Did you ask your neighbor why he let the dog out if he knew the fence was broken?
Rugby has said it’s because of his wife’s anxiety.
I feel like this thread would go a lot differently in South Korea. Give me collectivism over individualism any day of the week.
So she has no business ever contacting you about anything. If she has a problem she should be going through the unit owner. You aren’t a member of the HoA, the owner is. If they are trying to enforce “guidelines” that aren’t actually part of the HoA governing rules that you agreed to when you signed your lease then they are shit out of luck. The only contract connecting you to the HoA is your lease, and no one but you and the owner can change that.
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Nah I assumed he would know this
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This is a great point, if it comes to a head, check your lease and make sure this is accurate and then you can say:
Karen,
I have carefully reviewed my lease to confirm that I am not breaking any rules. If there is an issue between my lease and the HOA rules, you’ll have to take that up with my landlord. My lease was signed on DATE, and is a legally binding contract, not a set of suggested guidelines.
That said, I will be sure to be careful not to admit any criminals into the building, and to continue being a safe and responsible neighbor.
Your real problem is you have a HOA…
Just you and Mr Nuclear War Is Coming.
Put it to a forum vote, Mr creepy Youtube salesman.
People without passports - left or right, it’s always the ones who don’t travel. Sigh.
As far as i can tell, my state has laws saying that if rules are approved by the homeowners and they are formally registered with the government then they become binding on everyone, including renters.
Of course, they then still need to be enforced and are subject to the “lol no” defence.
Seems a reasonable system.
However as Karen points out these are just guidelines.
My options now.
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Something short and dismissive. “Ah. Understood. Guidelines only”
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Ignore completely and carry on doing my thing.
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Some kind of attempt to give her a gracious way out.
“Karen. I absolutely understand the work you do, especially the recycling. That was something I was really happy to see introduced. I will take these guidelines under advice, but I can assure you that we won’t be letting anyone into the building who we haven’t invited. Just to be clear. I now consider this matter closed.”
I like either 2 or 3. One seems a little petty and is likely to keep the back-and-forth going at least one more round. If you think it’s unlikely she’ll confront your partner, I prefer 2.
The fact that you’re spending time researching nonsense like HOA regulations and figuring out if they’re actual rules or just bullshit she wrote down, and draining your emotional well worrying about this bullshit, means the game is already over and you lost. You have to put people like this on defense. Passive aggressive bullies bank on your sense of decency to get away with abusive behavior. If you ignore her completely and pretend she doesn’t exist, what is she really going to do? Absolutely nothing.
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Just to emphasize Riverman’s point - you do not have a contract with this woman. You are not obligated to talk to her, and your well-intentioned efforts to be civil are not benefitting you at all. The only thing you should be figuring out is if your lease contains a general clause obligating you to follow all HOA rules and guidelines. If the answer is no (and it almost certainly does not obligate you to follow “guidelines”), just ignore her.
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Absolutely.
The worst she would do is similar to what she has already done. Knock on our door to try and hassle Mrs Rugby when she orders a delivery.
And if that happens again I would definitely escalate and that wouldn’t be good for neighbourly harmony.
Yes?
See if the first-floor unit with dodgy locks has a copy lying around. Apparently, verifying the owner is home is optional.
I don’t think this is the best advice in some cases. Here we can assign monetary fines for not following HOA rules. We can go so far as to put a lien on the property if not paid. Some jurisdictions allow the HOA to force a sale if not paid!
If these are actual HOA rules (which isn’t clear yet) the owner of his unit could suffer consequences if not followed.
Yeah, I think inviting her to take it up with the owner of your unit could be a mistake. She seems the type to relish that challenge. Think of the barren hours you’ve invited her to fill. Why, without this distraction, she might have had to entertain some introspective thoughts!
And your landlord definitely isn’t going to want the hassle. They’ll likely not extend your lease, rather than deal with her thrice-weekly phone calls.
Definitely keep the email of her stating she will just add a date to the paper.
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It’s only a matter of time before he or Ms. Rugby observes Karen breaking the actual rules.
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