7 ms·

I used to feel very strongly against HOAs, but for the past year or so I have been dealing with a neighbor who puts out bulk trash improperly (basically a big p

I used to feel very strongly against HOAs, but for the past year or so I have been dealing with a neighbor who puts out bulk trash improperly (basically a big pile of random trash) and doesn't call it for pickup so it sits for weeks if not months. This is more than an eyesore. It often includes glass and other items that kids (including theirs) break in the road where I walk my dog. He had a splinter of wood from their garbage pile go straight through his foot, but luckily is fine. A few houses down the bank owns a house that was a foreclosure three years ago that no one lives in and is falling apart. I guess they were not able to get any money at auction for it so now are just sitting on it until they can write it off as a total loss and sell the property for land value. Apparently no one can do anything about either problem.

mikem170 5y ago
Every municipality I've lived in has laws on the books against putting out trash too early, and also about condemning property (which I am admittedly not as familiar with, but I assume priorities safety over aesthetics, which makes sense). Municipalities have code enforcement and city councils to enforce the above rules. I've seen municipalities that do a better job at these kind of things than HOAs. I've also seen HOAs that don't do a good job of enforcing their laws, seemingly falling apart. (I wonder if they can be sued in these cases?) For example, I've seen HOA neighborhoods with cars parked everywhere - driveways, street, blocking driveways, and on lawns, because the houses were unaffordable unless four or more working people lived there, and there was no way to get anywhere except via car.