Does your HOA have any weird rules?

[Dmmetler]

No exotic pets. This came in handy when one of my neighbors wanted to add Capybara to their already large exotic animal collection. 

 

Ok, we wouldn't be moving to a HOA community, then. The technical definition of "Exotic pets" is pretty much everything that's not a cat, dog, or goldfish. Even a hamster is considered an exotic pet, and while DD's corn snake is native to most of the US, she's considered exotic just by virtue of being a snake.

[SebastianCat]

We live in a HOA and they require approval for paint colors, roof colors, and fences, but they are fairly laid back about choices for most people.   Our house is on a pond, so we were not allowed to put up a privacy fence (which would block the neighbors' view, but then again, it would block our view as well).    

 

The ONE rule here that I absolutely hate is no pickup trucks may be parked outside.   It was apparently a rule created to avoid having commercial vehicles sitting in people's driveways, but it applies to ALL pickup trucks, not just commercial trucks.   Several people have tried to change it, but they need like 2/3 of the residents' notarized signatures, and could never get that many people to return the paperwork notarized.   So DH's truck (which is not commercial) gets parked in the garage, while my minivan sits in the driveway.

 

I have friends who live in a neighborhood that allows no parking on the street.   When she first moved in, she had a party and someone's car got towed because she had no idea the rule existed.   They didn't even knock on the door to warn her - just towed the car.

[chocolatechip]

Remind me to never ever buy a house with an HOA. . .  :svengo:

[TeenagerMom]

We could never live in an HOA. DH drives a commercial van for his job. It is his mobile office so it has to come home with him. Plus I don't like being restricted! My Mom's neighborhood can't have permanent storage buildings added to the property...everyone has gotten around it by putting them up on blocks! Lol!

[bettyandbob]

Commercial vehicles can be parked on the main road of our development overnight. My neighbor has a roofing company and leaves his truck. Other neighbors have gotten around this by putting those large vehicle magnets on their cars and removing them if they want their car on the street in front of the house. But the main road works out fine for most people. 

 

The ban on working on cars has to do with developments where cars seem to get put on blocks and abandoned in the street. I've seen it in other neighborhoods nearby when I helped ds deliver weekly papers years ago. There was one neighborhood that had multiple abandoned cars. it was truly an eyesore. i have friends who used to live their. Their board researched the owners and usually discovered the cars had been left by people who had moved away and the HOA was unable to get them out common parking areas or street parking. This kind of thing really does hurt resale. 

 

I have seen people do minor car repairs on my street. They do the work in one day and the car is driveable at the end of the day. 

 

These rules come about because someone or a few people abuse the situation in such a way that most people would never consider--like putting a car on blocks and moving away. So, to protect the neighborhood from the egregious behavior of a few, clear rules with a big bright line that shall not be crossed are written. I would have a problem with a car left on blocks near my house because I know it affects resale, therefore I do not mind the rule. 

 

It's a choice you make when moving to an HOA. What are the rules. How are they enforced. How effective has the board been at enforcement. You find this stuff out before you buy your house. 

 

[Mom2OandE]

We live in an HOA. At first it didn't bother me but each year we get more annoyed. Last year they put a lien on our house for something that had nothing to do with us. We had to pay to have it removed then fight them to get our money back. It all worked out but it was a total pain.

 

Recently, they sent us a letter to paint our house. It was painted five years ago and doesn't need it. In the past two years we've had a lot of houses sell so new owners painted to colors of their choices (approved of course) so I guess because half the block has painted they think we all should. They've also asked us to power wash three times in 8 months. Totally unnecessary and a waste of water in what is marketed as an environmentally friendly neighborhood. We are not allowed line drying either.

 

There is a whole list but I'd be here all night. Lol

[KathyBC]

One I've heard of: HOA decides whether and what type of deck you can build in your back yard.

We are also in Vegas, where people keep some really exotic pets. Anything from lions, tigers and chimps to capybaras, hedgehogs or other small creatures. Sorry, but I don't want lions roaming the street because someone left a gate open.  :willy_nilly:

 

We don't live in an HOA controlled area, but my local government has still figured out a way to make lions illegal to keep in a residential neighborhood.

 

In fact, it used to be illegal to keep backyard chickens in my community, but people lobbied the city, and a reasonable ordinance was written, and now it is legal.  To my mind, this is the way government should work -- it should be possible to change the laws when they become outdated, or new situations arise.  However, the status of HOAs, as essentially a privatized pseudo-government organization, where the rules effectively can't be changed, is basically totalitarianism.

[bettyandbob]

 

We are also in Vegas, where people keep some really exotic pets. Anything from lions, tigers and chimps to capybaras, hedgehogs or other small creatures. Sorry, but I don't want lions roaming the street because someone left a gate open.  :willy_nilly:

 

 

Some years ago, my brother had a neighbor who worked at a small zoo in northern Virginia. At home she had a three dogs. Except one of them looked like a really weird dog to my brother--the other neighbors all insisted that it was a dog like the first neighbor said she owned. Um no. It got bigger and became clearly a lion cub and quite aggressive toward the actual dogs. She took it back to her place of work. 

[bettyandbob]

Everytime I read an HOA thread I think I must have really lucked out, because mostly I like where I live. I've lived in two homes in this neighborhood for over twenty years. 

 

It's like the MIL threads. I've been lucky there too. 

[*Inna*]

From the HOA of a friend of mine living in a 50+ year old development.

 

o) No blacks or mexicans are allowed to live in the house. (!)

 

I dropped the packet when I read that.  Sure, it had been stamped on the front page with something to the effect that "Any illegal clauses are unenforceable", but the fact that these CC&Rs are so difficult to change, that they can't (or won't?) change anything that is so blatantly illegal and unethical, makes me cringe.

 

WOW... :mellow:

[QueenCat]

We don't live in an HOA controlled area, but my local government has still figured out a way to make lions illegal to keep in a residential neighborhood.

 

In fact, it used to be illegal to keep backyard chickens in my community, but people lobbied the city, and a reasonable ordinance was written, and now it is legal.  To my mind, this is the way government should work -- it should be possible to change the laws when they become outdated, or new situations arise.  However, the status of HOAs, as essentially a privatized pseudo-government organization, where the rules effectively can't be changed, is basically totalitarianism.

 

Our HOA rules can be changed with a 60% (one vote per house) in favor vote.

Our HOA rules can be changed with a 60% (one vote per house) in favor vote.

 

60% of all those who happen to vote, or 60% of all houses?  Usually, it is the latter, which makes it very hard to change anything.  The total turnout for the last US presidential election wasn't 60%.

[JennyD]

Some years ago, my brother had a neighbor who worked at a small zoo in northern Virginia. At home she had a three dogs. Except one of them looked like a really weird dog to my brother--the other neighbors all insisted that it was a dog like the first neighbor said she owned. Um no. It got bigger and became clearly a lion cub and quite aggressive toward the actual dogs. She took it back to her place of work. 

 

 

Whoa.  That's quite a story.

 

I'm fascinated by how many of you live in HOA communities.  I grew up in a very developed suburban area and as an adult have always lived in cities so all this is quite foreign to me.  

[QueenCat]

60% of all those who happen to vote, or 60% of all houses?  Usually, it is the latter, which makes it very hard to change anything.  The total turnout for the last US presidential election wasn't 60%.

 

All houses........... it's a mail in vote. However, 100% don't have to vote. Once we reach the magic 60% of all houses, it can pass. Budgets and such get passed on whoever is at the meeting but actual bylaw changes (has happened twice) require the mail in vote.

[LMD]

I've read many of these hoa threads and I still can't get my head around it!

 

No line drying... Cannot even imagine. Do they pay your electricity bill? Most people around here don't own a dryer!

[Dmmetler]

Nobody (including the HOA) really had a problem until they wanted to add a Capybara to the backyard. They were an educational group and had a small exotic petting zoo that would come to schools and community events. They really should have known the rules when they bought the house, but it was still sad to see them go through that. 

 

We are also in Vegas, where people keep some really exotic pets. Anything from lions, tigers and chimps to capybaras, hedgehogs or other small creatures. Sorry, but I don't want lions roaming the street because someone left a gate open.  :willy_nilly:

 

The CITES international laws and Lacey act already cover lions, tigers, chimps, crocodiles, etc.  Legally, they're not exotic pets, but injurious exotic animals under the Lacey act. In most cases, they're also species of concern because of low populations in their native areas, and cannot be imported/exported for that reason as well, and owning an endangered species without the right paperwork is a good way to end up buried UNDER the jail.

 

Having said that, in Vegas it's entirely possible that they're officially a small, licensed zoo or animal act and actually have the permits to legally have the animal, because entertainment industry is one reason for legal ownership. So yeah, if Sigfreid and Roy are your next door neighbors, that might be a reason for the HOA to require that they leave their work at the office!

[Bluegoat]

It's interesting to me that here on the east coast of Canada you just don't see this sort of thing, especially compared to the US.  Anything similar I have seen is in a condo association or co-op where they are actually in row houses and have a lot of common facilities, and even then it is not as crazy as some of these.  Generally people here are much more inclined to be willing to be collectivist or have regulation than in the US, there isn't the strong reaction against government restricting freedom or emphasis on individualism.  But people would find the idea of stopping their neighbours from parking a work van in the driveway or dictating the kinds of flowers eople plant as really over the top.

[Bluegoat]

 

 

The ONE rule here that I absolutely hate is no pickup trucks may be parked outside.   It was apparently a rule created to avoid having commercial vehicles sitting in people's driveways, but it applies to ALL pickup trucks, not just commercial trucks. 

 

So, what is with that?  They don't want people in trades to live there? 

[shawthorne44]

We have never lived where an HOA is , but there was a gal who posted that she was really angry that her DH's work van was no longer legal in their sub-division.  Turns out it was never legal because it was taller than their garage door, but no one had complained for a while.  

 

I don't get it. If you move there, and those are the rules, you are agreeing to follow them.

 

 

Ahhhh, but sometimes they change after you move in.  One friend had the max. fence height rule put in after they put in a fence.  He decided to join the board to keep future silliness at bay.  

 

I have some friends that have an HOA rule named after them.  They lived in an HOA with no rules about paint color.  The houses are brick, so there is only the trim to paint.  They painted the trim blue.  It was one shade brighter than the original development chosen color of my house.  So we aren't talking Bermuda blue.  Just one side brighter than people in this area (including them) would like.  You know how it is, sometimes paint doesn't look like you thought it would.  The neighbor across the street went into a tizzy and steam-rolled a rule in that all houses had to be Brown.  Since everyone knew the background, everyone calls that rule "(MyFriendsLastName) Rule."

 

Lots of things are left up to interpretation.  For example, another friend drives a really nice SUV with a hitch on it.  They tried to ban his SUV after 10 years because they said it was a work vehicle.  It wasn't.   They tried to define any SUV as a work vehicle, which is silly.  

 

Same HOA has a rule about no solicitation.  Which is great, except that they solicit solicitation.  DH used to work as a handyman, but now he is a SAHD.  He was doing some work for this friend as a favor.   Sometimes finding a reliable handyman is extremely hard.  DH was in the driveway doing something and a woman walked up and tried hard to get a business card from him.  But, he really didn't want to work for her, and therefore he didn't want her to have his number, and only accepted her number to make her go away.  Found out later, that if he'd even given her a business card when she asked, he would have been banned.  

 

So, I guess my advice to the OP is to get on the HOA board so that you can be a voice of sanity.  HOA boards seem to attract control-freaks and then a few people who want to protect themselves.  

[bettyandbob]

 

 

So, I guess my advice to the OP is to get on the HOA board so that you can be a voice of sanity.  HOA boards seem to attract control-freaks and then a few people who want to protect themselves.  

 

 

Absolutely. Right now, I don't have the energy to be on the board, but all board meetings are open. I make sure to show up once in a while to see how things are going in general. I also know who is on the board. Mostly, we haven't had control freaks. Over the last 20 years, we've had the occassional person who got on the board with their own agenda (do community landscaping only near their house, or other such thing). Those people have not stayed around when with rest of the board made it clear they couldn't make changes just to benefit themselves. 

 

If you aren't interested in knowing anything at all or being involved you probably should not purchase a home in an HOA. 

[justasque]

So, what is with that?  They don't want people in trades to live there? 

 

 

Yes (in some cases).  Or for them to really be there at all.  Where they "don't belong" (actual quote I have heard again, and again, and again).

 

A few years back, we were looking to rent a home in a city in Florida.  Most of the rental homes were in one of the many "gated communities".  Every time we called about a listing, the very first thing the agent said was, "Do you own a pickup truck?".  As in, we'd say "We're calling about the house you have listed," and the agent would reply "Do you have a pickup truck?".  We don't have one, but we had been living in a community were many of our neighbors were tradesmen who drive pickup trucks, and we did not want to live amongst people who felt that these folks were somehow undesirable neighbors just because they made their living through a trade.  We eventually found a house to rent (with no HOA and no gates), but after having lived in the area for a while, we saw that it was quite clear that the pickup truck restriction was a proxy for other, now-illegal restrictions.

 

(As an aside, this experience very much colored the lens through which we viewed the Trayvon Martin story, which took place in a gated community in Florida.)

 

From the HOA of a friend of mine living in a 50+ year old development.

 

o) No blacks or mexicans are allowed to live in the house. (!)

 

I dropped the packet when I read that.  Sure, it had been stamped on the front page with something to the effect that "Any illegal clauses are unenforceable", but the fact that these CC&Rs are so difficult to change, that they can't (or won't?) change anything that is so blatantly illegal and unethical, makes me cringe.

 

Disclaimer: I do not believe that everyone who lives in an HOA community, or a gated community, is OK with the community's rules, or wants such rules because they want to restrict certain kinds of people from living in their neighborhood.  At the same time, based on my personal experience, I have seen that there are areas of the country where there are people who, for often complex and sometimes-understandable-yet-problematic reasons, prefer to live around "people like us", and who create HOA rules in an attempt to accomplish this goal.  I would like to believe that this is not the case in most places, and that most people living in HOA/gated communities are nice folks.

[QueenCat]

So, what is with that?  They don't want people in trades to live there? 

 

In our neighborhood, it has more to do with not wanting wide vans parked in the road. They don't tend to fit in driveways very well. People in the trades do live in our neighborhood, and they can bring their work vehicles home so long as it fits on the driveway. Our rule is nothing over a certain size can be parked in the street (don't remember the exact size).

[happi duck]

The one and only time we lived in a hoa the rules and fees kept changing! I hated it.

[QueenCat]

The one and only time we lived in a hoa the rules and fees kept changing! I hated it.

 

Our fees are voted on every year. Sometimes they go up a little, but in 12 years, the total increase (over the 12 years) has been about $75/year. They can't go up unless they are voted to go up, so the choice is up to those who show up for the annual meeting. Very few care to do so, so only a few determine the budget and dues for the neighborhood.

[happi duck]

Our fees are voted on every year. Sometimes they go up a little, but in 12 years, the total increase (over the 12 years) has been about $75/year. They can't go up unless they are voted to go up, so the choice is up to those who show up for the annual meeting. Very few care to do so, so only a few determine the budget and dues for the neighborhood.

Same in our hated hoa. It was small and even with everyone voting the rules and fees changed frequently. It only took one or two pushy, fussy people to make it a nightmare. We research before we moved in. The pushy, fussy people moved in after we did and then it all changed.

 

I will never willingly live in a hoa because of that experience.

[EmilyGF]

The HOA we lived in in CA was full of people who were bitter and angry at each other. We said we'd never live in a place with a HOA again.

 

Now we do. We met with neighbors before moving in and asked about past drama. They had to go 12 years back to find something. We read every.single.line of the multi-multi-page agreement. Here the people like each other and generally get along. The HOA is small (18 homes) and most people have been here 15+ years.

 

The people who have had problems are the ones who don't show up at meetings. Something gets talked about and decided, and they get angry. Well, if you had an opinion, why didn't you come? We didn't know we were offending you because you couldn't bother to walk over two houses for a two hour meeting once a year...

 

Emily

[Butter]

The no trucks thing blows my mind.  I'm in Texas... the stereotype that people drive trucks exists for a reason.  At least half of the houses in our neighborhood have trucks.

 

There is a rule about no obviously commercial vehicles visible (aka outside of your garage) overnight.  It wasn't enforced, though, because one of our former neighbors was a Holiday Inn shuttle driver and had the van wrapped in Holiday Inn advertising parked in his driveway every night.  They moved a few months ago, but it had nothing to do with "breaking" the rule of no commercial vehicles.  No one ever cared and the HOA didn't enforce that particular rule.  They really only enforce the front lawn rules in our neighborhood as far as giving citations occurs.

[QueenCat]

Same in our hated hoa. It was small and even with everyone voting the rules and fees changed frequently. It only took one or two pushy, fussy people to make it a nightmare. We research before we moved in. The pushy, fussy people moved in after we did and then it all changed.

 

I will never willingly live in a hoa because of that experience.

 

That's sad........ with ours, whoever is at the meeting determines budget and dues but per the bylaws, the rules can't change without 60% of all homeowners agreeing to it so it's pretty hard to get a rule change.

[cmt49]

just got hoa letter   remove deck chair from public view that is in driveway near garage door   i am retired and sit many times day and drink coffee  take breaks  i should get paid for keeping eye on neighborhood      been here 6 yrs, $450/yr  take good care of common areas     fm Michigan and traded 9 mos winter 4 9mos summer  good 4 arthritis  

[Mrs_JWM]

just got hoa letter remove deck chair from public view that is in driveway near garage door i am retired and sit many times day and drink coffee take breaks i should get paid for keeping eye on neighborhood been here 6 yrs, $450/yr take good care of common areas fm Michigan and traded 9 mos winter 4 9mos summer good 4 arthritis

Did you happen to find this post about HOAs while browsing the internet and decide to comment, too? I'm always curious about one-off responses like these! [emoji5]

 

Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

[G5052]

During my single days, I lived in a condo/townhouse community with quite a few adventures. One day I had opened my balcony storage and took out a box that I put on the balcony. I went inside to answer the phone, and then came back and closed the door and got the box. They fined me for $20, which I challenged before the board and won. That box was on the balcony all of ten minutes!

 

Then DH and I lived in a townhouse with an HOA. We had fits with everything -- curtains, painting the front door, tiny weeds in the flower bed, etc. etc. Meanwhile, we had a drug dealer next door and all kinds of noise problems at night. Thankfully the drug-dealing neighbor went to jail when it was on the market, and his quiet sister moved in. We got it sold and moved "out" to a road with large lots and no HOA. 

 

 

[Alice]

My mailbox is actually attached to my house. I don't even have to step all the way outside the door to open it. Packages are left on my covered front porch. I might be a special snowflake too if that's the criteria. :D And if line drying makes you a rebel add that to my list. 

 

 

My mail slot is in my door. I don't even have to open the door to get my mail. I'm an even specialer snowflake. :) 

 

We don't have an HOA. We do have a neighborhood association that I think predates the rise of HOA's. It's an oldish suburban neighborhood, built in the 1960's. Dues are $10 a year. Dues go to maintaining flowers at the entrance to the neighborhood (it's not a gate, just a sign) and to the annual New Year's Eve luminaries that they do. There is also a quarterly newsletter with neighborhood info and gardening tips that I think the dues go towards. They have no way of enforcing payment, but since it's so low I think a lot of people pay. 

 

There are some "neighborhood rules" that occasionally the newsletter will highlight. One is no fences in the front yards. I think that's an issue because a few people have fenced vegetable gardens (the fences are to keep deer or other animals out) and others don't like the way that looks. The other rules are all actual county laws...like dogs on leashes or no chickens. 

 

I couldn't live in a neighborhood with an HOA. I'm too ornery. It would make me want to paint my house unapproved colors and plant unapproved flowers just to do it. I also really don't like the look of the communities that have really strict HOA's with rules about the way things look. I think it's a little too Pleasantvilleish for my taste. 

[shawthorne44]

My mail slot is in my door. I don't even have to open the door to get my mail. I'm an even specialer snowflake. :)

 

We don't have an HOA. We do have a neighborhood association that I think predates the rise of HOA's. It's an oldish suburban neighborhood, built in the 1960's. Dues are $10 a year. Dues go to maintaining flowers at the entrance to the neighborhood (it's not a gate, just a sign) and to the annual New Year's Eve luminaries that they do. There is also a quarterly newsletter with neighborhood info and gardening tips that I think the dues go towards. They have no way of enforcing payment, but since it's so low I think a lot of people pay. 

 

There are some "neighborhood rules" that occasionally the newsletter will highlight. One is no fences in the front yards. I think that's an issue because a few people have fenced vegetable gardens (the fences are to keep deer or other animals out) and others don't like the way that looks. The other rules are all actual county laws...like dogs on leashes or no chickens. 

 

I couldn't live in a neighborhood with an HOA. I'm too ornery. It would make me want to paint my house unapproved colors and plant unapproved flowers just to do it. I also really don't like the look of the communities that have really strict HOA's with rules about the way things look. I think it's a little too Pleasantvilleish for my taste. 

 

 

I used to travel all the time for work.   I had literal fantasies of a mail slot in my door.  

 

An HOA would bring out the civil disobedience in me too.  Some people just aren't HOA-type people.   HOA's always start out normal, and existing things are grandfathered in.  So, I'd also make sure to install everything right away that HOA's tend to make illegal.   So, I'd have an 8' tall privacy fence with the posts going out, exterior paint would be non-brown, front garden would have a fence around it, flag post with a light on it.  Also, unfortunately no trees, since one of the annoying but common rules is that when a tree dies you have to replace it with the same tree of the same size.  

[SparklyUnicorn]

See this is the one good thing about living in a less attractive neighborhood.  A house burned down at the end of the street and that didn't lower the property value.  If anything it probably raised it.  :lol:

[Desert Strawberry]

We don't have an HOA, but we have some kind of covenant. It's the one thing I really dislike about this house. 

We can have a limited number/size of out buildings. 

Chickens, specifically, are forbidden. Apparently ducks, rabbits, quail, outside dogs, fish are fine. Livestock isn't mentioned. But NO CHICKENS. 

[OneStepAtATime]

My dad hated HOAs because he had a friend who lost his house over non-compliance with an HOA rule (I don't recall which one).  I am VERY leery of HOAs.  Besides what rules they have, I agree, you need to research how stringently they enforce them and what power they have over your property.  Do that before you sign anything.

 

One house we looked at that had an HOA requirment that was pretty strict regarding pets.  When you read the fine print you were agreeing to no more than two pets, they could only be cats, they had to be strictly indoor cats, declawed and fixed and no dogs were allowed.  You had to sign permission for them to come check your animal to make sure it was in compliance.  They could force you to give away the animal or relinquish control of the property if you did not follow the rule.

[chocolate-chip chooky]

We don't have an HOA, but we have some kind of covenant. It's the one thing I really dislike about this house. 

We can have a limited number/size of out buildings. 

Chickens, specifically, are forbidden. Apparently ducks, rabbits, quail, outside dogs, fish are fine. Livestock isn't mentioned. But NO CHICKENS. 

 

:scared:

[Bambam]

I personally like HOAs. I do believe they help keep the neighborhood value consistent, but perhaps we've just been lucky. Some HOAs can be a pain. 

 

 

One HOA - we all had cedar fencing around our back yards (requirement, but it was nice because everyone had 6' high fences around their back yard, so harder to see). But, one neighbor's fence was getting older (i.e. grayer), and so he stained his fence so it looked new again. Oh, the outrage because, you understand, you weren't allowed to change the color of your fence. He got a letter from the HOA. Poor guy, he had just moved in from out of state, so he probably never had experienced an HOA before. They made him power wash that fence as that was his token effort to 'remove' the stain. 

[regentrude]

We don't have a HOA, but friends do.

They wanted to paint the shed. It had to be the same color as the house. The lady from the HOA wanted proof that it is the same color; looking at the shade did not satisfy her. How do you prove that??? It was the exact same bucket that was left over from painting the house...

 

I have lived in rental housing with busybody neighbors like that. I know exactly the type of person who would go around and measure their neighbor's grass. 

Never ever will I subject myself to this.

[Wheres Toto]

We live in a neighborhood without an HOA but we live in a town with some oddball rules.

 

You are allowed up to two "non-household pets", which can include poultry, goats, etc.  You can only have more than 2 if you have over 5 acres, in which case you are a farm.

 

You can evidently have an unlimited number of "household pets".  

 

We live on a river, which is a designated wetlands so we have to follow all kinds of DEP rules about riparian zones, and permeable surfaces.  We also need permission to remove trees over a certain size, but we can clear out underbrush.

 

I don't think we could do an HOA.  We have a boat sitting in our driveway and plan to have a pop-up or RV at some point.  

[Guest]

So glad I live in a secluded lot where I can have bad chickens and hoses and green curtains. I understand the idea of HOAs, but I'm hard-headed and severely liberty-oriented and cannot imagine living with stupid, picky rules.

 

I used to work for a lawyer who was (of course) head of his HOA in his snobby neighborhood. I got to type all sorts of obnoxious letters about grass height. So idiotic. I usually thought that boss was a douchebag, but never moreso than when he instructed me to type those letters.