I'm writing an article on HOA abuses in NoVa --- specifically about board members who abuse their power (such as selective enforcement that favors some and penalizes others for personal reasons, making up "rules" that suit their own agendas, piling on fines or other penalties to settle personal scores, giving jobs paid for by HOA dues to family members, etc.)

If you have a story to tell, I would love to hear it! You don't have to use your real name but WOULD need to give the name of your neighborhood / subdivision and basic timeframe when the incident took place.

Thanks!

How do you prove that are using selective enforcement or penalizing folks based on personal reasons? It sounds like folks get mad when they get notified of a violation and then assume they were targeted or their neighbors didn't get notices. Either way, how do you know they are using selective enforcement tactics beyond a doubt?

I know somebody who put their garbage cans in the wrong place and got a $900 fine.

How about writing an article about all the deadbeat homeowners who refuse to follow the covenants and rules they agreed to abide by when purchasing a home in the neighborhood... And then those same people who complain about "neighbord nazis" who are trying to enforce the rules. People who are doing this work as volunteers..

Fairfax County is one big HOA thanks to the Department of Code Compliance.

Do an article on them. How they are not supervised, how it is documented that people file complaints to get revenge, but Code Compliance does nothing about it. Also, in 2013, the Board of Supervisors gave them expanded powers, including the ability to break down doors to conduct inspections and also arrest powers. There was supposed to be a follow up on this, but it never happened.

M Van Scott Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm writing an article on HOA abuses in NoVa ---
> specifically about board members who abuse their
> power (such as selective enforcement that favors
> some and penalizes others for personal reasons,
> making up "rules" that suit their own agendas,
> piling on fines or other penalties to settle
> personal scores, giving jobs paid for by HOA dues
> to family members, etc.)
>
> If you have a story to tell, I would love to hear
> it! You don't have to use your real name but WOULD
> need to give the name of your neighborhood /
> subdivision and basic timeframe when the incident
> took place.
>
> Thanks!

Wow, you sound like a very unbiased reporter. You should write for the Post.

mjs82 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How about writing an article about all the
> deadbeat homeowners who refuse to follow the
> covenants and rules they agreed to abide by when
> purchasing a home in the neighborhood... And then
> those same people who complain about "neighbord
> nazis" who are trying to enforce the rules.
> People who are doing this work as volunteers..


That is a good point. If you sign an agreement, you sign an agreement.

I love smoking out all the HOA moms on the board. I have railed 4 of them now. Those HOA girls love that dick.

Hey Better Story, I searched the site and can't find language about them being able to bust my door down. Can you point me to where it's listed? Thx

There is zero voluntary "agreement" when it comes to restrictive covenants. They are contracts of adhesion, and are attached to new real estate (and most anything that has been built in the last 40 years) like barnacles.

When the option is "Don't live where you need to live for work," there is no option.

New england truth

But there is plenty of agreenment. Buy the property live, and die by the CCR if you don't like the CCR then go buy another property.


Generally, the CCR's are in place to maintain property easthetics. Ie prevent the guy next door from painting his house pink and green, ensuring that proper maintenace is done(yard cut, no spare engines hanging from the trees, ect) the kind of stuff that help maintain property values.

not real earth shattering stuff here.

there are plenty of places to live which don't have CCR's.

Reston ain't one of them. That's a whole fucking city equivalent.

The HOA was established before you purchased.
The State of VA mandates that every buyer get a copy of the rules and regs before you purchase. You have 72 hours to review them and back out of the contract.
Buyer beware.
Stop crying and take ownership of your bad decision.

Stop crying about how bad things are and start doing something about it.
You can join the board and change things.

Garbage cans Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I know somebody who put their garbage cans in the
> wrong place and got a $900 fine.



Cause those are the rules and the State Laws back them up.

The big question is, who would be so stupid as to allow themselves to get fined $900 over the location of their trashcan?

How hard is it to obey simple rules?

".....Also, in 2013, the Board of Supervisors gave them expanded powers, including the ability to break down doors to conduct inspections and also arrest powers."
==========
That's hard to believe. Cite?

LJevY Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ".....Also, in 2013, the Board of Supervisors gave
> them expanded powers, including the ability to
> break down doors to conduct inspections and also
> arrest powers."
> ==========
> That's hard to believe. Cite?


http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpz/zoningordinance/adopted/zo13439.pdf

> Wow, you sound like a very unbiased reporter. You
> should write for the Post.

He's starting with a premise: Some HOAs abuse their power. The facts he finds will either support it, or they won't.

Bulova = Hitler Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> LJevY Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > ".....Also, in 2013, the Board of Supervisors
> gave
> > them expanded powers, including the ability to
> > break down doors to conduct inspections and
> also
> > arrest powers."
> > ==========
> > That's hard to believe. Cite?
>
>
> http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpz/zoningordinance/a
> dopted/zo13439.pdf

Doesn't say a word about breaking down doors and making arrests. It does say that the board may seek an inspection warrant, which presumably would be issued by a judge upon good cause like any other warrant.

^^^ Agree.

What alternative do they have if a homeowner is in violation for say, a safety issue, rats all over the place, and the homeowner refuses to let them inspect and won't act on the violation. They just keep asking to inspect while rodents spread disease and spread to other homes? I don't want to live across the street from that, thanks.

does anyone under the age of 60 support HOAs? you old fuckers still haven't figured out that you're actually working against your stated goal of maintaining property value. young families are eschewing suburbs at an increasing pace, partly because your ridiculous covenants don't change with the times.

nobody buys a $700k house and then lets it go to shit. and even if they did, county regs can handle that type of situation.

just more panicky bullshit from useless people.

also the contract of adhesion point made above is an interesting one.

Whaaaaaaat? Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ^^^ Agree.
>
> What alternative do they have if a homeowner is in
> violation for say, a safety issue, rats all over
> the place, and the homeowner refuses to let them
> inspect and won't act on the violation. They just
> keep asking to inspect while rodents spread
> disease and spread to other homes? I don't want
> to live across the street from that, thanks.

Code Compliance can break down your door, throw you out and then barricade the house. The woman who used to work for Craven's Nursery got her house taken away through eminent domain.

There is no oversight of the Code Compliance function. It is well documented people use it to get revenge but they don't address that, they just ask for more money.

Woodburn Village Annandale HOA is the worst. My car has been broken into twice in their parking lot. They put up security cameras around the main office not the neighborhood..LOL! They have no Website with news updates so they still use paper and slip under everyone's door. waste of money! get with the times!! 19% of the community has not payed their HOA fees which kills the property value. I thought HOA's are here to help the homeowner not hurt them.

depends on the HOA. some are legitimately trying to improve value. problem is the concept has outlived its usefulness as the market has driven up property values in the last 20 years.

then add in the HOAs which are staffed by people desperate to prove their self-importance to a world that doesn't care about them. those are the dangerous ones.

>Code Compliance can break down your door, throw you out and
>then barricade the house. The woman who used to work for
>Craven's Nursery got her house taken away through eminent domain.
>There is no oversight of the Code Compliance function. It is
>well documented people use it to get revenge but they don't
>address that, they just ask for more money.

Whaaaaaat? What violation is going to cause them to do the above?

I'm still trying to figure out how you use it for revenge. If you mean someone reports someone and that person turns around and reports the OP then seriously, wouldn't both actually have to be in violation and, if so, shouldn't they both just fix their problems and move the F on?

Whaaaaaaat? Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> >Code Compliance can break down your door, throw
> you out and
> >then barricade the house. The woman who used to
> work for
> >Craven's Nursery got her house taken away through
> eminent domain.
> >There is no oversight of the Code Compliance
> function. It is
> >well documented people use it to get revenge but
> they don't
> >address that, they just ask for more money.
>
> Whaaaaaat? What violation is going to cause them
> to do the above?
>
> I'm still trying to figure out how you use it for
> revenge. If you mean someone reports someone and
> that person turns around and reports the OP then
> seriously, wouldn't both actually have to be in
> violation and, if so, shouldn't they both just fix
> their problems and move the F on?

They respond to EVERY report. It is a big hassle to have them come out. And, they always seem to find something. Did you just move a piece of furniture? Well, if it is too near the window, they say it is a fire hazard. Did you just finish a yard project, some tools still out? They say improper outside storage.

And once they write the report you have to correct it and they come back out again. Major hassle. The anonymous complaint system is broken. Go to the Code Compliance website, look at how many on certain addresses with either nothing found or some ridiculous thing found.

It's really me, Whaaaaaat, but I can't stop laughing at your claim that they tell you to move a couch.

Enjoy your own little world... fire hazard that it may be.

I have a story to tell. I live in a small community (about 150 houses), with some rules.

Then some idiot comes in, never mows his law, let's newspapers accumulate in his driveway; puts out trash three days before pick-up; etc.

Yeah, I hope the HOA fines the asshole, and, frankly, I hope it affects his ability to borrow in the future. He's a scumbag.

If you don't like the HOA in the community you live in, then move. It's that simple. In fact, please leave Fairfax County.

Go live in Prince William County where there are billboards everywhere, and your next door neighbor is selling used tires.

I DO in fact know someone who was told they had to rearrange their furniture. The Code guy had a tape measure and quoted rules about distance to windows or something.

The furniture which they had brought from a move would not fit into the Code guidelines. The Code guy did not care, he told them he would go to the magistrate if they could not create proper "egress" with their furniture.

They ended up having to give away a couple pieces of nice furniture to avoid criminal prosecution.

This is ridiculous.

If a subdivision has a certain amount of community space it is required by law that the developer create a HOA and they write most rules at this time and the residents vote the officers in as soon as there are enough residents to do that.

If a development does not have the amount of community space this is not needed by law and its up to the people to start a HOA.

If a HOA is started after the fact they may not have as many rules as one that was in place from the start. And it can be hard to start a HOA and the rules they write may have to have many grandfather rules.

The main reason for a HOA in development with common ground is to provide a legal ownership of the common ground.

Our HOA architectural control committee is out of control. They write people up for painting the "wrong" color, putting grass carpet on front steps, leaving trash cans in the front yard, having a dirty fence or siding, peeled paint, broken light fixtures, and lots of other minor violations.

If you don't fix what they tell you, they send you two more letters, then threaten to fine you.

Their excuse for all this enforcement is that's why our townhouses sell for $50,000 more than the newer townhouses down the street that don't enforce their rules.

As soon as I can I'm moving to a place where I can leave my trash cans out and paint my house whatever color I want.

They also spend too much money on landscaping. We don't need flowers at the entrances, new trees every time one dies, or the grass mowed every week. It would be better to get rid of all that and install native plants.

This type of bullshit:

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2015/01/lawsuit_pickup_truck_not_welcome_in_fayetteville_development.html

speaking the truth Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I DO in fact know someone who was told they had to
> rearrange their furniture. The Code guy had a tape
> measure and quoted rules about distance to windows
> or something.
>
> The furniture which they had brought from a move
> would not fit into the Code guidelines. The Code
> guy did not care, he told them he would go to the
> magistrate if they could not create proper
> "egress" with their furniture.

I'd like to know more about what the furniture was and where it was placed. It sounds ridiculous, but if somebody had, say, a giant couch blocking an exit it really could be a safety hazard and a code violation.

I think there is more to the story than our poster is telling us.

HOA Deadbeat Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> They also spend too much money on landscaping. We
> don't need flowers at the entrances, new trees
> every time one dies, or the grass mowed every
> week. It would be better to get rid of all that
> and install native plants.


Join the volunteer Board and make the changes yourself.
Quit sitting on the sidelines bitching like a little girl.
The Association is run by those that are willing to run it.

HOA Deadbeat Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Our HOA architectural control committee is out of
> control. They write people up for painting the
> "wrong" color, putting grass carpet on front
> steps, leaving trash cans in the front yard,
> having a dirty fence or siding, peeled paint,
> broken light fixtures, and lots of other minor
> violations.
>
> If you don't fix what they tell you, they send you
> two more letters, then threaten to fine you.
>
> Their excuse for all this enforcement is that's
> why our townhouses sell for $50,000 more than the
> newer townhouses down the street that don't
> enforce their rules.
>
> As soon as I can I'm moving to a place where I can
> leave my trash cans out and paint my house
> whatever color I want.


And when you sell, hopefully your home will be worth more because the evil HOA has made sure that everything looks as good as it did when you bought the prop.

ChrisK Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Woodburn Village Annandale HOA is the worst. My
> car has been broken into twice in their parking
> lot. They put up security cameras around the main
> office not the neighborhood..LOL! They have no
> Website with news updates so they still use paper
> and slip under everyone's door. waste of money!
> get with the times!! 19% of the community has not
> payed their HOA fees which kills the property
> value. I thought HOA's are here to help the
> homeowner not hurt them.


Dammed if they do and dammed if they dont.

Whaaaaaaat? Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ^^^ Agree.
>
> What alternative do they have if a homeowner is in
> violation for say, a safety issue, rats all over
> the place, and the homeowner refuses to let them
> inspect and won't act on the violation. They just
> keep asking to inspect while rodents spread
> disease and spread to other homes? I don't want
> to live across the street from that, thanks.


They should notify the County Gov't.

Curmudgeon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> nobody buys a $700k house and then lets it go to
> shit.

Wrong, wrong, wrong. I see it all the time. It's a multicultural society here and there are many many people who let their $700k property go to shit...

pakistanineighbor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Curmudgeon Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > nobody buys a $700k house and then lets it go
> to
> > shit.
>
> Wrong, wrong, wrong. I see it all the time. It's
> a multicultural society here and there are many
> many people who let their $700k property go to
> shit...

+1

The only way some of those people can afford $700k homes is by having 15 people live in them. Gets ugly, real quick.

you don't need an HOA for that.

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/code/property/overcrowding.htm

Curmudgeon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> you don't need an HOA for that.
>
> http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/code/property/overcro
> wding.htm


HOA's are your first line of defense
then the County Gov't
then the State
But HOA's are your first

Quote

HOA's are your first line of defense

yeah, if you're a pussy. if you don't like the color of your neighbor's front door, man up and go tell him. don't hide behind the HOA's skirt. YOU are what's wrong with northern virginia.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/06/2015 11:47AM by Curmudgeon.

Bill.N." Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think there is more to the story than our poster
> is telling us.

Here's the story.

They got transferred here from Atlanta.

When the movers brought their stuff, it was out in front of their house. In the process of moving, some kids came by and stole something. They called the police.

The police wanted to look inside the house. They wanted to know why there were boxes all over the place. They were told that the house was in the process of being moved into.

The police filed a report with the Code office. The Code people came out to investigate hoarding. By the time they got there the move was pretty much done.

In the front room, a living room set, according to the Code guy, did not leave three feet of egress to the window.Per the size of the room and of the living room set pieces, you could not leave three feet. The Code guy said that was an issue with rooms with too many windows, you needed three feet of egress for all of them.

In the bedroom they put the bed so that the nightstand could have the phone on it near a phone jack. The bed was within three feet of the window. A violation.

They got rid of half of the living room set and the bed, had to buy newer and smaller ones.

When the Code guy came out to reinspect, he found a refrigerator outside the garage. They were waiting to get plumbing for it. The Code guy said it was improper outdoor storage and cited them for that.

So to avoid the magistrate they had to pay extra to get a plumber out THAT DAY to do the plumbing and install the refrigerator. They also had to pay some guy to take the old one away.

So the police will report you if you call them as a crime victim. The Fairfax Code is stupid and the inspectors cut you no slack and will send the magistrate after you. The Code guy said many people end up with criminal records and in Virginia you cannot get them expunged.

HOA rules are required to be provided in any real estate transaction. You know what you are getting into prior to the sale. I undestand that the HOA/Architecture Review Boards that are primarily made up of LDNP* mothers that NOVA is infested with and can be unreasonable sometimes, but as someone else suggested, fight that from the inside - get involved.

If you don't recognize the value of an HOA, just take a drive through a neighborhood without one and count the number of rusty chain link fences running around the front yard, cars parked on the lawn with expired tags and the proliferation of ex-AT&T vans with ladder racks on the top. It'll make you want to go home and paint your mailbox post.

*Law Degree-Never Practiced

Curmudgeon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> you don't need an HOA for that.
>
> http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/code/property/overcro
> wding.htm


They are worthless, all they have to say are the magic words "family" or "just visiting" and nothing can be done. Trust me, I know. There are other threads/posts of people who have tried to have something done about overcrowding with no luck.

Code Office-Out of Hand Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Bill.N." Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I think there is more to the story than our
> poster
> > is telling us.
>
> Here's the story.
>
>
> The police wanted to look inside the house. They
> wanted to know why there were boxes all over the
> place. They were told that the house was in the
> process of being moved into.
>
>
This still feels like a weird story. I'm not a big fan of cops, but surely they understand the concept of "moving day." How long were these boxes on the lawn after they were delivered? Why did the cops want to look inside the house? And what do the rules really mean? No one can have a chair or a couch or a bed within three feet of ANY window? Most codes are written to require a minimum number of exits from a room, usually the door and ONE window. What does the code actually say?

If a first floor door or window is available from the outside, it needs the three feet of free space. In addition to providing egress they would also be used if firefighters need to get in.

If a door or window is blocked internally, the firefighters could not conduct their rescue.

Code says that if you want to block a door or window, you need to get rid of it while still retaining at least one door and one window. They confirmed the problem with rooms with lots of windows, you can't have much furniture in them.

They also said that they give regular briefings to police on the hazards of hoarding and that the police will often seek to enter a house even on a routine call to see if it is a problem.

FairfaxHomeOwner Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> HOA rules are required to be provided in any real
> estate transaction. You know what you are getting
> into prior to the sale. I undestand that the
> HOA/Architecture Review Boards that are primarily
> made up of LDNP* mothers that NOVA is infested
> with and can be unreasonable sometimes, but as
> someone else suggested, fight that from the inside
> - get involved.
>
> If you don't recognize the value of an HOA, just
> take a drive through a neighborhood without one
> and count the number of rusty chain link fences
> running around the front yard, cars parked on the
> lawn with expired tags and the proliferation of
> ex-AT&T vans with ladder racks on the top. It'll
> make you want to go home and paint your mailbox
> post.
>
> *Law Degree-Never Practiced

+1

Freddie Firefighter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If a first floor door or window is available from
> the outside, it needs the three feet of free
> space. In addition to providing egress they would
> also be used if firefighters need to get in.
>
> If a door or window is blocked internally, the
> firefighters could not conduct their rescue.
>

In practice, what does this mean? If a couch or a bed was against the wall under a window, anyone trying to climb out or in would just step on it. In fact, having something to step on might make it easier to get through the window. Having furniture UNDER the window wouldn't block it. Does the code really mean you need three feet of open floor space under every window in the room?

The Code Compliance was out in force today at the corner of Annandale Road and Route 50. They had the service road seriously blocked. Police cars, county vehicles, blacked out SUVs you name it.

I asked what was going on, they said they were investigating a case of an improperly constructed garage that may have people living in it. I asked why Police etc. and they said that's how the strike teams work now. When Code Compliance gets a complaint, they put together a strike team so it gets done in one visit.

I told him I need to get to a doctor's appointment. He would not let me through. So I lost 2 hours of work, had to reschedule the appointment, pay a late fee and will miss 2 more hours of work.

They had traffic snagged up for nearly 2 hours.

Thanks, Fairfax County.

Unless you have pictures I am throwing the BS flag on this one.

If you like HOA's then you enjoy living in a hood controlled by the Gestapo.

HOA fags Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If you like HOA's then you enjoy living in a hood
> controlled by the Gestapo.


If you DON'T like HOAs, then make sure you don't buy a home in one.

Sounds reasonably simple.

Dumb Ass Wrote:

> If you DON'T like HOAs, then make sure you don't
> buy a home in one.
>
> Sounds reasonably simple.

Maybe less so if a large portion of the housing stock is subject to HOAs. Not everybody can afford a country estate.

43Ncb Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dumb Ass Wrote:
>
> > If you DON'T like HOAs, then make sure you
> don't
> > buy a home in one.
> >
> > Sounds reasonably simple.
>
> Maybe less so if a large portion of the housing
> stock is subject to HOAs. Not everybody can afford
> a country estate.

The market will correct it if that becomes a problem. Most people don't have any problems with their HOA. Most HOA's serve a purpose. But if you don't want to live in one, then don't. Sorry your options are limited, but thats life.
Next.

You Tube has a number of Fairfax County produced official videos showing fleets of the strike team vehicles going out and raiding people. There are also lots of interviews you can watch about the code requirements such as the three foot egress that people have talked about here.

TubeYou Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You Tube has a number of Fairfax County produced
> official videos showing fleets of the strike team
> vehicles going out and raiding people. There are
> also lots of interviews you can watch about the
> code requirements such as the three foot egress
> that people have talked about here.

I found this video, which seems like a pretty straightforward account of what they do, including that they have to get a court order to conduct enforcement action. Where are these videos about strike teams and raids?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSky6U7GXx0

Where is this three-foot from every window rule? This is the closest I can find:

"Emergency Exits: At a minimum, there must be:
Two means of exit — one of which must go directly outside — for each bedroom."
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/code/property/overcrowding.htm

Is it possible that some inspectors are imposing their own judgment without authority?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSky6U7GXx0

Strike team video.

These are old. Now they don't need warrants, that's why they take the police along with them.

video addict Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSky6U7GXx0
>
> Strike team video.
>
> These are old. Now they don't need warrants,
> that's why they take the police along with them.

That's the same link posted above. Even cops need warrants, which they get from judges after presenting cause. Where is something that says "strike teams" can enter private homes at will?