So, a day or two after removing a sign from my front yard I get a letter from my Homeowners Association about ‘the sign on my front lawn’. The HOA manager points out an article in the covenants regarding unauthorized signs. Ok, I didn’t really think of it at the time and the sign was only there for a week during which the house painters were actually working on my home (complete house wash, repaint, and deckwork).
This in and of itself does not bother me. I didn’t know and certainly didn’t remember this in the covenants when I read them four years ago so I’ll let it go. No unauthorized signage for businesses I solicit. lol
But, the HOA management does not seem to have a problem with unsolicited signs and publications littering my lawn, driveway, and sidewalk. Nor does the HOA management seem to have a problem with unsolicited signs and publications being attached (tapes, rubber-band, stuck-in-a-crack) to my mailbox and front door.
I find this interesting that the HOA management has no problems with unsolicited businesses making the properties looking ‘trashed’ while a solicited business ‘beutifying’ my home is deemed unacceptable without prior, written (and approved) notification.
BTW, this subdivision is about 5.5 years old and has not completed phase 1 & 2 of a planned three-phase community (only about 100 homes). The covenants state that the HOA is managed by a third-party company (Community Management Associates) until the builder sells 75% of the homes (he hasn’t built 75% of the homes and probably won’t sell that percentage for another 3-4 years).
Additionally, I think the builder is selling information on residents and new buyers for the benefit of junk mailers, neighborhood trollers, etc. and this is why the HOA will not put a No Solicitation sign at the mouth of the subdivision. BTW, I could have a sink-hole open up on my front lawn and wouldn’t be allowed a Caution sign without their approval (just an example, but a real-world one considering the trash the builder hides under the lawn).
Community: Estates at Ivy Creek, Gwinnett County, Georgia (30519).
And I will ask each of those homeowners that are currently trying to ‘resell’ their homes if they got written approval for placing For Sale signs on their front lawns as those types of signs are not excluded from this covenant (AFAIK).
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HOAs are evil, and if it was possible these days to buid a house without being covered under one, I'd do it. There's a pretty interesting article in this month's This Old House about them. One woman got fined $12,000 for putting a bamboo sunshade on her porch without prior authorization. Some of them are allowed to SEIZE YOUR HOME if you break their rules. And the courts almost always find in favor of the HOA because you signed the covenants.
The scary part is first-time homebuyers are sometimes taken advantaged of. For instance, I am a first-time homeowners and took it for granted that the covenants were not public until after closing. This meant we had no idea what we were getting into.
I'll have to transcribe the letter for everyone's enjoyment. I just noticed after re-reading the letter that they accused me of erecting the sign, which is not the case. Still, I find that this to be unbalanced when they will not do anything to control littering by unsolicted businesses throw things on the lawn, sidewalk, and driveway, allow loose dogs to #### on my lawn and at the foot of the mailboix, etc., and these things are not considered to take away from the attractiveness of the property or community.
It ain't getting any weirder than this. Maybe its time to raise some heat. I can see at least a couple of county violations by the builder. Vengence shall be mine, lol.