# Do You Belong To An HOA? Do They Suck? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 28, 2026, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-belong-to-an-hoa-do-they-suck/1034223 "2026-10-28T18:58:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-belong-to-an-hoa-do-they-suck/1034223/41 "2026-10-29T17:14:15Z")
I used to have one which was unavoidable because it was a condo. The management guy (not a resident) was squirrely, though I think the actual legal malfeasance was from a resident board member who supposedly stole some tools or something. I was friendly with a neighbor who got on the board and gave me gossip. Ultimately even in a good HOA, any legal remedy feels a lot like suing yourself so I get why their important in some cases but if not necessary I don’t want it. My first request for realtor when hunting for SFD was to not look at any HOA properties. I knew if she forgot that or tried “I know you said no HOA, but this is perfect” then I’d start finding an new buyers’ agent. But she didn’t and now I don’t have one. Neighbor has done some questionable stuff with buying trailers and then not getting to fixing up or selling but it’s not too bad. I have a friend with an HOA and his tweaker neighbor did worse stuff so it’s not a fix always. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-belong-to-an-hoa-do-they-suck/1034223/42 "2026-10-29T17:55:41Z")
Once lived in a townhouse, a rental, At PGA National in PB Gardens. Gated with a guard checking for your car decal before they’d lift the gate. We weren’t allowed to park the minivan or motorcycles outside. And they required access to the unit for pest control. This peeved me off, did not want. Always the same guy coming around he would announce his presence by knocking then try to come in as if he was a welcome guest. The lawn care was handled by a crew of Haitian dudes closely watched by the overseers I mean supervisor. One day came home from work and discovered we were burglarized, a window was forced open, stuff handled, closets and drawers rummaged through. Cameras and lens stolen a little bit of cash. WTF, gated community and all that. No I doubt it was the lawn care dudes. I maintain it was either a neighbor or the pest control freak. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-belong-to-an-hoa-do-they-suck/1034223/43 "2026-10-29T22:48:25Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Doubtless. 😆 Found one! (It seems one person controls this HOA so not ideal) > **[HOA Blames Homeowner Lawsuits For $2500 Monthly Fees](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/hoa-blames-homeowner-lawsuits-2500-140003560.html)** > > Homeowners in a North Carolina neighborhood fear they could lose their houses after their HOA voted to double its monthly fees. Some worry they may face > The Magnolia Cove HOA in Sherrills Ford, North Carolina, voted on October 26, 2026, to raise fees from $1,250 to $2,500 a month. The board had first proposed raising them to $7,500 a month. > \< snip \> > > Another homeowner, Diana Brokaw, was shocked by the board’s first plan to charge $7,500 a month. > > “Who has $90,000 extra a year to pay for fees that you’re just told are going to happen,” Brokaw said. ---
**Author:** ![sboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@sboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sboy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-belong-to-an-hoa-do-they-suck/1034223/44 "2026-10-29T23:49:51Z")
WE have friends who live in a condo Bldg. with an HOA. They do not have a thermostat in their unit. In summer they swelter at times and in winter they must hope the wind doesn’t blow from the east. No thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-belong-to-an-hoa-do-they-suck/1034223/45 "2026-10-30T04:13:48Z")
I do not live in what most would consider an HOA. I live in a mobile home park I.e. trailer park. We have what I refer to as a “red neck hoa.” No swing sets, no play things where people can see them, no clothes lines unless it’s the umbrella type? , if you paint they have to approve the color. If you don’t mow soon enough they will do it for you for a ridiculous price. The list goes on oh yeah pet fees for indoor cats and you own the unit. It’s pretty irritating actually. When we moved here we didn’t have a lot of choice. Our landlord flipped out and told us to find somewhere else to live. His wife, the one we had always dealt with was pissed, but she was the type to do what her husband said. He committed suicide a few years ago so I guess there were mental health issues. Anyway, we hadn’t planned on moving, sooo we needed something fast that we could afford. Apartments were not feasible and not available anyway. So here we are. At least I can do what I want inside. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-belong-to-an-hoa-do-they-suck/1034223/46 "2026-10-30T05:09:54Z")
I technically have an HOA but it’s the least HOA you can get. It effectively exists only to maintain the public well/pump house for the subdivision. My HOA agreement is about six sentences long and boils down to “If you stop paying your water bill, we can turn off your water”. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-belong-to-an-hoa-do-they-suck/1034223/47 "2026-10-30T05:20:50Z")
Many of the things people are mentioning here as HOA restrictions are also part of city codes. My city has limits on detached trailers on the street, unregistered cars parked outside, cars parked in non-parking areas (yards, etc.), blocking the sidewalk, trash, unmaintained houses, tall weeds, snow removal, and of course all kinds of building codes. The city doesn’t care what color you paint your house or if your mailbox has a wood or metal post, and that kind of thing that some HOAs get all worked up about. Some cities and unincorporated areas don’t have codes, or don’t care to enforce them. I’m sure much of it is just people choosing bad examples in this thread. My house does not have an HOA, and I can’t leave broken down cars in my yard, or let someone live in a trailer in front of my house. My house was built in 1968, and I bought it in 2011, and was given a set of HOA bylaws at closing.It appeared to be a photocopy of a mimeographed page giving the rules and the names of the executive committee. A few years ago, to help some local historians interested in racism, I tried to find it to see if it had any rules that could be interpreted that way. I could not find it, so perhaps I imagined the whole thing? My recollection is the half page of rules only mentioned building materials. The front of houses had to be at least 40% brick in one of several colors, and things like that. I looked on my state’s registry of HOAs going back as far as it was available online, and could not find any mention of one for my neighborhood. If it wasn’t just a dream, my guess is the HOA was in place while people were building houses in the neighborhood, and was dissolved or just became defunct once all the lots were built. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-belong-to-an-hoa-do-they-suck/1034223/48 "2026-10-30T05:26:04Z")
In Taiwan, we bought a townhouse with parking underneath the buildings, so we needed an HOA. We bought the place while the buildings were just finishing so we were involved in setting up the HOA. Most of us were planning on living there long term but there were a couple of owners who lived in Taipei and were buying as investments. They really wanted to set up many rules and restrictions in order to make it look the absolutely best, regardless of how that affected residents and living there. An HOA meeting turned into a screaming match and one of those investment owners filed complaints to the police for slander (which is a criminal matter) against those who were opposed, including me and my wife. We had to go to the police to answer questions. The police knew it was BS and essentially said that, but they had to go through the motions. After the fight, a new board was chosen and things went much better. The asshat sold his unit and there weren’t any further problems. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-belong-to-an-hoa-do-they-suck/1034223/49 "2026-10-30T13:12:58Z")
I lived on a street around 2002 that had an inactive HOA we ended up reactivating (by simple majority vote). There were only 15 homes on the street. What caused us to act was that one resident installed a 12’ satellite dish on top of his two-story house. I mean, it looked like a tracking station. He wanted to watch the football (soccer) games from Europe and we did not have cable service in the neighborhood at that time. Our concerns were not only aesthetic, but with regard to his installation methods. No reinforcement of the roof trusses, no safety wires, no nothing to keep it on the roof other than a few lag bolts. Ironically, he was forced to remove it and then the next winter a big tree fell on his house while he was on vacation. The tree would have accomplished the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-belong-to-an-hoa-do-they-suck/1034223/50 "2026-10-30T13:23:23Z")
Yes, I belong to one. No, it’s fine. It’s actually quite relaxed. Once I got a notice saying that my hedges needed trimming, but to be fair, they did, so I took care of it. f there’s a real problem between neighbors, they almost never step in. That’s because, years ago, they tried to and a homeowner chased (with a baseball bat) the HOA guy who’d knocked on their door. So, for example, they’ll mention at every meeting that dues are due whenever, but they won’t push it beyond that. Also at meetings, they’ll be sympathetic if people complain about noise or trash not in cans at a neighbor’s house. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-belong-to-an-hoa-do-they-suck/1034223/51 "2026-10-30T14:00:21Z")
When I was house hunting I found that most of the places I looked at had HOAs. When I found a house (actually a duplex) that I was seriously interested in the first thing I did was ask the real estate agent if I could see a copy of the HOA rules before making a decision. There was nothing in it that I couldn’t live with; I also walked around the neighborhood and talked to a few residents about how the liked the HOA and board. Shortly after I moved in someone came to my door with a copy of the rules and a small stack of coupons for local businesses to welcome me to the neighborhood. My HOA dues cover landscaping and general maintenance, so there’s no issue of being fined for not mowing my lawn or other things. While I’ve been living here I’ve had my place completely resided (which included a discount from the siding company for some window replacement), my deck was completely replaced, and repairs to the front porch and roof. And just last month my roof was completely replaced, mostly because the other half of duplex was having some serious leakage. I’ve gotten three complaints about things I needed to fix, and each time I was given plenty of time to take care of it, including an extension due to some health issues. No fines were ever issued. I’m currently looking into having a ramp installed due to my mobility issues; I contacted the management company and was sent a copy of the relevant rules and the form I needed to file with the Architectural Committee, along with assurances that it shouldn’t be a problem. The ramp may require removal of a tree, and if I do go through with it I suspect I may need approval from the Grounds Committee. Whether the HOA with cover part of the cost of the tree work (they do regularly trim the trees) I don’t know. I’m still getting estimates and plans for the ramp, so I’m not sure whether I’m actually going to go through with it. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-belong-to-an-hoa-do-they-suck/1034223/52 "2026-10-30T14:20:04Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > I can understand someone wanting complete freedom over their property, but if that’s the case, don’t move into a neighborhood which restricts what you can do on your property. But what’s available if very regional. If you want to live in my town, or any nearby town, you won’t find a single family home that is associated with an HOA. There are other parts of the country where it’s extremely hard to find a home that’s not in an HOA. When i lived in Central NJ, all the nearby farms were being purchased by developers and turned into townhouse complexes with very restrictive HOA rules. And if shopped those developments (i did, mostly out of curiosity) the real estate company selling the units was deceptive about the HOA. They discouraged you from reading the rules (they were long) and assured you that once the real estate company was a minority property-holder, the residents could vote to change them. There were literally “pet wars” with some residents going through the trash of other residents to try to prove their neighbors were illegally harboring pets. (If you have to dig through the tag to determine if your neighbor has a cat, it’s not causing you any material problems. People be weird and petty.) There wasn’t a lot of housing you could purchase that didn’t come with restrictive HOA rules, and what you could purchase was mostly large and very expensive single family homes, with many bedrooms, not suitable for young single professionals. So in practice, you often don’t have a lot of choice. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-belong-to-an-hoa-do-they-suck/1034223/53 "2026-10-30T14:47:02Z")
The choice is that someone can choose to follow the covenants if they live in an HOA. They aren’t really all that onerous. They may be a hassle at times, but rarely are they unreasonable. They may limit the number of pets you can have, whether you can park on the street, how long you can leave your trashcan out, etc. Everyone should be able to comply with that kind of stuff. If someone can’t follow the covenants, then they should find someplace that doesn’t have an HOA. That may mean they have to deal with the inconvenience of living farther out of town or having a harder time finding a house, but that’s the tradeoff that comes with having total freedom over your own property. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-belong-to-an-hoa-do-they-suck/1034223/54 "2026-10-30T14:50:02Z")
I just moved to a condo in June, so I’m new to the world of HOAs, but so far, mine is fine. I guess I expected a nightmare. Our A/C broke and there were no rules or restrictions about how to replace it, so that was nice. Our roof has leaked twice and they were prompt about finding a contractor (though currently the contractor himself has been taking his sweet time.) I got an email about needing to get my deck refinished or cleaned every two years, I guess this notice went out in April and they were going to levy a $50 fine. I told them I wasn’t here in April and asked for an extension, which they gave me. The deck guy looked at it and said, “this deck is fine and I can’t get to it until Spring.” He gave me a nice HOA rant, too. I let them know what happened, attached the deck guy’s write-up, took a photo of the deck, and they waived the fee. So yeah, no problems so far. As far as the by-laws, I think the manufactured home community I moved from had more rules than this HOA. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-belong-to-an-hoa-do-they-suck/1034223/55 "2026-10-30T15:12:02Z")
Hawaii is kind of weird. Oahu is the City and County of Honolulu. The whole island. Various areas are Town Associations that function as an HOA/Zoning entity. Ours, Mililani, is mostly great (paint colors allowed are mostly drab and draber for external). Visible construction need permits but the contractors handle it behind the scenes. We get beautiful boulevards, recreation centers (swimming pools, indoor and outdoor courts, party rooms), parks, road maintenance, holiday fests for around $125 a month. (don’t quote me, my wife handles finances behind the scenes as well 😁). ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-belong-to-an-hoa-do-they-suck/1034223/56 "2026-10-30T15:38:56Z")
Wife 1.0 and I bought a house with an HOA, nighborhood was built early '90s/late '80s. I left her and the house a couple years later. Since then the HOA has badgered her about a dead aspen in her front yard, long and/or unmown grass, dead grass, tree branches getting too close to the sidewalk & driveway. The first notice she got, she tried igonoring it to see if it would go away. It did not, and she ended up looking at legal paperwork. Missus and I moved into a 'hood built in early '70s with an HOA. But the HOA is $40/year, voluntary, and the HOA does community junk like organizing a neighborhood garage sale, electronics recycling a couple times a year, some holiday decorations. What it DOESN’T do is enforce any kind of “standards” on responsible adults who have their own lives, their own experiences, and work at regular jobs that allow them to purchase homes, cars, motorcycles, off road vehicles, class A motorhomes, boats, shortwave radio antennas, etc. You certainly know what sort of people your neighbors are just by looking at their house and doing the Sherlock Holmes deductive reasoning thing, and that’s actually kind of perfect. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-belong-to-an-hoa-do-they-suck/1034223/57 "2026-10-30T15:49:37Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > They aren’t really all that onerous. They vary a lot. From mostly just being the organization that arranges plowing and similar community services, to banning all pets, measuring how long your grass is, and giving you a list of three colors you can paint the house. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-belong-to-an-hoa-do-they-suck/1034223/58 "2026-10-30T16:17:05Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Coordinating state mandated in-unit checks like laundry vents (every three years I think) and sprinklers/fire alarms (annually) Wow, our dryer vent check is once a year. But we no longer have to participate, because our newish dryer is the heat pump style and doesn’t vent to the outside. We live in a condo development with 262 units. An HOA is a necessity. We’ve lived here 40 years, and we’ve had very few issues. Our management company works closely with our board and is very responsive. I know several of the board members and none are, thank dog, psycho. We have two pools, three hot tubs, artificial streams and a koi pond in addition to the normalish landscaping. I say “normalish” because it’s better than most in the area. It’s a big selling point for potential buyers. Mature trees make a real difference in the vibe of a place. I also have good neighbors. There was one guy years ago who everybody in the development knew. He was notorious. And his townhouse was directly across from ours. We didn’t go out of our way to rile him, so we got along. Then, he died. > [@Jackmannii](#): > > A second study referenced in the article suggests that while homes in HOA communities may have higher sale prices on average than nearby non-HOA neighborhoods, that correlates with a higher degree of racial segregation. I assume that’s for individual home HOAs. My development is the most racially diverse place I’ve ever lived and more racially diverse than most of the city of Los Angeles, I’d be willing to bet. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-belong-to-an-hoa-do-they-suck/1034223/59 "2026-10-30T16:35:32Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > Wow, our dryer vent check is once a year. My drier vent is checked when a plumber happens to be working in the room and suggests it, no more than once a decade. But it’s the type of solid metal vent that will contain a lint fire, so it’s not a critical safely issue. And the dryer works fine. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-belong-to-an-hoa-do-they-suck/1034223/60 "2026-10-30T16:37:28Z")
The vent check is free, so I always participated before. It was made mandatory a few years back. I was fairly terrified about the possibility of a fire, so I was happy to do it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-belong-to-an-hoa-do-they-suck/1034223.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-belong-to-an-hoa-do-they-suck/1034223.md?page=4)