First in this country everyone has a right to sue over anything, but that isn't the point. You make a strange comparison between my local elected officials and the house nazis that run HOAs. Cities are usually run by a mayor and city council made up of people with various viewpoints elected from different part of town and are at least in theory accountable to the electorate and often governed in some sense by state and federal laws. HOAs on the otherhand are usually a small of group of busy bodies with too much time on their hands, and an overwhelming desire to make everyone conform to their view of the world.
I do not and will not ever live in a community run by a dictatorial HOA, but I know people who do and never met anyone who was happy about it.
Yes, very strange.
Cities are usually run by a mayor and city council made up of people with various viewpoints elected from different part of town and are at least in theory accountable to the electorate and often governed in some sense by state and federal laws. HOAs on the otherhand are usually a small of group of busy bodies with too much time on their hands, and an overwhelming desire to make everyone conform to their view of the world.
HOAs are elected local gov'ts. They have powers under a charter from all of the homeowners. You may not like who gets elected, but that's what they are.
SD
The "nazis" who run HOAs are duly elected officials chosen by their constituents.
The only difference between HOA officials and municipal officials is that HOA officials have a much more legally restricted scope of what they can or cannot do.
Calling them "nazis" is silly hyperbole.
I lived in a neighborhood with a HOA that had teeth and loved it for twenty six years. I now live in another neighbood which has a HOA which has protected me from having the neighbor split his lot up and put a monstrosity blocking my view from my windows to our lake.
I have never had a bad experience and have been living under HOA'a for over thirty years.
I have seen a neighbor who had an eyesore with washing machines in the back yard and broken appliances, unpainted hourse, etc,,,taken to court and forced to clean up. I have seen another neighbor who had and RV sitting in the front yard for months forced to put it up.
When one makes a big investment in a house, it is like a crap shoot with neighbors. People open shops in houses, leave broken cars on the front yard, paint houses chartreuse and HOA'a deal with that.
If you don't want it, don't buy. But when I invest hundreds of thousands in a home, I don't want to have some rugged individualist deciding to open a metal working shop on site or a beauty parlow or have broken cars in the front yard.
Call me a snob, but I have never lost money on a house and have loved the HOAS