by OutandAbout » Tue Jul 12, 2011 1:32 pm
I lived in a HOA community in FL. What a PITA. I was renting at that time and went for the "interview" before being accepted and allowed to live in the community. It was a single family home community. I had a full size passenger van at the time and let them know at the interview. After I moved in I received a letter from the association stating the rules pertaining to c ommercial vehicles. The van was registered as a passenger car, not commercial. It took 3 weeks to straighten it out. This problem resulted from a change in the members of the HOA. Another incident: there was no parking allowed on the street. The homeowner had to make an area for parking on the property. My homeowner didn't want to, so I would improvise. Since the homes were small, garages were used as storage. Anyway, I moved stuff in the garage around to allow half the van to fit, thus allowing someone else to park in the driveway (allowing this vehicle to be fully in the driveway, as per HOA rules). A day or two later I received a letter from the HOA about the incident, along with a fine of $25. The HOA didn't like the look of the garage door being open. Yes, members of the HOA would drive around the development and take notes which resulted in letters and fines. I couldn't get out of there fast enough.
There was another HOA in the next development to this where fights would break out at their meetings. I will never again live in a community with a HOA. It seems the larger the development, the worse the HOA. At my parents condo in Ft. Lauderdale, things were unbelievable. Letters and fines were issued for anything and everything. This is no way to live.
Linda