Guess the State!

[theweaselking]

Lawn have dead spots? That's an "indefinite" jail term!

EDIT: Guess The State Part II: Electric Boogaloo:
Mow your lawn or go to jail!

Comments

[kierthos.livejournal.com]

You know, I'm not often glad that I live in an apartment.....

But if I ever do buy a house, it will be in a neighborhood without a home-owner's association.

[missysedai.livejournal.com]

But if I ever do buy a house, it will be in a neighborhood without a home-owner's association.

I don't understand people who buy homes in such neighborhoods. It's YOUR property, why should you have to pay an extra fee to have someone boss you around about how to handle your property?

I'd say I feel bad for the guy...and to a large extent, I genuinely DO...but dude...you signed up for this shit. ON PURPOSE. What did you think would happen if you broke one of their precious rules?

HOAs are Satan.

[prk.livejournal.com]

I don't understand people who buy homes in such neighborhoods.

Presumably so that a minimum standard is consistently kept up throughout the neighbourhood. In this case, that standard obviously includes green lawns.

why should you have to pay an extra fee to have someone boss you around about how to handle your property?

'cause they're also bossing around that dodgy neighbour who's let the place go to wreck and is devaluing the nearby houses even more than the current market.

*shrug*

you signed up for this shit. ON PURPOSE. What did you think would happen if you broke one of their precious rules?

Amen.

prk.

[dreamshade.livejournal.com]

But shouldn't the response be, then, that the homeowners get kicked out of the neighborhood, rather than being jailed for inability to meet their contract?

[prk.livejournal.com]

From what I read, they took him to court to get the lawn sorted, the judge ruled in favour of them, he did nothing, so the judge jailed him for contempt.

I don't think the association were trying to get him jailed.

I have no idea what powers the associations have - can they force him to sell / forcefully evict him?

Or are they limited to suing if particular housing standards aren't maintained, forcing the person to either fix the property or move?

prk

[interactiveleaf.livejournal.com]

There have been cases where HOAs have placed a lien on houses for failure to pay association fees.

Other than that, I think that they take the issues to court and can prosecute for (essentially) breach of contract. I gather that's what happened in this case.

[missysedai.livejournal.com]

Presumably so that a minimum standard is consistently kept up throughout the neighbourhood.

"Minimum standard", my ass.

HOAs claim to be all about "keep the neighborhood beautiful", but in reality, they are more about "keep those filthy brown things masquerading as people out".

[prk.livejournal.com]

HOAs claim to be all about "keep the neighborhood beautiful", but in reality, they are more about "keep those filthy brown things masquerading as people out".

So the real problem is that the grass is brown or yellow, and they don't tolerate those colours there?

Obviously he needs to dye the grass white to get them off his back.

Quips aside, it's pretty disgusting if the HOAs are able to use their agreements in a racist way. Are they able to veto sales of houses, or do they just act in a way to make it very difficult / unpleasant for people they don't like?

prk.

[missysedai.livejournal.com]

They make it very difficult for minority families to do anything at all to their houses. They'll cite them for the landscaping, claiming edging bricks are not of the approved shape, or cite them for painting their house, claiming the color (usually some boring assed tan/beige) isn't the approved shade, cite them for using "unapproved" garbage cans, even cite them for parking an "unapproved" car in their own damned driveway.

Every little thing the HOA can think of to force minorities out, they do.

You don't find HOAs in primarily minority neighborhoods. Hell, you don't even find them in neighborhoods like mine. Mostly, they're used for condo buildings (which makes a little more sense and governs things like not leaving your trash in the hallway), McMansion subdivisions in wealthy areas and gated communities where they will bust one for Driving While Brown or Walking While Poor.

[harald387.livejournal.com]

"Don't sod your lawn? That's a paddlin'."

[fortysevenbteg.livejournal.com]

That is astoundingly fucked up.

Vain fucking scumbags with nothing more important in their miserable lives than ensuring their nasty green garden-penis is fully erect at all times. Torch that shit.

[opaqueplanet.livejournal.com]

If I lived anywhere near there, it'd be salt and borax on the lawns of every boardmember of the Civic Association.

[zastrazzi.livejournal.com]

Road trip!

[cantkeepsilent.livejournal.com]

Debtor's prison? Isn't that kind of nineteenth-century and British?

Here's a fun math problem: assuming that it costs $58 per day to keep an old man in a minimum-security prison, how long will it be before the taxpayers would have been better off paying for the freaking landscaper themselves?

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

The very idea of a home owners association bugs me and boggles me. My house. My life. Neighbours are not part of this equation. If I am not actively harming them or infringing on them they can but out and bugger off.

I think the whole thing is insane - but I also think ignoring a court date (no matter what said court appearance is for) is beyond stupid. You do not ignore to court. The court takes exception to this.

[zastrazzi.livejournal.com]

Neighbours are not part of this equation. If I am not actively harming them or infringing on them they can but out and bugger off.

All fine and good, until you *are* harming them. If your home care regime (or lack thereof) brings down the resale of my place by $10,000, you can bet I'd be pissed about. And if there's a contract in place, I'd happily enforce it.

That said, I'm also not the kind of jerk who'd rather see someone in prison. These people have clearly forgotten charity and good will. In this instance, I'd see what I could do to help out (either on my own or with the community) before beating the poor bastard over the head with the legal system.

*edited to clean up formatting and an embarrassing grammar error!*

[http://users.livejournal.com/_jeremiad/]

That is fucking ridiculous.

The economy's in the shitter. People are losing their jobs and mortgages and 401ks, etc. etc. and they care about whether or not your grass is green?

This calls for sabotage.

[lafinjack.livejournal.com]

Florida is so behind the times on this one.