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Home Owners Associations already block solar, unfortunately I give this a 0% chance of getting approved in any neighborhood that has one :( EDIT: ==== Don't

Home Owners Associations already block solar, unfortunately I give this a 0% chance of getting approved in any neighborhood that has one :( EDIT: ==== Don't shoot the messenger. I don't agree with it either.

seydor 4y ago
> Home Owners Associations already block solar on what grounds?
- micromacrofoot 4y ago
  curb appeal, my realtor said that solar panels are actually a downside a lot of the time when he's dealing with the higher end of the real estate market
- exabrial 4y ago
  Usually that "it's an eyesore" or some other BS. That's the entire reason the Tesla solar roof has a market share, is that it "looks like" a normal roof without giant boxes on top of a house. again, I think the whole notion is silly and counterproductive, just reporting on reality.
- doctorhandshake 4y ago
  In my understanding, the justification commonly given is that the disruption to the unified neighborhood aesthetics is bad for resale value - resale being the justification HOAs use to block anything they don’t like.
- Tangurena2 4y ago
  Satellite dishes used to be banned by almost all HOAs in America until the FCC prohibited it. https://spectrumam.com/fcc-regulations-satellite-dishes https://spectrumam.com/fcc-regulations-satellite-dishes Basically: If the buildings are condos or townhomes, then the building is owned by the HOA. In a condo, the homeowner owns from the paint inwards. In a townhouse, the HOA owns the structural elements, but in short, the homeowner owns the sheetrock and paint on "their" side of the walls. Exterior walls and roofs are owned by the HOA. If the buildings are detached single family houses, then the building is owned by the homeowner.
mywittyname 4y ago
Some do. Mine doesn't. And there are laws being passed across the country making solar access a legal right for all home owners. Plus, I doubt these would work on typical suburban houses, given their roof pitch. Houses would need to be designed with flat roofs in mind in order to accommodate these things. Thus, you're looking at this being applied to new construction in most of the USA.
ElevenLathe 4y ago
They similarly hate ham radio antennas, but there are federal laws that mean you can do it anyway and they can pound sand. Something similar could be put in place for solar/wind installations.
- pencilguin 4y ago
  I have seen conflicting claims about ham antennas. If you have an overriding right to a ham antenna, you can threaten to put one up if they don't back down over something else. (To be clear, this would be a good thing.) If you already have one, you could threaten to expand it.
MonkeyMalarky 4y ago
I love the inherent contradiction of the existence of HOAs. Americans love freedom and small government so much, they have to invent a worse and more invasive replacement.
- Tangurena2 4y ago
  There is no transparency nor accountability for the "condo commandos" who rule some HOA boards like the girls in Mean Girls. I've ended up on 2 separate condo boards and each time I swear "never again!". Maybe this time I mean it.
- exabrial 4y ago
  It's absurd. People are forced into them if they want to buy a house, and part of the agreement is if you sell the house, you can only sell it to a person that agrees to sign. It _should_ be illegal, especially given the racist history that HOAs were designed for.
  - kortilla 4y ago
    > People are forced into them if they want to buy a house “Forced” in the sense that they voluntarily enter them by buying a house in an HOA. Each HOA (or lack thereof) is a property of the house you are looking to buy. Complaining about being forced to take the HOA is like complaining about being forced to be a part of the county.
    - yjftsjthsd-h 4y ago
      > Each HOA (or lack thereof) is a property of the house you are looking to buy. Complaining about being forced to take the HOA is like complaining about being forced to be a part of the county. No, it's like complaining that the lawn has been saturated with salt so that it can never grow properly, and a previous owner somehow managed to legally enshrine that so that you can't fix it.
      - kortilla 4y ago
kortilla 4y ago
No they can’t. It’s illegal for an HOA to block solar: https://aurorasolar.com/blog/how-to-get-hoa-solar-approval-tips-for-success/ https://aurorasolar.com/blog/how-to-get-hoa-solar-approval-t...
- mattmaroon 4y ago
  That article is pretty clear that it’s only protected via solar access laws in some states, and even in many of those states while they sometimes can’t specifically prohibit panels they can make them basically impossible to find placement for with rules about what can go In outdoor spaces, requiring permission and permits, etc. OP is right, HOAs can be a nightmare for someone wanting to install solar. I’m dealing with this in one of my units currently.
carlsborg 4y ago
These are not meant for residential units (yet)
danans 4y ago
In California at least, the law forbids HOAs from blocking solar: https://findhoalaw.com/solar-panels-solar-energy-systems/ https://findhoalaw.com/solar-panels-solar-energy-systems/
harshaw 4y ago
not sure of your state but in Massachusetts the state law overrides these HOA rules.
beembeem 4y ago
This is a poor blanket statement. This is not true in California.

seydor 4y ago

> Home Owners Associations already block solar on what grounds?

micromacrofoot 4y ago
curb appeal, my realtor said that solar panels are actually a downside a lot of the time when he's dealing with the higher end of the real estate market
exabrial 4y ago
Usually that "it's an eyesore" or some other BS. That's the entire reason the Tesla solar roof has a market share, is that it "looks like" a normal roof without giant boxes on top of a house. again, I think the whole notion is silly and counterproductive, just reporting on reality.
doctorhandshake 4y ago
In my understanding, the justification commonly given is that the disruption to the unified neighborhood aesthetics is bad for resale value - resale being the justification HOAs use to block anything they don’t like.
Tangurena2 4y ago
Satellite dishes used to be banned by almost all HOAs in America until the FCC prohibited it. https://spectrumam.com/fcc-regulations-satellite-dishes https://spectrumam.com/fcc-regulations-satellite-dishes Basically: If the buildings are condos or townhomes, then the building is owned by the HOA. In a condo, the homeowner owns from the paint inwards. In a townhouse, the HOA owns the structural elements, but in short, the homeowner owns the sheetrock and paint on "their" side of the walls. Exterior walls and roofs are owned by the HOA. If the buildings are detached single family houses, then the building is owned by the homeowner.

mywittyname 4y ago

Some do. Mine doesn't. And there are laws being passed across the country making solar access a legal right for all home owners. Plus, I doubt these would work on typical suburban houses, given their roof pitch. Houses would need to be designed with flat roofs in mind in order to accommodate these things. Thus, you're looking at this being applied to new construction in most of the USA.

ElevenLathe 4y ago

They similarly hate ham radio antennas, but there are federal laws that mean you can do it anyway and they can pound sand. Something similar could be put in place for solar/wind installations.

pencilguin 4y ago
I have seen conflicting claims about ham antennas. If you have an overriding right to a ham antenna, you can threaten to put one up if they don't back down over something else. (To be clear, this would be a good thing.) If you already have one, you could threaten to expand it.

MonkeyMalarky 4y ago

I love the inherent contradiction of the existence of HOAs. Americans love freedom and small government so much, they have to invent a worse and more invasive replacement.

Tangurena2 4y ago
There is no transparency nor accountability for the "condo commandos" who rule some HOA boards like the girls in Mean Girls. I've ended up on 2 separate condo boards and each time I swear "never again!". Maybe this time I mean it.
exabrial 4y ago
It's absurd. People are forced into them if they want to buy a house, and part of the agreement is if you sell the house, you can only sell it to a person that agrees to sign. It _should_ be illegal, especially given the racist history that HOAs were designed for.
- kortilla 4y ago
  > People are forced into them if they want to buy a house “Forced” in the sense that they voluntarily enter them by buying a house in an HOA. Each HOA (or lack thereof) is a property of the house you are looking to buy. Complaining about being forced to take the HOA is like complaining about being forced to be a part of the county.
  - yjftsjthsd-h 4y ago
    > Each HOA (or lack thereof) is a property of the house you are looking to buy. Complaining about being forced to take the HOA is like complaining about being forced to be a part of the county. No, it's like complaining that the lawn has been saturated with salt so that it can never grow properly, and a previous owner somehow managed to legally enshrine that so that you can't fix it.
    - kortilla 4y ago

kortilla 4y ago

No they can’t. It’s illegal for an HOA to block solar: https://aurorasolar.com/blog/how-to-get-hoa-solar-approval-tips-for-success/ https://aurorasolar.com/blog/how-to-get-hoa-solar-approval-t...

mattmaroon 4y ago
That article is pretty clear that it’s only protected via solar access laws in some states, and even in many of those states while they sometimes can’t specifically prohibit panels they can make them basically impossible to find placement for with rules about what can go In outdoor spaces, requiring permission and permits, etc. OP is right, HOAs can be a nightmare for someone wanting to install solar. I’m dealing with this in one of my units currently.

carlsborg 4y ago

These are not meant for residential units (yet)

danans 4y ago

In California at least, the law forbids HOAs from blocking solar: https://findhoalaw.com/solar-panels-solar-energy-systems/ https://findhoalaw.com/solar-panels-solar-energy-systems/

harshaw 4y ago

not sure of your state but in Massachusetts the state law overrides these HOA rules.

beembeem 4y ago

This is a poor blanket statement. This is not true in California.