DENNIS ... (private rant).

I just moved into a townhouse in such a community. My HOA fee is $102, which covers the water/garbage/sewer, structural insurance(not contents), the pool and landscaping. It's only $170 more per month(total) than the rent on my last apartment in a declining complex. Yet, I still have all the ammenities w/o the scum for neghbors.
That assessment should be per-HOME, NOT per-card. Every owner should be provided with two cards, with a reasonable charge for any extras, like $5-$15.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by George Dickel at Work:
Be the biggest pain in the a$$ you legally can be. Make them cross to the other side of the street whenever they see you approach. Maybe they will buy you out at a profit just to get rid of you. Don't get mad, get even. RAE, bending over and dropping you pants only gets you what you know is coming.[/quote]

George,
There's a term sales people use that describe this type of situation: "Being in the Trick Bag". Being in the Trick Bag, is being a position where you know it's gonna happen, and there is no way to prevent it, since any alternatives are worse in the long run. Best to check out the entire thread, links and all to see how the mess (FUD's) developed. Divorced people know the Trick Bag very well I might add ;). FUD got ****ed, part of it was, (sorry FUD), his own fault, but mostly by some scum bag developers. Now if the scum bags are as bad as described,(and I have little doubt they are) how much chance is there realisiticly to gain a profit? He's dealing with "them" on a one time basis. They on the other hand, deal with hundreds of FUD's on a daily basis. That gives them the upper hand. Ba$tard$ like that eat this stuff up. They are the type that will spend thousands to recoup a few hundred $$ just for the thrill of being "the winner".
Anyhow, it's all pretty much just blowing off steam as I see it. If FUD was serious about getting out of Dodge, he wouldn't be dumping money into the place. Just MHO.

[This message has been edited by RAE (edited July 16, 2000).]
 
If we can learn from each others' mistakes, we can make life for the buggers a bit more difficult. Here's hoping that some TFLers are helped by the oversights some of us old-timers made in the past.
 
FUD,
Sorry you're in a bind, bub, but there's hope. I live in a townhouse and we have an association that had similar problems. The ringleader was an old biddie who hated kids. Kids were outlawed from playing outside, riding skateboards or bikes, running in the grass between sections, throwing a ball of any sort... the list goes on.
We beat her. She has resigned and is moving. We did it by petitioning the fertilizer out of the board and getting some real representatives elected. As a matter of fact we just voted to add a playground in a vacant lot. :D
If I were you I would go to the association meeting and observe the board members. Pick one that seems to be the most sensible and start working on him/her. Bring petitions to the board at EVERY opportunity with lots of signatures. Call them all often with concerns. Organize the other owners and have then show up at the meetings to voice their opinions whether the board wants to listen or not. They will hear and acquiesce with enough pressure. It will take time, though. :sad:
I probably wouldn't resort to sabotage. I WOULD fly a big flag in the front yard every day that says "Don't Tread On Me" and have every other owner you can convince to do the same. That should send a message.

------------------
Those who use arms well cultivate the Way and keep the rules.Thus they can govern in such a way as to prevail over the corrupt- Sun Tzu, The Art of War
 
$147 can buy a lovely book on homemade "noisemakers" and all the necessary chemicals. "Gate? What gate? Oh, you mean that smoking hole over there?"

Just kidding, folks. Seriously, I was visiting my girlfriend's new place for the first time and saw that her security gate wasn't working. Apparently, a repo man had come to get a car and was frustrated by the gate. Said frustration was relieved with a tow truck tearing it off it's hinges.
 
I've known a lot of people that lived behind gates like that at apartments, condos, subdivisions, etc. - it didn't make them a bit safer. If they want in, they'll get in. I think your HOA just wanted to say they live in a "gated community". Well, there's a gated community near where I live - it's the county pen.

I think you & all your neighbors just need to get together & try to recall and/or disband this homeowner's assoc. Call them at 3 am when your card doesn't work. Knock on their door at 5 am when you can't get out to go to work. Complain about their yards. Make them fix stuff at the most inconvenient times. Let them know the costs of responsibility. Whatever - but you need a lot of help. Mainly, you have to get your neighborhood organized. No revolt ever succeeded without some level of organization.
 
Thanks to everyone for their comments, suggestions and support. I realize that part of this is my own fault for moving into such a community without first demanding to see a copy of the regulations and not accepting the excuse that it wasn't available but I never lived in one of these "artificial communities" nor have I had any experience with them. So, when I was told that it was "only a few" reasonable regulations designed to keep the community nice, I didn't read too much into it. As others have said, live & learn -- what might be reasonable to one might not be to another. Regards,
FUD
smilefud.gif

Share what you know, learn what you don't.
 
I'm lucky in that, before I bought my home, I heard a long litany of complaints from others who'd made the mistake of buying into a development with a homeowner's association (HOA), so I built in a regular neighborhood. My take is that association officers are typically blue-collar retirees who were always at the "bottom of the heap" during their working life, hated it, and now, THEY get to give orders, and get even with the rest of the world.

As far as some specifics mentioned earlier in the thread are concerned, one way to make "speed bumps" less desirable is to lean on your horn every time you go over one.

Complaining to HOA officers is effective, if MANY people do it - at all hours of the day and night. "I forgot my card, please open the gate" is legitimate, even if it's at 2AM. (Anyway, it seems there should be legal problems with forcing one to pay for access to one's own house.)

For truly desperate HOA victims, do a search on "Window War," though this raises the stakes considerably.
 
FUD, I recently left an apartment community like that. We didn't have to pay "per card" but we were paying with high rent. The gates were brolen more than they were working corectly. Seemed like you'd have to stand on your head sometimes to get the d**n gate to open. I eventually took to getting really pi$$ed off. My "little" truck has a wooden flatbed, and by God that gate took a poundin'. I'd just back up to the SOB goin' about 20 in reverse. Get ready to stand on your head out in the cold hoping for the thing to open.
 
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