HOA Threatens to Fine R1T Owner for Parking on His Own Driveway

[SANZC02]

I’m surprised it won’t fit in the garage, all the garages I have had were at least 20’ long but I have heard some in Florida are only 18‘ which is how long the R1T is.

They do not need a lawyer just work with the HOA to get the rule amended and up for a vote to approve the change. When you purchase in an HOA you agree to abide by all of the rules not just the ones you like.

The other issue with the article is it does not provide the verbiage of the rule. For all we know the rule could be being interpreted incorrectly by the board.

People need to keep up with their HOA rules and make sure they vote on any proposed changes. My buddy lived in an HOA in California in the 90s that did not allow any overnight parking on the streets or driveways for any vehicles.

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[emoore]

I’m surprised it won’t fit in the garage, all the garages I have had were at least 20’ long but I have heard some in Florida are only 18‘ which is how long the R1T is.

They do not need a lawyer just work with the HOA to get the rule amended and up for a vote to approve the change. When you purchase in an HOA you agree to abide by all of the rules not just the ones you like.

The other issue with the article is it does not provide the verbiage of the rule. For all we know the rule could be being interpreted incorrectly by the board.

People need to keep up with their HOA rules and make sure they vote on any proposed changes. My buddy lived in an HOA in California in the 90s that did not allow any overnight parking on the streets or driveways for any vehicles.

I’m not surprised it won’t fit in a 20’ garage. Mine is 20 feet and there is no way I can fit the R1T in there. If I did I wouldn’t be able to walk up the stairs and into my house.

 

[windblowlc]

If he put a hard top on, the T becomes an S. Voila! Problem solved.

 

[NashvilleR1S]

My major grievance with this is that the news anchor couldn't be bothered to get the name right?? "Rivian RT1". Come on.

 

[Count Orlok]

The CC&Rs for one my parcels of land I recently sold was written decades ago and it forbade the sale of the land to people of color. My point is the times change and cc&rs need to be rewritten. trucks used to mean work trucks. Nowadays they don't have fuck all to do with actually working.

Thank goodness State and Federal law overrides HOA rules.

 

[Count Orlok]

1. ESH (Everybody Sucks here in Reddit "Am I The Asshole" parlance.) Yes, the HOA rule is nonsense, but dude has a three car garage. He should be parking his $70,000+ vehicle in his garage. This is the owner purposefully making a stink and parking his truck outside to make a stink.

too often people think that their xmas decorations, UTVs, crap they never use, etc. deserve garage space over their 80k vehicle. I've never understood that.

 

[hilld]

These type of rules are actually not that uncommon. They have grandfathered old HOA rules that outlaw 'commercial vehicles' and then they stretch how they define a 'commercial vehicle'.

I lived in an HOA in Unincorporated Portland (Cedar Hills) and they had a similar rule which meant I couldn't park my high roof cargo van in the driveway. My neighbor also got in trouble for parking his police cruiser behind a fence because it could be seen from the street. They even put a vote up to try and change the rule (only marginally) to allow passenger vans in case people had large families but it failed.

My HOA tried that with my Sprinter Van. It was technically a cargo van, before I built it out to be both an RV and cargo van. I registered it as a passenger van after I added seats. The state vehicle registration won out and the HOA couldn't do much about it. It was not registered as a commercial vehicle, always personal from day 1.

 

[hilld]

too often people think that their xmas decorations, UTVs, crap they never use, etc. deserve garage space over their 80k vehicle. I've never understood that.

My last garage was only 19' deep and that included a water heater and furnace being shoved in there on one of the sides. There was no way in hell that you could park a pickup in that space, so the driveway won out. It is not always crap that gets in the way, but I certainly understand your point. Seen so many storage garages, rather than parking garages.

 

[jjswan33]

My last garage was only 19' deep and that included a water heater and furnace being shoved in there on one of the sides. There was no way in hell that you could park a pickup in that space, so the driveway won out. It is not always crap that gets in the way, but I certainly understand your point. Seen so many storage garages, rather than parking garages.

I think it is a regional thing. @Count Orlok is in Wisconsin where most people use their garages for their vehicles. My friend and I were having this discussion Sunday (we are both from Wisconsin) and we both use our garages for our cars to this day even know we live in the PNW where a lot of people don’t.

My guess is part of that is due to weather and also a factor is most in Wisconsin have basements for storage as well unlike the PNW.

 

[SoCal Rob]

HOAs = organized Karens.

I know this is a popular opinion and I’m not saying it is always wrong, but I have a different perspective based on my experiences.

When I moved to California the city I moved to was almost all HOAs, and I had no experience with them. While in escrow to buy our first house I read through the HOA governing documents so I knew what I was getting into because I didn’t want to sign up for rules I didn’t know about. Each of our homes has been in HOA communities since then.

Here is my take on HOAs:

1. I think the importance of an HOA rises with housing density because an owner’s actions can affect their neighbor more as they get closer to them. A car on blocks on the front lawn when you have 5 acre lots is very different from the same thing in a neighborhood where residences are separated by, say, 50 feet or less.

2. If people were reasonable and considerate, all HOA rules could be boiled down to: Don’t create what a typical person would consider to be a nuisance and don’t do anything which negatively impacts the property values of the homes around you.

3. Never create a problem and turn it into your neighbor‘s problem. For example, I live in an HOA which does not permit overnight parking on the (privately-owned) streets or in driveways which are mostly on HOA land. If I don’t do my homework and make sure my new car fits in my garage (length, width, and height) then that does NOT give me the right to decide the rules don’t apply to me because I created a problem. My only option at that point is to park outside the HOA on a public street so I need to make sure I don’t create the problem in the fist place.

4. At least in California, HOA boards act as fiduciaries of the Association and so may need to make decisions which are in the best interests of the Association even if a majority of owners disagree. If you live in a HOA, don’t give the people volunteering to help a load of grief for doing what is legally required of them.

5. If a person doesn’t like rules then they should do themselves and any potential HOA a favor: buy elsewhere. So, if you’re thinking of buying in an HOA and all of the homes are in muted neutrals, don’t assume you’re going to be allowed to paint your residence in Rivian Blue with Compass Yellow trim to match your new truck. Even if other Rivian owners would get it.

 

[COdogman]

I know this is a popular opinion and I’m not saying it is always wrong, but I have a different perspective based on my experiences.

When I moved to California the city I moved to was almost all HOAs, and I had no experience with them. While in escrow to buy our first house I read through the HOA governing documents so I knew what I was getting into because I didn’t want to sign up for rules I didn’t know about. Each of our homes has been in HOA communities since then.

Here is my take on HOAs:

1. I think the importance of an HOA rises with housing density because an owner’s actions can affect their neighbor more as they get closer to them. A car on blocks on the front lawn when you have 5 acre lots is very different from the same thing in a neighborhood where residences are separated by, say, 50 feet or less.

2. If people were reasonable and considerate, all HOA rules could be boiled down to: Don’t create what a typical person would consider to be a nuisance and don’t do anything which negatively impacts the property values of the homes around you.

3. Never create a problem and turn it into your neighbor‘s problem. For example, I live in an HOA which does not permit overnight parking on the (privately-owned) streets or in driveways which are mostly on HOA land. If I don’t do my homework and make sure my new car fits in my garage (length, width, and height) then that does NOT give me the right to decide the rules don’t apply to me because I created a problem. My only option at that point is to park outside the HOA on a public street so I need to make sure I don’t create the problem in the fist place.

4. At least in California, HOA boards act as fiduciaries of the Association and so may need to make decisions which are in the best interests of the Association even if a majority of owners disagree. If you live in a HOA, don’t give the people volunteering to help a load of grief for doing what is legally required of them.

5. If a person doesn’t like rules then they should do themselves and any potential HOA a favor: buy elsewhere. So, if you’re thinking of buying in an HOA and all of the homes are in muted neutrals, don’t assume you’re going to be allowed to paint your residence in Rivian Blue with Compass Yellow trim to match your new truck. Even if other Rivian owners would get it.

I agree that in theory an HOA *should* be a great thing. And I have always read their documents before I even got a tour of a house I was interested in, so I agree that anyone who doesn't kinda gets what they deserve if they run afoul of it. They shouldn't be complaining later.

Unfortunately from my experience they end up being cliquish fiefdoms with rules that are selectively applied. People who haven't had their house painted since the disco era get no punishment but someone else gets a letter when their grass is 1/2" too long.

The most recent HOA I was a part of was sitting on a huge pile of money and not using it to properly maintain the common areas. They had to be taken to court to finally replace fencing that was clearly marked as HOA property on the community planning documents. They also allowed weeds and other landscaping on HOA property to get out of control while they were still sending homeowners letters about the condition of their yards.

I also find they are slow to adapt. Colorado is a dry place and water is at a premium. So why do they have rules preventing one from replacing their thirsty grass yard with xeriscaping? Not only do they not update their rules, when homeowners ask for an exemption they are denied and told they must have a specific percentage of their front yard be grass. This is idiotic in 2022.

The management company that ran this HOA also runs approximately 50 other HOAs throughout CO, so it became clear to me this WAS their business. There were only 8 people in an office enforcing individual HOA rules over literally thousands of homes and condos and townhomes. Their plan is to collect dues and do as little as possible and fine people if their Karen of a neighbor complains about the slightest perceived infraction. No investigation. No opportunity to protest the fine. Just a letter demanding payment.

I've got no problem with standards for where I can put a shed or that I can't paint my house purple, but IMHO they are simply standing in the way of progress. The historic neighborhoods in my city have none of these rules and they still look beautiful, even with a purple house thrown in there

 

[Iwannarivian]

UGH!!! Don’t get me started about HOAs….most of which are run by lunatic overreaching, power hungry, egotistic morons…

Did I mention I don’t like HOAs?

You simply cannot make this stuff up. Overreaching, outdated HOA needing to control people are just so ridiculous.

Most of the HOA board members are retired control freaks that hate any change or to stay current - all under the cover of "protecting the real estate value"...

 

[Arky]

too often people think that their xmas decorations, UTVs, crap they never use, etc. deserve garage space over their 80k vehicle. I've never understood that.

If I put all that garbage on the street I'll get code enforcement called on me.

If I put a car that takes up the same amount of space there nobody bats an eye.


I prefer to keep my vehicles in the garage - but people store 'junk' in their garage for a reason, it's treated completely different by nosey pokes and the law. You're only allowed to store your private property in a public space if it's the right kind of private property.

 

[Count Orlok]

I think it is a regional thing. @Count Orlok is in Wisconsin where most people use their garages for their vehicles. My friend and I were having this discussion Sunday (we are both from Wisconsin) and we both use our garages for our cars to this day even know we live in the PNW where a lot of people don’t.

My guess is part of that is due to weather and also a factor is most in Wisconsin have basements for storage as well unlike the PNW.

oh I had HOAs for over 20 years in Las Vegas and for the most part it was positive as I had some real weirdo neighbors. In Vegas is also where I learned that garages are apparently not for cars. I had a four car garage and it had four cars in it but then I guess I'm unusual.

There was a time when I got a letter from the HOA asking if my unrestored FJ62, parked in the drive, was operable (as per HOA rules anything parked in your drive had to be running). To prove it was I starting parking on the street right in front on the HOA's president's house.

That said, I would not buy a property in Las Vegas without an HOA.

Here in Wisconsin I have plenty of land between me and neighbors. >20 acres and my only weirdo neighbors are possums.

 

[CharonPDX]

too often people think that their xmas decorations, UTVs, crap they never use, etc. deserve garage space over their 80k vehicle. I've never understood that.

I only moved in to my current house in 2020. Lived in the old house without a garage for 20 years. I am absolutely putting my vehicles in the garage! Sure, storing some items (one of the vehicles takes up about half a spot, so room behind it,) but one vehicle in each bay for sure.

Had a garage for two years before the last house (detached at a condo) and I knew people there that bought the garage solely to store junk. (It was a new-construction condo, fewer garages than units, so so you had to buy the garage separately if you wanted one.)

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