Hot Tub Forum
Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: hot tub Frank on October 05, 2006, 07:12:26 pm
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After 2.5 month of using my hot tub the home owners assosiation decided to send me a letter that it is not approved.
This is just too funny.
How would you react?
P.s
The sign is up to sell my house!!
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do you live in a condo or somthing?
Yup see ya later Id say. Can't even do what you want in your own back yard anymore.
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If you're selling your home, I wouldn't even acknowledge the letter. If you were staying, I would think that you could send them a letter from a doctor. Is the HOA going to tell you that you can't have a doctor-prescribed spa? Probably not.
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Wow... Is it explicitly stated in your covenants? I checked ours before buying a spa just to be sure. Did they give you a reason for why it's not allowed? It's not like you put an eyesore in your yard or something...
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In my development we are not allowed above ground pools. Inground pools, fences and sheds need to be approved by the Board. Nothing about spas thank goodness!!!
I would just contact one of the Board officers for an explanation. Maybe it's their way of asking for a test soak!! ;)
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I WILL NOT live somewhere that's going to tell me what color I can paint my house, how green my lawn must be, or WHAT I CAN DO IN MY OWN BACYARD!
Sorry, homeowners associations piss me off.
So my neighbors could take beter care of their yard. so what. I'd much rather my neighbors lawn be brown that have some old bitty with nothing better to do tell me my house can't be whatever shade of blue I want it to be.
PLUS, the fees!
No way man. I live in a great neighborhood at the beach, a few miles from downtown San Diego. I pay NO fees and no one tells me what to do.
Why buy a house if some comitte of jobless nosey busybodies can tell me what to do with it? And I pay them for the priveledge? No thanks. It's my house. If I want a hot tub, I got one. If I want to paint it bright purple, then bright purple it is.
I'm constantly amazed that anyone would put themselves to such a crazy situation.
Sorry. rant off.
-geekd
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geeg you are right with your reaction.
thats why I am moving out of my sub devision.
It must be a nosy nabor beeing.
but here is the tricky part. My backyard is fenced in with a 6 foot privacy fence you can not see the the hot tub.
i also got i letter when I build a roof over my dog's house so that he has some shade.
It is abvios that the hoa has nothing better to do.
I am suprised that they did not complained about my green grass that it is too green.
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I would never live in a subdivision with a home owners association. I am against them as well..
I have 100 acres of conservation land directly behind my house and I couldn't be happier.
Plenty of privacy and I can do whatever I want.
Only problem is keeping the bears away from the bird feeder.. especially this time of year...
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Just what in the world are they going to do to you if you ignore the ruling or don't comply? It is still your property. They can't come and take it away. Covenants can be tough to enforce except during the original building. FWIW, I have lived (and do now) in two homes that were in neighborhoods that had (have) homeowners associations and covenants.
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Just what in the world are they going to do to you if you ignore the ruling or don't comply?
In our case (Spice owns a condo that's rented to tenants who have "over-decorated" the yard) the HOA added a fine of $50 to our monthly dues, and they threaten to keep adding it until the "violation" is removed.
Ick.
>:(
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I WILL NOT live somewhere that's going to tell me what color I can paint my house, how green my lawn must be, or WHAT I CAN DO IN MY OWN BACYARD!
-geekd
I agree. We looked at a couple of new subdivisions, but there were too many restrictions. We'll stay where we are and be allowed to do what we wish.
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I WILL NOT live somewhere that's going to tell me what color I can paint my house, how green my lawn must be, or WHAT I CAN DO IN MY OWN BACYARD!
-geekd
I agree. We looked at a couple of new subdivisions, but there were too many restrictions. We'll stay where we are and not have to ask a HOA's permission to do what we wish.
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All HOA's have convenence, and when you purchased your house you must have ben given a copy of the rules. For the association to randomly declare your hot tub in violation would be easily challenged. Where is it written in the bylaws that a tub isn't allowed. Their objection is probably more visibilty to other neighbors or the street and not really that hot tubs are not allowed. Most HOA boards are comprised of well meaning people that will work with you. It may be a neighbor who is causing you problems and complaining to the HOA. You have to be gracious and patient, keep your cool, slay them with kindness. In most cases these boards are only dealing with up tight and angry people. Good luck....
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Why is the tub "not approved"? Is it just a formality that they can come over, and after paying an "aproval fee" get it approved? I'm sure a new owner will have something to say if they bought the house from you and inherits this problem?
What do the bylaws state? Are ANY hot tubs allowed? What is needed for an apporval? What is required?
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I was the Architectural Chairperson for three years on my neighborhood's HOA. I am so glad to be done with that.
Did you alert the HOA originally when the tub was installed? If the convenants state it needs to be approved they probably just need to stop by, take a look and then send you an approval letter. Most likely no big deal. Hot tubs/spas are allowed correct?
Unless you get a hard a-- Board member. In that case who knows what could happen! >:(
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It is often said, it is better to seek forgiveness than to ask for permission. ;)
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I feel for you...Seems some neighbors (ALL neghborhoods) have nothing better to do than this crap. I received a "notice" of non-compliance in that the air conditioner's on the side of my house are in "plain sight"? WTF? If this was an issue, the BUILDER should have been forced to have "hidden them. To make it worse, the idiots won't even let me place a fence-style barrier... it HAS to be plants. The plants have to be tall enough to hide the units yet not be any taller than 4 feet tall... ARGH! All this over std AC EVERYONE in the neighborhood has and yet my next door neighbor won't (weeds) more than once a month (They call is a lawn but it is composed 95% of crab grass). Guess what happens every 3 weeks...Yep, the crab grass goes to seed. So essentially, he is seeding my lawn with crabgrass. Argh!!!!
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here is what i did
i send a letter in for the appoval of the tub.
it is now about 2 weeks later and i have not heard an other thing about it.
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I would have asked first.......prior to moving in.
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try to read through one of those, it's way to long.
at this point i really could not care less. i truly belive that they can not refuse my hot tub
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There was a guy on TV last night, on "What's with That House?" on HGTV.
He bought a property in a nice neighborhood, big lot. He wanted to knock down the existing small house and build 2 houses. The HOA said he couldn't do that because his property is "zoned for farmland".
So he got some pigs, roosters, sheep & 2 peacocks.
The pigs smell, the sheep are loud, the roosters wake up the whole neighborhood at 6am, and he says when the peacocks become adults they will be loud enough to hear for blocks around.
He's now waiting for the HOA to cave in.
:)
-geekd
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I LOVE that farmland reference. GOOD FOR HIM! However, the HOA's CAN and DO have the ability to levy fines and can even place liens against your property. You may "ignore it" but then when it comes time to sell your house, you may be in a world of hurt with fees, late payments, etc that you MUST pay off (or settle in court) prior to closing on YOUR OWN HOUSE. My advice...Submit your request for approval. If they turn you down get specific details that outline what EXACTLY is not in compliance. Make certain to place carefully structured text into your application. Something like "...and I believe that this will be in compliance with neighborhood guideances. If I haven't recieved a response within 2 weeks of submittal, that will be an admission by the HOA panel of acceptance of my hottub and an acknowldgement of compliance on my part". You can push it even further asking them to provide you a formal response with the HOA's attorney's letterhead within that same (reasonable) two week period. All this does it FORCE them to respond promptly and in a court of law their delays could be viewed in your favor. Use the law to your advantage and you should do OK here.
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your right but it takes a few month before they can do somthing.
and by them i am hopfully out of there
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HOA's and covenants are one of the dumbest things I've ever come across. When I moved into my home several years ago, a neighbor approached me, introduced himself and asked if I would be in favor of creating a HOA. I said: "I'd pack up and leave before I agreed to that. One of the reasons I built a home here is because there isn't a HOA!"
A co-worker got himself voted on as the president of his HOA for the sole reason of having it abolished. He succeeded and he says how much nicer it is to live there now. For everyone!
What sucks is most of the stiffs on these boards don't want to take any initiative to solve the problems in a respectable time-frame. Let me say I'm basing that on many stories I've heard regarding situations like this.
If they were smart they'd tell the person(s) complaining to shut their traps and take care of their own business.
It's a sad day when you can't put a tub in your own yard. :'(
Good luck Frank. I feel for you.
Damn, now I'm grouchy. >:(