What on earth is a Homeowner's Association? I keep hearing it in terms of "my HOA won't let me have chickens". Is it a few jumped-up local residents with too much power or what?
Can you explain something to me please . . .
- Thread starter V Chic Chick
- Start date
This is from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeowners_association
Basically it is a group that manages the homes in your neighborhood. You may pay a fee and usually they will take care to make sure you are in code compliance with building stuff IF they approve that you build it, like patios, sheds, etc.
They also make sure the neighborhood retains a certain "look" like coordinating paint and mowed and trimmed lawns and gardens. They will control how many cars y ou have in front of your house, how many animals you have, etc.
This is ok, if you like to live wthin restrictions to keep your neighborhood free of riff raff and cluttered lawns and eyesores.
I personally don't and think I am adult enough to police myself. Though I will admit we have an eyesore '77 RV in the backyard that the chickens use to go under to dustbathe. But I don't have an HOA, so I am free to provide my chickens with said eyesore for their comfort.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeowners_association
Basically it is a group that manages the homes in your neighborhood. You may pay a fee and usually they will take care to make sure you are in code compliance with building stuff IF they approve that you build it, like patios, sheds, etc.
They also make sure the neighborhood retains a certain "look" like coordinating paint and mowed and trimmed lawns and gardens. They will control how many cars y ou have in front of your house, how many animals you have, etc.
This is ok, if you like to live wthin restrictions to keep your neighborhood free of riff raff and cluttered lawns and eyesores.
I personally don't and think I am adult enough to police myself. Though I will admit we have an eyesore '77 RV in the backyard that the chickens use to go under to dustbathe. But I don't have an HOA, so I am free to provide my chickens with said eyesore for their comfort.
A "Homeowners Association" is the group of people that enforces the CC&R's (Covenants, conditions and restrictions) that are attached to a housing tract when it is first planned by the developer.
The HOA is usually made up of people that live in the tract and meet a couple times a month to go through the complaints, etc., made by the people living in the tract. They can levy fines for "Non-compliance".
The CC&R's state what color scheme you can use to paint your house and things like the way the front has to look, "no solar panels on front of house", "mail boxes must be on curb facing street", "No parking on the street after dark", etc.
My neighborhood is beautiful, but sterile.
The CC&R's are good and bad. Problem is, they are usually just get copied from the tract next door and little attention is paid to whether they are too strict or outdated.
The city I live in allows 5 chickens per 1/4 acre, not closer than 20 feet from the house and 35 feet from the neighbors. But, my CC&R's state that no one in the tract can have anything other than residential pets, excepting all poultry and livestock.
So, it comes down to complaints. At any time, my neighbors can complain to "The Association" and they will send me a "Cease and Desist" notice. I then have one month to clear the problem and have an inspection. If I don't get rid of the chickies, they can start at $100 per month and I think it can go as high as $500 per month until I "fix the problem". It could get expensive fast.
For me, my neighbors are really nice and like chickens. The neighbor on my "Coop-side" doesn't even know I have chickens!?? He owns two nightclubs and I think he must be deaf. Still, I can't risk a Roo...
Matt
The HOA is usually made up of people that live in the tract and meet a couple times a month to go through the complaints, etc., made by the people living in the tract. They can levy fines for "Non-compliance".
The CC&R's state what color scheme you can use to paint your house and things like the way the front has to look, "no solar panels on front of house", "mail boxes must be on curb facing street", "No parking on the street after dark", etc.
My neighborhood is beautiful, but sterile.
The CC&R's are good and bad. Problem is, they are usually just get copied from the tract next door and little attention is paid to whether they are too strict or outdated.
The city I live in allows 5 chickens per 1/4 acre, not closer than 20 feet from the house and 35 feet from the neighbors. But, my CC&R's state that no one in the tract can have anything other than residential pets, excepting all poultry and livestock.
So, it comes down to complaints. At any time, my neighbors can complain to "The Association" and they will send me a "Cease and Desist" notice. I then have one month to clear the problem and have an inspection. If I don't get rid of the chickies, they can start at $100 per month and I think it can go as high as $500 per month until I "fix the problem". It could get expensive fast.
For me, my neighbors are really nice and like chickens. The neighbor on my "Coop-side" doesn't even know I have chickens!?? He owns two nightclubs and I think he must be deaf. Still, I can't risk a Roo...
Matt
Many subdivisions/communities are built with a convenant on file at the court house with strict rules about the homes that will be built and sold. When you choose to buy a home in those communities you will sign an agreement governing how your yards will be kept, how your home will be kept, paint colors, car parking, outdoor pets, all sorts of things. It is legal and binding. You can't annex your one home and think you can do anything you want with your own property because you chose to buy there and signed the papers when you purchased your home. You are agreeing to conform to a standard and any changes to your property that might effect the other property must be approved by the appointed governing commity.
What on earth is a Homeowner's Association? I keep hearing it in terms of "my HOA won't let me have chickens". Is it a few jumped-up local residents with too much power or what?
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Lucky for me, we don't have one in this older neighborhood becasue usually the person in charge, typically female, double parks her broom outsdie her front door...the broom she uses for travel..and then goes in the house to wipe the smudge prints off the huge telescope she watches the neighbors through....my poiint is that it normally is someone nosey and bossy and uncompromising. If the person is anti-neighborhood chicken, I imagine you will be in for a rough road petitioning your case to have them, good luck....make sure you check your city ordinances also....
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Lucky for me, we don't have one in this older neighborhood becasue usually the person in charge, typically female, double parks her broom outsdie her front door...the broom she uses for travel..and then goes in the house to wipe the smudge prints off the huge telescope she watches the neighbors through....my poiint is that it normally is someone nosey and bossy and uncompromising. If the person is anti-neighborhood chicken, I imagine you will be in for a rough road petitioning your case to have them, good luck....make sure you check your city ordinances also....
Aren't we a bunch of early birds!
No kidding. We should meet in chat LOL
okay I am game. To the chat!
- Oct 11, 2007
- 657
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I will tell you a horrible story about one of the woman on my HOA board. I live in a area that has 2.5 to 5 acre plots there are sooooooooo many dogs that run loose. One of the guys on the far side of the plots to my west has dogs that are normally fenced. His neighbor 2 doors down is such a dragon the 1 time and she admitted it in front of everyone at the meeting that it was the first time she had seen the dog out, she shoots the dog then hangs it on her fence. As the school bus with the dog 's owner son comes by she stops it to make sure he gets a good look at the dead dog hanging on her fence. She said she called police and even though the dog had not harmed her or threatened her in any way that she could shot it. I did not believe this but I ended up calling police about another dog and before I could say anything the dispatcher said shot it.
So my city sucks ( has animal control just doesn't use it ) and so do my neighbors ( shot if you have too but to tramatize a 10 year old like that).
Kasi
So my city sucks ( has animal control just doesn't use it ) and so do my neighbors ( shot if you have too but to tramatize a 10 year old like that).
Kasi
that is so sad......that people are that unkind....and stupid..hopefully she has a hot little invitation to the smoking section downstairs.............
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