HOAs are notorious for being difficult, but sometimes they take things too far.
Posting on Reddit, a homeowner highlighted worrying behavior by their HOA president that had been causing them a lot of inconvenience. The homeowner described how the newly elected president had decided to implement a number of improvements to a shared park that is maintained using HOA dues from the residents.
"He keeps dreaming up unnecessary 'improvements' and pays himself an hourly salary to do them," the homeowner wrote before complaining that this had caused repeated park closures, which have interrupted their time outdoors with their children.
This is just another example of HOAs causing problems for their residents, especially when it comes to making money-saving, climate-friendly changes to their properties. Previously, people have reported HOAs blocking them from installing solar panels, and some residents have been forced to rip out their newly planted native gardens. Some homeowners were even forced to take legal action against their HOA after it shut off the water supply for three weeks.
Navigating frustrating situations with an HOA can be challenging, but there are lots of options available. Working with your HOA board to change outdated rules can help improve the situation and enable residents to pursue eco-friendly updates, such as solar panels, that save money and protect the planet.
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Several commenters shared similar stories about bad experiences with HOAs.
"My mom joined her HOA board due to unhappiness with park spending and later learned that the landscaping contract has been going to the stepson of the former but still heavily involved president for years," wrote one commenter.
While another said, "That's wild. I live in an expensive part of California, and I have friends who live in an HOA with around 100 units who complain about what their dues are."
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