Illusion of Ownership in US subdivisions: Woman loses house over $288 in HOA dues

I have several opinions on this, first she (or her spouse) signed the contract. The easiest way to avoid an HOA is not buy property that has one. Hard to say anything "wrong" was done with the conflicting info on this.

Second, if your in an HOA get involved in it. I got involved in mine several months ago and have been slowly but surely dismantling it ever since, including removing the corporate management company. I guarantee you it's the management company doing this to her and not her neighbors.

Like I said though, get involved. You'd be surprised how many of your neighbors in the HOA don't even want it, especially when you start sending them letters telling them how much money you can save them by dismantling it. Our community areas that we decided to keep are still payed for by the HOA dues, which have dropped significantly, AND all work that the HOA pays for must first be offered to members of the HOA. I.E. we pay one our members to mow the common areas, another gets paid to handle the gardens...

reply to post by ownbestenemy


I wasn't talking about Government taking the home either actually and in my earlier post when I was, I explained the cracks.
My last reply is more about the nature of people. I did use Govt protections and a lack of them as an example to be fair though. Otherwise I'm just rambling mostly. Read or ignore. Dont mean to hold up progress.

My old man owns a home in the town of Grafton WV. They want $50 a month in police/fire protection fees on his empty home which is used just for storage. Every home owner must pay this $50 a month extortion fee since the city provides water service or they will cut off your tap and send out the building inspector and declare your home Condemned Property and put you out on the street.

My old man owes $3500 to to them just in these fees that have added up over the years and every month +$50 more to this corrupt town. He won't pay it and never will. So the house can never be lived in until they get their extortion money and on a monthly basis.

He visited recently to fix a damaged roof and the thugs of the town removed him from the home by force and sent him a manifesto of demands just so he can put tar paper on the roof of his own home before the rain collapses the floors.

Never buy a home in grafton wv its one the most corrupt places I have ever known.

Soulhacking
My old man owns a home in the town of Grafton WV. They want $50 a month in police/fire protection fees on his empty home which is used just for storage. Every home owner must pay this $50 a month extortion fee since the city provides water service or they will cut off your tap and send out the building inspector and declare your home Condemned Property and put you out on the street.

Who wants $50/month? The city government or a HOA? If it is the city government, the ire should be on fellow citizens who allowed such a fee (read tax) be allowed. If it is an HOA, then it is on your "old man" for agreeing to the terms of the contract signed regarding that HOA.

To a town -- a different story and the recourse is much different. To an HOA? He probably signed an agreement that said he would pay X amount of $ per month for said services.

reply to post by Nephalim


You aren't holding up anything. I was just seeking clarification. Please do not take my post as anything other than that.

XTexan
Second, if your in an HOA get involved in it. I got involved in mine several months ago and have been slowly but surely dismantling it ever since, including removing the corporate management company. I guarantee you it's the management company doing this to her and not her neighbors.

You would be amazed at how much this works and how many others have the same views, but don't want to speak up. For instance, my condo complex I currently live in is part of an HOA. I have the benefit of being upstairs, so my maintenance is limited. Last summer, my three boys wanted to dry out their towels and well...they will in 110+ degree weather! Apparently within the 30 minutes the towels were draped over the edge of the balcony; pictures were taken and notices were sent out.

I responded in a letter to the board of the HOA that while I respect the rules that I have agreed to, I also find that such enforcement, barring a thirty-minute window, in which I utilized the natural resource of the sun to dry our towels, instead of utilizing gas, was a more efficient and friendly way to dry our wet towels.

I continued, using a current newsletter that was promoting "greening" the complex and how I was only taking the advice of the board and using the example to teach my children good stewardship of their resources.

Apparently that caught their attention and the "fine" they initially imposed was revoked. Go team me./quote]

ETA:
Imposed not opposed. That would just be silly.

ownbestenemy

Soulhacking
My old man owns a home in the town of Grafton WV. They want $50 a month in police/fire protection fees on his empty home which is used just for storage. Every home owner must pay this $50 a month extortion fee since the city provides water service or they will cut off your tap and send out the building inspector and declare your home Condemned Property and put you out on the street.

Who wants $50/month? The city government or a HOA? If it is the city government, the ire should be on fellow citizens who allowed such a fee (read tax) be allowed. If it is an HOA, then it is on your "old man" for agreeing to the terms of the contract signed regarding that HOA.

To a town -- a different story and the recourse is much different. To an HOA? He probably signed an agreement that said he would pay X amount of $ per month for said services.

Not a HOA. No contracts ever signed.

The municipality wants its blood. My old man has owned the home since before the 60s. The town was slowly tightened its grip on the citizens. You must pay it or they send out the thugs police/building inspector to remove you from your home and declare it condemned. One thing they don't like mentioned is when it rains hard the sewage plant overflows into the clean water reservoirs and you end up drinking it. The town is mostly dead only jobs there are civil service or walmart and even the WM wants to leave. Nobody in this town can afford this they got all the citizens by the balls. After they kicked him out last month on his failed roof repair the inspector was kind enough to visit the tax office and double his yearly taxes on the home.

"ownership" has always been an "illusion" you don't pay "taxes" at the end of a barrel for stuff you own...This particular subdivision is apparently just more honest about that "reality".

Soulhacking
Not a HOA. No contracts ever signed.

While your story is intriguing, how does it pertain to a story about HOAs then? I understand the threat you speak of, but it is completely not for this thread -- you are speaking of municipalities extorting; this thread is about private associations extorting.

ownbestenemy

Soulhacking
Not a HOA. No contracts ever signed.

While your story is intriguing, how does it pertain to a story about HOAs then? I understand the threat you speak of, but it is completely not for this thread -- you are speaking of municipalities extorting; this thread is about private associations extorting.

Its the same beast. The whole point is you own nothing. Ownership is a lie an illusion. Private or public they will use power to control you and what you do with things you are stupid enough to believe you own. I also wanted to show these HOA places charging fees is nothing compared to the government they just followed by example.

Soulhacking
Its the same beast. The whole point is you own nothing. Ownership is a lie an illusion. Private or public they will use power to control you and what you do with things you are stupid enough to believe you own. I also wanted to show these HOA places charging fees is nothing compared to the government they just followed by example.

If you want to speak of ownership, then yes, it is a valid discussion. Alas, this discussion is about a HOA removing that owenship for unpaid dues, not taxes, not mortgage...HOA dues. I concede that there are areas that allow property taxes not paid to be held with a penalty of foreclosure; that is wrong in my opinion.

I am not trying to be crass here, but the topics just aren't the same. Just trying to keep the thread on topic regarding an HOA seizing a home and selling it as if they had "quiet title" to the home. In which they don't but given the news story, I find it hard to believe that there isn't something else going on with this lady with no court action to follow.

I believe she erred in an agreement she signed and the default was that the association was able to recuperate their losses via a sale. Is it right? Not at all, but given that she willfully moved back into the place as a renter, without seeking recourse makes me think it was over much more than association fees.

truthseeker84
I could be wrong when I say this, so please do correct me if I'm wrong.

But isn't it... I mean, technically speaking, no one in U.S. are land owners ... are we?

From what I understood, when you buy your house, you become the legal "tenant" of said property and said land. But... you're just a legal "tenant", not the legal "owner".

Again, I don't know how accurate this is but I've been told this before and I can't remember from who or what source.

So sucks to be us if it's true.

You are the owner, any pseudo laws that make you seem a tenant are unlawful, unconstitutional and criminal. For some reason, unbenowst to me, people have not emassed to NARD THEIR LEADERS YET FOR THEIR CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES.

I think we need to make the criminals know they're facing justice! And I wouldn't stand for this. That judge would end up losing his home after I and my family made issues with their entire fascist unlawful decision and never dropped the issue. I would sue him for all he has. And he needs NARDING TOO! You never let them misfire the cannon of justice and get away with it.

I hope her family takes him and the whole system to court over and over until they win for the people and the criminals get some penalties.

This to the judge! And all the illegal felons in office!


Balls of Steel - The Ultimate Nutshot

They don't even have the right to charge taxes on land. And as for neighborhood organizations. No one can be forced to join. These are psuedo laws, and the nazi's made many but at nuremburg they were considered unlawful, crimes against humanity, and the signatures were admissions of guilt.

That is what we need, to kick them out, and have our own people go through all their documents for crimes and signatures.

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


No joke, the house we "bought in NY", the property taxes more than tripled in 3 years. At the end if we divided the taxes by 12, it came out to more than the mortgage payment was. Pretty insane. Up here the property taxes on the house is less per year, than per month on the other one. The one in NY was a little larger, but not much. Same number of bedrooms, about same size bedrooms, the closets here are smaller, as are the kitchen and bathroom. Don't have to beg the town to put up a deck, fence or shed, or redo the bathroom or kitchen here either, just the major stuff like adding an addition. I would NEVER purchase a home anywhere near a HOA personally. If I wanted them kind of problems and "perks", might as well just buy a condo.

reply to post by gardener

One cannot own property in the United States.

Even if you pay off "your" home, the land on which it sits is subject to property taxes.

If you dont pay these property taxes, or never ending lease payments, they will confiscate your home and the land on which it sits.

The founders of this nation sought to protect individual liberties and the rights of property owners from government.

Things are truly upside down.