Condo Associations`

[wmccall]

Anyone ever had to deal with condo associations or other development boards about installing hot tubs?  I just helped my Mom move into a new home in April and was back to visit over the weekend.   We got to walk the neighborhood and tour some houses still under construction.  

I don't consider this a condo in the sense I am used to. She has a single floor 2 bedroom free standing home.  There will be  similar home on one side and a 4 bedroom place on the other. She is located between the 8th and 9th holes of what will be a pretty nice golf course.  But this is something of a condo community in that all the landscaping and grounds work are done by the golf course (I don't know a lot about this subject)  They don't give you the thick book of association rules until closing.  

In talking to some of the neighbors, I get the board is getting nasty about somethings. I guess they have a no satelite dish rule, but I thought those went out with the old 8 foot dish days.   I heard that one family has a hot tub and that they might have to remove it.  I found the site and you wouldn't even know the hot tub is there with the wonderful landscaping these people have done. Hard to believe these kind of rules exist.  I can see the need for some neighborhood standards, but its not like they have an old Airstream on blocks with "show me your teets" banners flying in the front yard.  I guess I won't be moving here when she passes on.  My Mom could careless about hottubs as her MS prevents her from using one, but now she is worried about her life size plastic illumnated Nativity. She was told at closing it was ok, but now I have to wonder  

[doodoo]

Bill, in any development there may be some or a lot of Covenants built into the properties. In this case you mentioned satelite dishes and perhaps hot tubs  .  

For the most part a developer can build any covenant into the property, but those must be included into the sales documents and made aware to the owner be it free hold or condo. After all, as an owner you must agree to all of these.  Failure to do so renders the sales invalid or a point in favour of the owner as they have a right to keep said elements and were not fully aprise in a legal manner prior to purchase.  If they were part of the sales agreement it may be buyer beware.

[drb]

Hey now!  Don't be dissin' Airstreams!

[Starlight]

Just as a point of information, in most cases people are legally entitled to set up a an antenna for satellite reception.  Many  homeowners' associations and apartment managers either haven't heard of the law or are trying to steamroll people, but their is a federal law allowing reasonable accomodation for antennas provided certain restrictions are met.  If I remember correctly, the dish can be no more than 1.5 meters in diameter and must be situated on a part of the condo/apartment that is not considered common shared space.  With detached units, the requirements should be easy to satisfy.  Many tenants have had to threaten legal action to be able to exercise this "right" though.  I am unaware of any such allowance for spas.

[Gary]

I tried to help one person in a condo that had a decibal limit and it was so low that it did matter what oyu did to the spa.

Gary

[wmccall]

Hey now!  Don't be dissin' Airstreams!

Only ones on blocks.     Actually, my mom use to own a large Coachman class A, I'll be she couldn't have it there.  The fact that there is no room for it not withstanding.