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You have found the house of your dreams. It is on a quiet street, has a fenced in yard, and has just enough sunlight for a vegetable garden and an apple tree. Your excitement knows no bounds. It knows no bounds until you move in and find out that the Homeowners' Association (HOA) runs the neighborhood like Stalag 13 and nearly everything you want to do is on the no no list.
Homeowners' Associations Can Seem Like Big Brother
Homeowner' Associations more or less control the yards, homes, and even power systems in many areas. Originally they were put into place to keep the neighborhoods looking nice and the home values high. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Once the HOA took over none of the neighbors could paint their homes hot pink with lime green trim and everyone was happy.
Outlawed Items
The thing is that the HOAs took a sinister turn and have become, in many areas anyway, blatant control freaks. Some of the things that an HOA may limit are:
- Wind turbine
- Backyard livestock such as chickens
- Vegetable gardens
- Types of trees that can be planted (some areas outlaw fruit)
- Whether or not a clothesline can be put up
- Fencing
- Color of your house
The HOA Says No
So, what do you do if you have been bitten with the homesteading bug but you belong to a HOA?
First of all find out exactly what the rules are. Get a copy of them. Go over them carefully and if any seem to be off base then you can discuss those with the president and current officers of the HOA. If that doesn't help have your lawyer look over the rules.
Next see if there are loopholes. For example, I know someone that lives in an area that does not allow permanent clotheslines to be put up. So, she has one of the clotheslines that attaches to the house and the line itself pulls out when needed and attaches to a convenient tree. It is not a permanent clothesline and she can't be fined for it.
Moving May Be the Only Answer
Finally, you may just need to move. There are just some things that have to be walked away from and your HOA might be one of these. Be sure that you ask lots of questions in your new home so you don't end up with the same homeowners' association blues.
