they should be back renting more than likely anyway.

um are you inferring that I am poor?

Ya ain't rich son...that's a given.

 

[TangoJuliet]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: TangoJuliet

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands

You forgot people with IQs over 45...at which point they know that HOAs do NOTHING good, are a corruption of every value that matters, and will eventually be totally banned in this nation.

How many wealthy people have you heard complain about their HOAs?

It's a poor person's problem and they should be back renting more than likely anyway.

um are you inferring that I am poor?

Ya ain't rich son...that's a given.

You do realize that I live in NY, right? I'm not rich but I'm not poor either.

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: TangoJuliet

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: TangoJuliet

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands

You forgot people with IQs over 45...at which point they know that HOAs do NOTHING good, are a corruption of every value that matters, and will eventually be totally banned in this nation.

How many wealthy people have you heard complain about their HOAs?

It's a poor person's problem and they should be back renting more than likely anyway.

um are you inferring that I am poor?

Ya ain't rich son...that's a given.

You do realize that I live in NY, right? I'm not rich but I'm not poor either.

Just ignore him, alkemyst has a habit of showing up in threads like this one spouting his faux 'wisdom' and blandly asserting that everyone is an idiot/poor/deserves sterilization.

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: AkumaX

Originally posted by: Nitemare
In Soviet America, Home is not yours....

it should be Home owns YOU!

It's absurd that this is how a lot of neighborhoods have developed. I'm all for making sure that the trash gets picked up, but the OP's situation is retarded and shouldn't even be legal.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Eeezee

Originally posted by: TangoJuliet
You do realize that I live in NY, right? I'm not rich but I'm not poor either.

Just ignore him, alkemyst has a habit of showing up in threads like this one spouting his faux 'wisdom' and blandly asserting that everyone is an idiot/poor/deserves sterilization.

So you think there are no poor people in NY?

Also I never said the OP was poor, however; by his defensiveness in that and probably your defense as well it shows you may.

The OP's situation is hardly retarded...he is in a condo. The condo has a shared foundation, WHO THE FUCK is supposed to fix it other than the condo owners?

Sorry, I call them like I see them and not the way the majority of people like to sugar coat everything and then push to have someone else pay for it.

 

[LS8]

OP, if your building was the one falling down you would be asking the co-op to spend the money to fix things. The way I see it, when you move into a place that has a co-op or condo association you understand that there are additional costs incurred. If you only ever want to be responsible to yourself, live in a house on a lot you own. When you move into a building with others and agree to the terms then you must also carry them out.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: ultimatebob

Originally posted by: Eli
Why the fuck anyone willingly subjects themselves to an HOA is beyond my comprehension.

It makes me angry just thinking about it. Fuck all that business. I'd have laughed at them if they tried to make me pay for someone else's crumbling foundation.

If you don't pay the dues, they'll just put a lean on the properly for the unpaid amount... and continue to hit you every month with interest and penalties. The lean is going to get paid by you one way or another.... either from cash or from the sale price of your house when you move. Either way, you just screwed yourself out of a lot of money.

What I meant is that I would never subject myself to that in the first place. lol

The whole premise is stupid. I would never go for something like that.

I could give two shits about my neighbors.. I don't want to have anything to do with them, let alone form into some sort of neighborhood pact where we have to follow arbitrary rules.

Again, why anybody would willingly subject themselves to this is beyond me. If I found a house that I loved and couldn't live without, and it happened to be in a HOA, I would lawyer up and tell them all to kiss my ass. My property, my business. Of course, I generally hate cookie cutter neighborhoods anyway, so I doubt that would happen.. but still.