[KevK]

Originally Posted by MadManofBethesda

Sorry, LVD, but your eyesore of a car is the reason people pay to live in communities with HOAs. As someone earlier on this thread posted, you can easily tell when driving through an area which community has an HOA and which one doesn't. We don't want to see sofas sitting on front porches, or rusted out appliances in the yard, or beat up old cars leaking oil on the street.

And BTW, I pay two HOA fees - and each one is $225/month.

Why do you pay 2 fees? We pay only one here and it includes garbage pick up.

[MadManofBethesda]

Originally Posted by KevK

Why do you pay 2 fees? We pay only one here and it includes garbage pick up.

I live in Spanish Trail, which in turn is divided up into several sub-associations. I pay $225/month to the master association and $225 to my sub-association.

The master association is responsible for community safety (gates, guards, etc.), tennis courts and fitness center, landscaped area outside the perimeter walls, and the main streets within Spanish Trail.

The sub-association is responsible for all landscaping within the sub-association, including the front yards of all the residences (including the sprinkler systems in the front yards). Additionally, the sub-association is responsible for routine maintenance of all exterior surfaces of the townhouses and single family houses within the community, including patching and repainting the stucco and trim, as well as routine roof maintenance (replacing broken or missing tiles, or repairing holes). The exterior of all doors, including the garage door, also are periodically stained or painted by the sub-association.

All in all, I think the HOA fee is money well spent to live in a beautiful community with limited maintenance responsibilities.

[las vegas drunk]

Originally Posted by Grofica

Wheres it leaking??? I oil pan seal is super easy to fix... and cheap too.

I took it into a shop, and it was 3 places, one being the real main seal I believe. The mechanic told me it would cost way more than the car is worth and not to do it. He advised me to put heavier oil with oil leak sealants. Now, it might leak a drop or two overnight. The HOA said that is acceptable. Before, it was literally leaking even as I was driving down the street.

[las vegas drunk]

Originally Posted by MadManofBethesda

Sorry, LVD, but your eyesore of a car is the reason people pay to live in communities with HOAs. As someone earlier on this thread posted, you can easily tell when driving through an area which community has an HOA and which one doesn't. We don't want to see sofas sitting on front porches, or rusted out appliances in the yard, or beat up old cars leaking oil on the street.

And BTW, I pay two HOA fees - and each one is $225/month.

You must have a stricter HOA than I do. They have never complained about the way my car looks, only on the leaking oil issue. I do live in a condo, not a house.

[MadManofBethesda]

Originally Posted by las vegas drunk

You must have a stricter HOA than I do. They have never complained about the way my car looks, only on the leaking oil issue. I do live in a condo, not a house.

My comment about your car was more about the leaking oil than the looks. And speaking of your car, you have stated that the HOA was fine with your car once it stopped creating a hazard by dripping oil on the streets of the community. Given that, I don't understand your animosity toward it and HOAs in general.

[las vegas drunk]

Originally Posted by MadManofBethesda

My comment about your car was more about the leaking oil than the looks. And speaking of your car, you have stated that the HOA was fine with your car once it stopped creating a hazard by dripping oil on the streets of the community. Given that, I don't understand your animosity toward it and HOAs in general.

I had such a horrible problem with an HOA when I owned my own house back in 2003. This stems more from that than the most recent problem.

[ideal]

Pay the HOA whatever they ask, then take them to small claims court or the like every month over unrelated issues. The simple fact is that they are very seldom if ever doing the job they get paid for.
So look for what they are falling short on and stick it to them in small claims court. It can be kind of fun when the shoe is on the other foot.

[ideal]

Of course the association management for the HOA and the trustee service or collection company can record liens against your home. That doesn't mean their homes, property or even the office building they operate from are immune from liens. Even their employees can have clouded title issues from a source that has nothing to do with you and may not even be in this country. The arrogant types that operate these companies as a sham generally expect the home owners to play by their rules, but why should you.

[us66]

The nastiness of the HOA has everything to do with your neighbors. I have nasty neighbors who have accused me of doing construction work overnight (I dropped a jar on the kitchen floor) and even running a commercial laundry. Yes, a commercial laundry. I get back at them, though. The building is not well insulated by Michigan standards, and I keep the thermostat in the low 60s all winter so the cold goes through their walls. I fantasize about selling at a rock bottom price to a family of goths, a family with a lot of children, or something like that, just to lower their property values.

The CC&Rs are selectively enforced in my complex. They get mad about stuff like that but ignore all the pickup trucks (PU trucks and cargo vans are actually against the CC&Rs; someone even has a Dodge Sprinter). I have one too, oil leak from the main seal, loud muffler, something underneath rattling like an old taxicab, and rear diff leak. The repairs, along with others it needs, are not worth it. If they ever kicked the truck out of the complex, I'll just go get a 70's LTD and paint it hot pink and see how they like them apples.

[Spraynard Kruger]

Originally Posted by us66

The nastiness of the HOA has everything to do with your neighbors. I have nasty neighbors who have accused me of doing construction work overnight (I dropped a jar on the kitchen floor) and even running a commercial laundry. Yes, a commercial laundry. I get back at them, though. The building is not well insulated by Michigan standards, and I keep the thermostat in the low 60s all winter so the cold goes through their walls. I fantasize about selling at a rock bottom price to a family of goths, a family with a lot of children, or something like that, just to lower their property values.

The CC&Rs are selectively enforced in my complex. They get mad about stuff like that but ignore all the pickup trucks (PU trucks and cargo vans are actually against the CC&Rs; someone even has a Dodge Sprinter). I have one too, oil leak from the main seal, loud muffler, something underneath rattling like an old taxicab, and rear diff leak. The repairs, along with others it needs, are not worth it. If they ever kicked the truck out of the complex, I'll just go get a 70's LTD and paint it hot pink and see how they like them apples.

I got a huge chuckle out of the family of goths comment, but man, walk it off. That's pretty spiteful.