“I would continue to use it until you receive feedback”

A debate recently erupted on Reddit when a homeowner asked the online community for advice after clashing with a neighbor while drying his clothes on a clothesline.

The user described difficulty understanding the complaint because there did not appear to be any rules against him in his homeowners association’s terms, conditions, and restrictions.

The closest area the original poster could find for comparison in their HOA’s rule book was under a section on solar devices: “Solar device installations on any lot must include and describe reasonable efforts to mitigate the visual and aesthetic impact on immediate neighbors and the larger community of any solar device installation.

However, as several users have pointed out, a clothesline and a solar panel, while both effective in combating rising global temperatures, are two very different things.

These debates are becoming more common as old-school HOAs, traditionally charged with keeping their communities clean and tidy, grapple with the realities of the effects of the Earth’s overheating.

In communities across the country, forward-thinking HOA members are trying to make meaningful adjustments to their personal habits, including their energy use. This has led to disagreements with HOA boards stuck in the past over everything from solar panel installations to electric vehicle charging stations to native plant lawns. These types of personal changes are not only good for the environment, but also for your wallet, making any HOA rejection extremely frustrating.

Most users who responded to the initial post felt that the owner had every right to continue hanging their clothes, especially if they were doing it at night.

“I would continue to use it until you receive notice from the HOA,” one commenter offered.

Another suggested they be proactive and cautiously demand clarification of rules in the community: “A nuisance is often what the council considers a nuisance, it may be listed in the CC&Rs, but there is usually a catchphrase -anything to which the board can apply. anything they consider a nuisance.

Should HOAs be able to force homeowners to change yards?

Absolutely not

Yes, that’s part of the deal

Only in extreme circumstances

We should ban HOAs

Click on your choice to see the results and express your opinion

If you know where to start, you can often successfully challenge and amend your HOA bylaws to take environmentally friendly actions within your community.

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