The Worst Things That Have Happened in Homeowner Associations

OK, so the worst things that have happened in homeowner associations might be subjective…but here are some that certainly are interesting.

The World War II Tank: Tony Buzbee of Houston, an attorney, spent $600,000 on one of the American tanks that landed at Normandy. Buzbee parked the tank on the street in front of his house. It should come as no surprise that his HOA had an issue with the tank, and sent him a letter demanding that he remove it. While the situation is unresolved at this point, Buzbee was planning on taking the tank to his ranch for its permanent home anyway.

Raw Sewage: A homeowner in Roselle Park, N.J., had an unpleasant surprise in his basement – two feet of raw sewage. The homeowner had to deal with $30,000 in damages and cleanup costs. Unfortunately, the city of Roselle Park denied his insurance claim, chalking it up as an “Act of God.”

Meth Lab Next Door: In South Providence, R.I., the next-door neighbor didn’t turn out to be so perfect. After the neighbors noticed a foul stench, they notified the authorities, who discovered and shut down a meth lab run by a former Brown University student.

The Civil Engineer: On this Knowable post, a homeowner shares the story of a “strange guy” who built a tree house in his backyard. The HOA president, who wasn’t too pleased, continually asked the man to add safety measures – in the hopes that he would eventually give up. Finally, the HOA required that plans be submitted that were signed and stamped by a qualified engineer saying that it was safe. In response, the homeowner had plans signed and stamped by himself, as he was a civil engineer.

Any time that you get multiple people together – like in a homeowner association – there are bound to be issues. But your association management firm can help to deal with any issues that arise.