Tag Archives: Neighbors At War: The Creepy Case Against Your Homeowners Association

Whew! HOA Fraud in Canada? “Say it ain’t so, Joe!”

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Dang! I have friends in Canada and I think of Canadians being so much more gentile and honest than Americans. But then, I seem to be selling a lot of books in Ontario so maybe I’m wrong.

But one of the biggest thefts I’ve read about is a 4.1 million dollar embezzlement from a condo association in that Province. A man who managed 13 condominium operations in Hamilton and Burlington just swiped a little at a time from each one of them over five years. That’s almost a million bucks a year. Not bad work if you can get it.

A founder of the Condo Owners Association used a couple of interesting phrases: “downright ridiculous” and “a disaster zone.” When asked if HOA fraud was rare, her response was, “No, no, no, no, no, no!” And she says laws in the Province to protect condo owners is non-existent.

Heck, she ought to take a look at the U.S.

It’s worse.

(link to man who stole 4.1 million Canadian dollars)

 

“Frickin’ Faggots!”

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Dang, I hate using that word. But like the so-called ‘n-word’ it’s bandied about freely in Homeowners Associations. Most HOAs have long-existing deed restrictions which prohibit sales of homes to minorities. Those restrictions, of course, have long been outlawed by the U.S. Supreme Court, but does that stop discrimination? If you think so, you’ve gotta be kidding yourself.

A gay couple in the Monte Sereno Homeowners Association in Palm Springs is being targeted for ‘special’ treatment. One of them, Ken Seeley, is a star on the A&E show, ‘Intervention.’ Once or twice a month he has friends and co-workers over to watch the show. The HOA now says those gatherings are ‘business related’ and home businesses are outlawed by this HOA.

Now, the Monte Sereno board has deactivated Seeley’s transponder to the community gate so he can’t let his friends in.

The arrogance never stops, does it?

(link to story about A&E star)

 

More Stupid Sentences in Las Vegas

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Egads, I thought white collar organized crime figures averaged at least 18 months in prison. Now I’m the one who looks totally stupid. My deepest apologies to those of you I unintentionally deceived.

But Federal Judge Mahan in Las Vegas keeps handing down kindergarten sentences to the organized crime figures who stole millions and millions of dollars from Las Vegas homeowners. Kindergarten sentences: You know, “Go stand in the corner for ten minutes, Billie. You’re a bad, bad boy!”

Officially, these criminals stole only 7 million dollars in their HOA scam. Ultimately, history will tell you they stole more than 100 million dollars. And the Las Vegas housing market may never recover. In fact, with the recent Nevada Supreme Court decision that HOA liens are super-priority liens which can cancel the original mortgage loan, the lending market is refusing to lend ANY money to a home in a homeowners association. That means thousands, maybe tens of thousands of Nevada homes are sitting empty. They’re unsalable. The ongoing crime is the one committed by this federal judge!

Some of the worst criminals are being sentenced to one year and one day, like this cop:

(former las vegas cop gets short prison term)

Others are being sentenced to a few months of home detention. (Gosh, I’m at home taking care of an ill wife. That’s home detention and I didn’t steal anything!)

Meanwhile, the Las Vegas housing market is in a free fall.

(las vegas housing free fall)
(this link is a little wackier, but still probably 90% correct.)

 

Stupid, Stupid Aspen

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No, not everyone in Aspen is stupid. But this kind of a story is a national embarrassment and every rich person in this glittery ski town should be down the necks of the idiots who are allowing this to continue.

I’ve written about this service dog dispute before. The board of the Aspen View Condominiums on Midland Avenue has spent months harassing the owner of a condo because he rented it to a woman who has a service dog to help her deal with her epilepsy. After months of the most incredible nastiness toward this woman, she moved out.

But Aspen View bullies wouldn’t quit. They began assessing fines against the condo owner and have liened his home.

If you want to sleep tonight, do not read the Aspen Times story linked below. If, however, you want to see how low and morally degraded some HOAs get, then have at it. And think about sending a note to this disgraceful board.

(The Aspen Times makes you answer a question before the text appears. Just click a box and you’ll be able to read it.)

(link to story on service dog flap)

 

 

Committed Christian? Bad Idea To Live In An HOA!

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Most HOAs have a regulation about “No Home Businesses.” With so many people working at home on the web that’s an almost meaningless rule…except when Board Bullies want to throw their weight around.

Sure, nobody wants to live next to a neighbor who operates a sawmill in his back yard. But sometimes the local HOA Nazi gets out of control and too full of himself. You’re an author and you write books and magazine articles? That’s an illegal business. You use your computer to fill out medical forms? Illegal home-based business.

The latest outrage comes from Senoia, Georgia, where a Christian family decided to help other families in need. In their garage they collect things like bed sheets, groceries, household goods. Nothing is stored in sight of any annoyed neighbors. Every so often the family delivers the goods to those who desperately need them.

“HOME BUSINESS!” screams the Summerfield HOA. “ILLEGAL!”

When you think about it seriously, Jesus Christ would be unwelcome in the vast majority of America’s Homeowners Associations. Riff raff. Healing cripples without a license. Restoring sight to the blind without permission from the HOA. Claiming to be God, when everyone in the neighborhood knows that only the HOA president is God.

Give me a break.

(link to HOA attempt to shut down family ministry)