Homeowner Association Hell!!!!!!!!

Put it up and attend the homeowners meeting and speak up. If you can't be heard then there is no association is there?

 

sal826
Question#2: Can the police actually tow my car parked at my own residence just because the alarm went crazy - I mean after all how do I know someone wasn't messing with it just to set it off.....can they just go around towing everyones cars.....this is perposterous!!!
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The POLICE can NOT tow from private property unless the car was involved in a CRIME...example...if you rob a bank and they arrest you in your house...they can also impound the car...

BUT A CAR ALARM IS NOT A CRIME!!!

I would take it to a place that installs alarms and have them check it out...

I would also ask the neighbors if somebody made the whole thing up...or somebody walked by the car just before the alarm went off...

PUT THE WIND CHIME BACK UP RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!

 

This isn't PWHOA by chance is it?

 

Basically this bitch is using some sort of bully on an artificial power that has no legal jurisdiction at all. I sell windchimes, would you be interested? Also I think I can acquire a Chinese gong.

 

My HOA gave me notice I could not have the old bed on my driveway...so I put it in the back yard...(it wasn't even there for a week)...won't fit in the trash truck...so I had to take a hammer to it in my spare time...

...BUT THERE IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE ANY BUSINESS (WITH EXCEPTIONS...LIKE TUPPERWARE OR AVON) RUN OUT OF THESE HOUSES...THE GUY ACROSS THE STREET RAN A PAINTING BUSINESS IN HIS GARAGE...YES, THE SAME ONE WHO HIT AND RAN DUI MY PARKED CAR!!!

 

I never thought I'd see someone else with a "windchime" incident!!!!!!

We live in a 2 family home that's been converted into condos.

2 months after we bought, we had windchimes on the front 2nd floor porch (it's 3 stories, we own the top 2). The crazy #(@$ broke through the basement door (common access basement), took a chair outside, took the chimes down, then proceeded to leave a message on the answering machine about what she did.

My other half was about ready to call the police -at first to file a breaking and entering complaint, then he was afraid he'd kill her before they arrived and he'd get arrested

There are some people who really should live in the woods. In my case, the crazy )#@*& is so completely self-absorbed that she truly believes everyone else must yield to her needs (neighbor with a "way too bright" porch light was told to put a dimmer in, another to cut part of a tree down because it blocked her sun ...). Our little corner of New England is VERY densely built - houses are on 50' lots and you can see in your neighbors' windows ("oh my, John next door got a cable modem and REALLY likes what he's seeing on the web ..."). If people can't deal with being that close -- MOVE! TO THE WOODS!

I totally empathize with your situation! Everything said so far is correct. Police can't do anything about your car except issue you a disturbance of the peace citation.

You could do what I did ... go to Sears, pick up a decibel-meter, measure the amount of sound reaching her window when the wind blows. You should be able to find out from your local police folks what levels are considered 'disturbing the peace' and work from that.

We also had a wicken friend cast a spell on the crazy )(#@* but it never "took"

Good luck - and hang in there! Most people are quite reasonable, and anything this trivial, if it got to the HOA, would most likely just expose your nutty neighbor for being just that.

-mj

 

btw - another good one are the GARDEN GONGS that I saw in the Hammacher Schlemmer (sp?) catalog.

You could also get a bunch of pagers, set them on vibrate, and put them in her walls and set your computer up to call them at all sorts of fun, random times.

(not that I've ever given this sort of thing any thought...)

 

Seriously I would have some Ancient Tribal Rituals in the backyard, from African to Tribal Japan with gongs and drums, when she complains....Its a religious belief, Who in their right mind would fight that? Do you think Police would get involved in a persons religion? No way.


Oh and wear a loin cloth, just for the picture. And if you want to get real evil about it get chicken gizzards and livers and throw them around in the air. Maybe a rubber chicken sacrifice or something.

 

I use to live in Oakland. That is exactly why I moved into the woods. I was tired of people complaining about music, parking spaces, my kids etc.. Now I can run around butt naked if I want and there is nobody who can complain. We dont even have a policeman after 5pm. And we only have two police officers at that. Not much towing goes on here. Dont need and alarm either I left it in CA. Good Luck

 

What state do you live in? This is from California.
"22651.5(a) CVC
AUDIBLE ALARM OR VEHICLE HORN: Peace officer, or authorized traffic employee, on complaint, may remove such vehicle parked within 500 ft of any occupied school, college, university building during normal hours of operation, or parked within a residence or business district, or from a highway or public or private property, within 20 minutes of arrival and not completely silenced before arrival. Applicable to continous or intermittent and repeatedly activated sound.

By the way, I recently moved to a new house that is part of a Homeowners Association. Not 2 weeks after I moved in I had already received 2 notices of violations, one of them was giving me 2 weeks to paint my house. I called them and they have thus far been quite unreasonable and snotty. They kept telling me that I was issued the CC&R's and am required to follow them. Of course, I didn't bother to read all the way through them. They are over 700 pages long and written in legal mumbo/jumbo.
I've done some research, which I really should have done prior to moving, and am amazed at what they can get away with. I've asked my neighbors, who have also had problems and they are very quick to issue rather large fines. One neighbor was taken to small claims court because she refused to pay a 250.00 fine that she felt was unreasonable. She ended up also paying 4000.00 in their "fees" for taking her to court.
I know this sounds petty but maybe you can find or "create" some issues to call and report on her. Does her car have an alarm? I'd be tempted to sneak out there several times a night and bump it to set the alarm off. Then call the police. I know you would never do that but maybe you can get some enjoyment imagining ways to make her life miserable.

 

I never hear anything positive about HOA's... what is the attraction? Far as I can tell, they tell you what to do with your own property. I've even heard of ones telling you that you cannot have a vehicle more than 5 years old in your driveway. To me, HOA's are like living in a glorified trailer park - you own the building you live in but you have a bunch of nosey neighbors who tell you how the outside of your home should be and who seemingly have little else to do but make trouble for other people.

I know there's gotta be something positive, but I'd gladly take my neighbor's dog using my front yard bathroom facilities over some snit yapping about my windchimes.

Sal, I'm sorry you're having to deal with something so silly as this... wish I had some words of wisdom to share. Only thing that comes to mind is to anonymously order each and every one of your neighbors a nice new windchime so everyone can annoy the person causing you grief.

Ozzy.

 

I chose my house specifically because it was part of a homeowners association. I had a neighbor 2 houses down paint their house green with neon orange trim. Another one down the street was white with pepto bismol pink trim. Not to mention the guy across the street who parked his car on his lawn. Oh yes, and he finally painted his house, it is now gray. all gray.......all the same color gray. The trim, the garage the stucco, everything is the exact same color.
Of course, now I am discovering the down side of being part of an association. I just never dreamed they would be so difficult. How does the saying go.....be careful what you ask for, you might just get it!!!!!

 

I don't mean to be rude, but what does it matter what color other homeowners paint their houses?? After all it's their house?? Heck I worked hard for my house and if I want it with pink polka dots so be it LOL

We have a small driveway and at times do park on our lawn???

I agree with Ozzy. You may be paying for your house, but they get the finally say what is and what isn't, which is just insane. My friends sister moved into one of those. They told them what color to paint, where they could put trees, what kind of flowers were appropriate and why they couldn't have a basketball hoop oh and let's not mention what kids of curtains they were allowed to put into their OWN front windows, sad

 

Let me understand this..."You have to pay fines for living in your own house to WHO?!" Are you saying you give money to people that live around you that bitch about any little thing?? Who gets the money? What does this association do? What is the point? Seems to be its a suburban neo-monarchy that needs to be dethrowned and quick.

 

This is aweful childish, but made me laugh when I thought about it.

Get the lady's phone number, then call EVERY pizza/chinese/food delivery place around you. Have it delivered to her, give her phone number and sit back and enjoy the show.....

 

I still like the Grass skirt, bongo drums and chinese gong in the backyard bit. Paint your body in an indian or african motif and go at it.

 

Keep in mind I live in southern California where the houses are rather close together. When your neighbors do these things it is an eyesore for the entire street and negatively effect your property values. My neighborhood used to be one of the nicest in the city. Then little by little people let their yards go, painted their houses terrible colors (which your right, it was their house and they had that right). Several of my neighbors moved away after living there 10 years or more. The reason was always that the "neighborhood is going to hell". It broke my heart to sell my house but I just couldn't stand the neighborhood anymore.
Now I'm experiencing the other side of this. I'm sure it going to get worse. Like I said, I received notice to paint my house, I have to submit a color scheme to them and get their approval. Yeah, that bugs me but I drive thru this area and all the homes and surrounding areas are neat and clean and kept up.
As for the dues and fines and such, they go to support the association, upkeep of the surrounding grounds, the pool, lake, clubhouse, tennis courts, etc...
I'm not saying either one is better. I guess it is just a trade-off and you have to pick which is more important to you. I have no doubt that I may very well regret my decision, and to some degree already do.

 

I remember when I was purchasing a home and my realtor would show houses that were part of a HOA. I gave her so much grief. I refused to even look at the house. She couldn't understand why I refused to purchase a house that had a HOA. The one house I did look at was beautiful, but they wanted $65 a month, couldn't have a satellite installed (even a little DirecTV one), your house had to be either beige, white, or gray, no commerical vehicles (this included small co. trucks), blah, blah, blah.

My feelings are why do I need to pay additional fees to someone so they can tell me what to do with MY house?

Sal, I would go with the religious rituals. The Chinese gong is a good start. When I lived in an apartment I had one neighbor who was from the Middle East and he play Arabic music during his prayers (five times a day). I didn't mind it, but some of the neighbors complained. All that happened was the chants (and music) got louder. I thought it was pretty funny.

Dani

 

Not only would I put the windchimes back up, I would buy another set....BIGGER and LOUDER! Plus I would buy a huge cowbell that hung on my door, so everytime you go in or out, it makes noise.