I’ve read some real horror stories about HOA’s and I wondered why they exist/proliferated. Of course some of it is the power of the developers. But why do people buy in? Because they want to keep out the “riff raff.” But to one riff raff is a black person, to another it’s the hippie, to another it’s the person who doesn’t pull the weeds. But in almost all cases it’s to keep out “the other.” ( a well researched concept in sociology) That’s why the main complaint @Annet3176 heard was “we don’t know who is renting.”
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@KKC. Around here, HOA’s are not about gated communities. It is about two and three family buildings that have been converted to condominiums. The two and three family buildings were the old fashioned building block to the middle class for immigrants. Now, in the crazy market that is Boston, these buildings are being converted into condos and along with this comes the HOA. We are talking an HOA with two or three groups. It is intimate and personal. In this case, it isn’t the “other”, it is who the hell is going to remove the snow.
It is sad to see the multi-generational buildings going away. But, the number of slum-lords has diminished, while the amount of affordable housing options for families has followed suite. Complicated stuff.
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I read that 20% of American housing is under an HOA but what I was reading was talking about new builds where developers get what they want.
The people I know who favor living in a dwelling with an HOA are people who like conformity. In California HOAs can cover condos, coops and single family dwellings in planned communities. Personally, I like the freedom to decorate as I wish, landscape as I wish, get whatever pets I wish as long as the law allows, have garage sales, etc. I have a friend who gets upset when his neighbors use unusual paint colors (purple drives him close to insanity), doesn’t want his neighbors to have basketball hoops on the front of their houses, wants them to take in their trash bins as soon as the city picks them up, etc. I am unsuited to living under an HOA. He is well suited to living under an HOA.
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HOA’s “presumably” help maintain value of a neighborhood.
Typical rules are:
- architectural controls on structures
- controls on things like garbage cans
- controls on parking
- controls on boat storage
- forced upkeep
etc.
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This is why I have been advised to ask for the minutes of any meetings for 2-5 years before any planned purchase.
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Also to enourage those of us with HOAs to actively be good neighbors by insuring our neighbors understand the STR process & have our contact information in case they have problem, concerns or questions so the negative nellies don’t create problems.
I’m on the board for the HOA of the condo complex I live in and have a STR rental 2 doors down. I actually enjoy being on the board. For many reasons including looking out for my STR self-interest, I’m planning on staying on the board until they pry me off with a crow-bar.
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Changes are happening everywhere not just HOA, cities are changing regulations. Just because it’s legal one day it doesn’t mean it’s legal the next.
If you’re buying a property with the sole intent to do STR my recommendation is to make sure that a long-term tenant can cover the mortgage, just in case anything happens. Many towns are prohibiting rentals for less than 30 days… In NY the city is coming after legal hosts for zoning and “complains” they created the Office of Special Enforcement and it doesn’t matter if you’re sharing your home with a guest.
We are a beach subdivision of single family homes. Our HOA has CCRs so that someone doesn’t build a two story showplace and the guy next door lives in a Matson container or a school bus. 
They have to approve architectural plans to maintain the character of the neighborhood. They maintain the common areas, pay for a lua at the beach, and enforce things like dog barking fines. They also have fixed bad sections on our super steep road. They do some other stuff I don’t like but let’s just stick to the positives. Our dues are only $335 a year… Not too bad.
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We just went through the EXACT same thing with our HOA. We ended up selling, but not the point of my comment. I wanted to relay what I was told by our lawyer, as we banded together with the Other STRs in our complex. Trying to fight a HOA is an uphill battle and you are essentially paying them (HOA dues) to fight you.
If you are only renting 2 times a year, why don’t you take the warning (as most HOAs must warn before they find) and then the fine (granted its still economically feasible)? That is what the other STRers in our previous complex were doing since the HOA fine structure was $100 for violations 1-5.
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I like the idea of the warning fine. Yep $100 is the amount. Thank you for sharing.
Because fighting the HOA is an uphill battle is a valid point. I’m trying proactively to be a good neighbor with sharing my phone number & information with the immediate neighbors but there is always “one”.
My thought is if you are only doing it twice a year the fine may be worth it. Check the HOA rules to verify you get warned then fined and also the ‘listing’ is not considered a findable offense.
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Also, if the weekend were booked prior to the change of rules, you may have a argument to be grand fathered in for those two bookings. I wouldn’t cancel, and just see what happens. But I’m a rule breaker.
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Yes. But conformity to what? Conformity to their tastes and preferences. So, in the end, they’re really people who want to control everyone else so they live exactly the way they want them to live.
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Yes, it’s a group of people who decide on standards for their community. As I said previously, I would never live in a dwelling covered by an HOA. This is because I don’t like conformity. I don’t agree that these people want to control everyone else. Anyone who buys or rents a dwelling covered by an HOA is well aware of it. As it’s their choice, they aren’t being bullied.