Do chickens lower property values?

[JanetR]

The board of our HOA met today (I am a member) to discuss my 13 week old chickens. The Cc&R prohibit coops and poultry but allow "household pets such as cats and dogs" so I went prepared with articles, photos and lots of BYC printouts to show that the 30 year old rules are out of date and chickens can be considered household pets. Well, it did not go well. The main concern is that they will lower the property values and no one will buy a house in this community if they know that chickens are allowed. There was a vote by raising hands, but just to answer the question who is opposed, not who is in favor. I don't even know if that was legal.

I need to speak to the HOA attorney. She could not attend the meeting. What questions should I ask? I have 30 days to come back and tell them what I am going to do with my girls.

 

[stoopid]

Hi Janet. I don't know where you are, but if I can do anything to help, I am also on LI. We have a thread for us locals downstate and I may actually learn how to post a link someday. I am in Ridge, feel free to PM me if you need anything. Roberta

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

Who invented this idea of HOAs? My neighbors are NEVER going to tell me what I can and cannot have for pets on my property. It gives me a headache just thinking about it. Here, you pay a fee to have a group of your neighbors set rules on how you get to live your life. Can't have too many cars in the driveway, can't plant a garden, no chickens and we choose the color of your house and roof. Let's buy and pay taxes on something we have no control over. Sorry, obviously you choose to live where there is an HOA, but it just blows my mind that anyone would want this mini government on their backs.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Get statements from a number of local realtors as to how the presence of chickens within the limits allowed by city/county/zoning affects property values. Also get some articles on how small flock keeping is becoming more and more popular, and lists of well-known people who live in upscale neighborhoods that have flocks. Especially pay attention to those who have lots similar in size to those in your neighborhood. Be sure to mention that the HOA would still have the same powers as they currently do for approving visible additions to the yard and home (as is fairly common (but not universal) with HOAs). For example, if they have the power to fine you for an unkempt yard, that would still remain. If they can require that a dog house be kept in a location not visible, or that it must match the finish of the home or ..., then the same requirements would pertain to a coop.

ANY poorly kept/maintained house/yard will have an affect on neighboring properties; by the same token, homes kept in exemplary condition also affect neighboring properties, chickens can be on either side of the equation.

There are also a couple of threads on here that discuss the affect of chickens on property values.

 

[JanetR]

Quote:
Thank you, SS for the advice. The realtor statememnts is a good idea. I did bring copies of magazine and newspaper articles, I made a packet for each member, and I brought photos which no one looked at either. I did make the coop in the same style as my house as I knew that is a requirement. This is an "upscale" neighborhood of mostly vacation homes, I happen to live here year round.

 

[calista]

Good luck to you, Janet!

Here's something that may help from 2010 in Columbia, Missouri:

However, some Columbia residents — namely, Realtors — say that chickens are uniquely harmful because people think of them as farm animals. They claim that the chicken ordinance will lower property values, and that chickens next door to homes on the market could quash sales. These Realtors overlook the fact that the ordinance doesn’t override neighborhood associations’ covenants or landlords’ policies, which can exclude chickens. Chickens are not about to move into a community of mansions and destroy the value of the surrounding estates. And, as several commenters indicated, some people would actually prefer to buy a house in a city that allows chickens.

And, if anybody gives you any grief about roosters, there was also a great line in this article to remember:

One Realtor who spoke predicted that wild roosters will find a way into the coops despite the owners’ best intentions. I find it hard to believe a rooster could break into a coop that, by law, is made of sturdy fencing with a wire net on top — unless the rooster had access to power tools.

Sometimes humor can win over opponents when nothing else works.

http://www.showmedaily.org/2010/02/urban-chicken-victory-in.html

 

[redriver]

Quote:
You might want to point out that some of the cities with the highest property values in the country allow chickens. Off the top of my head, NYC, LA, Denver, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland (Oregon). Sorry, I am west coast, so I am more familiar with the ordinances on this end of the country. I think NYC and LA even allow roosters and don't have a limit on the numbers, but I would double check that.

Basically, I've found that the property value argument is the boogy-man when it comes to people/groups being against chickens. Nobody (that I know of, and I've looked extensively) has any documentation that it is true, but they still think it exists. It is fear mongering at worst, and prejudicial at best.

Good luck.

RedRiver

 

[Critical]

Who invented this idea of HOAs? My neighbors are NEVER going to tell me what I can and cannot have for pets on my property. It gives me a headache just thinking about it. Here, you pay a fee to have a group of your neighbors set rules on how you get to live your life. Can't have too many cars in the driveway, can't plant a garden, no chickens and we choose the color of your house and roof. Let's buy and pay taxes on something we have no control over. Sorry, obviously you choose to live where there is an HOA, but it just blows my mind that anyone would want this mini government on their backs.

The board of our HOA met today (I am a member) to discuss my 13 week old chickens. The Cc&R prohibit coops and poultry but allow "household pets such as cats and dogs" so I went prepared with articles, photos and lots of BYC printouts to show that the 30 year old rules are out of date and chickens can be considered household pets. Well, it did not go well. The main concern is that they will lower the property values and no one will buy a house in this community if they know that chickens are allowed. There was a vote by raising hands, but just to answer the question who is opposed, not who is in favor. I don't even know if that was legal.

I need to speak to the HOA attorney. She could not attend the meeting. What questions should I ask? I have 30 days to come back and tell them what I am going to do with my girls.

I have the same problem. I am 13 and I am trying to convince my neighborhood to let me get chickens. I got rejected harshly. I Was really sad.

 

[Critical]

I really hate living in a neighbor hood were other people controlling what I can keep and what I can't keep in my back yard.

 

[Acre4Me]

I really hate living in a neighbor hood were other people controlling what I can keep and what I can't keep in my back yard.

you are 13, so it is not your property. It is your parent’s property. The HOA rules were signed by your parents as a legally binding contract, so they are the ones being told what to do. Your parents would be the ones to have to get permission For chickens.
Have them look at HOA docs to see specifically what is stated. Usually Poultry are named and forbidden. Occasionally it has been reported on BYC that there are exceptions for small flocks of poultry with specific guidelines. Sometimes the exceptions are only for educational purposes (such as for kids in 4-H).

If you are in an older HOA that is not active (but still exists), there have been some success stories with getting the HOA dissolved...but this is not common. If the HOA were no longer in play, you would still be subject to the local laws for your city/town/county.