We know all too well at this point that HOAs are full of obnoxious type-A individuals who will stop at nothing to make your neighborhood experience a living nightmare. No HOA is immune to these extremes, so it is up to homeowners to find some level of healthy distance from them so that life in the neighborhood is at least slightly bearable.
Now, as someone who lives in a city, my personal encounters with HOAs are nonexistent, but I also know full well what it's like to be taken advantage of by property managers, landlords, etc. The key to navigating these disputes is persistence and maintaining evidence of wrongdoing on their part and/or innocence on your part. If you have none of those things, prepare to be walked over by your landlord, property manager, HOA, or whatever equivalent toxic force rules over your living situation.
This thread was posted to Reddit's r/HOA subreddit by u/Forsaken_Act_1351, who initially purchased their home during a period when the neighborhood HOA was not only inactive but it had fully shut down. It wasn't until after the purchase that the HOA was reactivated and, of course, took the opportunity to immediately slap a ton of fees onto OP. Keep scrolling below to see the wide range of feedback and advice from other folks in the comments section. For more stories like this, here's one about a guy who sued his HOA for water damage and won.
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