HOA Cites Homeowners for Speeding in Private Neighborhood

[Sepukku]

I work for an appraisal management company and I am so fucking glad Pittsburgh doesn't have many HOA/PUDs. Why any human being would opt for their home - their castle - to be one where another human being has authority over matters there is fucking ridiculous. Attached Condo properties' HOA (not dettached structures with each structure being its own unit for one family) is about the extent of covenants I could tolerate because its basically don't be loud, don't have certain/any pets which is the equivalent of the restrictions you may face as an apartment renter.

[LiquidFriend]

I was paranoid as hell about HOA's when I was house shopping (they are everywhere around here), but lucked out and landed into a neighborhood with a kick ass group.

The board here is more interested in knowing what cuts of meat is going into the BBQ pit they helped build and could care less what's going on in your garage unless you're running a meth lab or some shit. Sorry some of ya'll moved near awful people.

[Nephlite]

Someone already answered this question, but yes, you absolutely can be foreclosed upon. The liens that Homeowners Associations place on the residents' houses aren't imaginary or unenforceable. Whenever they're not enforced, it's often due to the HoA's board being incompetent and/or lazy, not any illegalities (and whenever those do crop up, well, see: incompetence). If it gets to that point, you can be forcibly removed from your home by police, and it is officially your home no longer.

I was one of the people sending fine notices, maintaining a database, and regularly communicating with lawyers and police officers regarding exactly that. I have read HoA agreements thicker than phone books, and regularly paged through them to explain to people why they've lost their house.

It was rarely something I enjoyed, but it has turned me into a terrible inconvenience for any Realtor, landlord, etc., that tries to ruin my day by assuming I'm a know-nothing.

EDIT: Fortunately, that's also proven a boon for members of BG, as I try to provide advice in relation to Realty, renter's rights, etc., whenever I can.

I gotta admit there are some benefits to having a HOA. Can get shit done quicker for one. In D.C., getting someone to plow your street during a snowstorm is an idea reserved for the wealthy and snobbish. HOA has a private company come out and plow the entire section at 5am. I fortunately don't pay for that service but still reap it's benefits since I live in the middle of the block and they can't exactly skip my area to get the other people. I enjoy the free garbage pick up, the gutter inspection, and the monthly neighborhood BBQ. It's just not something that's required to join here and if it was, I probably couldn't live in this neighborhood. The fee is pretty steep at about $2500/year as well.

[Apelila]

The last house I rented with my friends was in an HOA neighborhood and I'll never do it again.

I'm calling bullshit on that 1-5 MPH over area though. Pulled up the area on google terrain maps and it's in a valley. I'll be money they put the radar at the bottom of a hill to tag people going 31. 35+ in a well developed residential area is nuts. But picking on the people who skirt 30 seems cheap to me.