Florida Home Owners Demand Removal of TARDIS

[Remus]

Is having neighbours being uptight about what's in your driveway a common thing in America, or is it just Florida that has a bug up its arse?

Absolutely. This is why so many in America prefer wide open spaces, and a good reason why public transport isn't really a thing in a lot of areas - so we can do whatever we want with our property without having our neighbor look over his picket fence and scoff when he sees our lawn is 1 inch too high from the ground. Seriously, people that run home owners associations are dicks and should be ashamed for the organization that they represent, but they don't, because they're dicks.

 

[2fish]

This is why I will never live in an association. In the unlikely event I have some item I really want on the front lawn the neighbors can't fine me for it.

The old people ones kinda make sense as you have your own house but pay dues for the things you can't do anymore like yard care, ect.

I think the tardis will lose as they most probably signed a contract with the house if it is in an HOA.

 

[Stevepinto3]

But is it in violation of The Shadow Proclamation? Because I suspect space law trumps it in this case.

 

[Sanunes]

Home Owner Associations can have sticks the side of a TARDIS shoved you know where. A family member needed to repaint their entire house because the color (that was approved) turned out to be darker then the HOA anticipated. Of course it caused a major war in that neighborhood for they started to bring to notice every little thing that was violating the "bylaws" that their neighbors were doing. I have also seen HOA contracts stating how long your grass must be and what variety of grass you must use for any repairs to your lawn.

 

[Therumancer]

What the hell is wrong with people when their biggest concern is what other people put on their driveway.
Seriously, don't you have bloody life of your own?

Blame the real estate market. The bottom line is that your property values are not just dictated by the condition of your property but the condition of other properties in the neighborhood. Appearances matter. What's more the higher the property values the wealthier the people who tend to buy the homes, and the more taxes for the town. Thus local governments tend to support neighborhoods in passing laws that limit what people can and cannot do on their own property. Disputes over decorations and props aren't all that rare. This is also how professional groundskeepers make their money oftentimes dividing areas up into "territories" since in some areas you might be legally obligated to have your grass mowed to a certain height, and keep any bushes, trees, or plants to a uniform configuration. It's also why through a lot of the country your actually legally required to pick up the poop when you walk your dog, even if the dog say poops on the sidewalk on in your own front yard.

The thing is that something like a TARDIS replica is large and noticeable and pretty much requires you to know Doctor Who to realize it's not an actual abandoned police box, or some kind of storage shed or whatever. What's more everyone pretty much has something they want to put in their yard but can't, so neighbors tend to police each other, not to mentin everyone being concerned about their property values.

Like it or not, you need to think in the long term. What happens to this thing in 5, 10, 15 years? Does it sit there and decay? Neightborhoods with these laws are trying to prevent long term degeneration of property values. We've all seen houses with say decaying swing sets in their front yard, maybe a rusted out car someone was going to fix, and the ground eroded into patches of grass, abandoned and decaying storage buildings the size of that Tardis are also an issue. It might not be fair but it effects everyone around, not just the property owner.

Now perhaps the laws should be re-written to prevent this kind of local regulation, putting possible long term effects ahead of the now, but as things stand now this isn't uncommon and applies through a lot of the country local government by local government which is why th Suburbs and such look so kempt and uniform (occasionally mocked "stepford wives" style for I as well). Rural and deep urban areas are less well regulated.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Does the TARDIS have a sticker on it that says "My Other TARDIS Is A Car"?

The thing about HOAs is that they often start with good intentions for protecting property values and the general "feel" of a neighborhood (do you really want to see a scale-model replica of Stonehenge made out of rusted refrigerators across the street from you?), but it's always just a matter of time before human nature and group-think kick in and they start trying to enforce their own aesthetics by fiat. Disputes about things like satellite dishes (which naturally HAVE to be placed in a certain direction) and even hanging flowerpots aren't unheard of.

Is having neighbours being uptight about what's in your driveway a common thing in America, or is it just Florida that has a bug up its arse?

Yes

Ordinarly I'd warn you of low-content posts, but hell if you didn't just encapsulate the entire problem in a word.

 

[Metadigital]

As inconsiderate as it is to complain about a TARDIS in your neighbor's driveway, it's at least equally inconsiderate to put one in your own driveway. That's ultimately the problem with this HOA issues. They really only deal with petty situations, and often, both sides of the argument are just about equally petty.

Personally, if someone said this to me"

"I'm slightly amused by this....I maintain this is a mode of transportation, therefore I have every right to park it in my driveway."

I'd ask them to demonstrate that claim. If they couldn't, then it doesn't really belong parked in a driveway.

 

[Reed Spacer]

Association later drops complaint -- claim they have 'upgraded ' their belief on the matter.

 

[ecoho]

how can one grow up around you without your consent? we had a notion to start one about 5 years ago up here and it was promptly squashed when two of us on the block said no.

If an association covers an area and expands to cover your area, from what I've heard they can't make you join if you own the land but they can apply informal pressure.

what do you mean by informal pressure?

 

[Dr. Thrax]

I already have a deep disdain for HOAs thanks to a bit of fuss over our own townhouse a year ago.
My mother and I are leaving to go run some errands, when some lady is taking pictures of the house because she's from the HOA and some shitheel in our neighborhood complained about our house.
What she told us was that she was only going to take pictures of the front of the house, as she apparently can't legally go around the side and to the back or something.
So we finally got the list of their nitpicking and we had to replace the siding on the front of the house because the seams were showing, despite the fact that when you are going to our home, you can see about 7 other houses with seams showing on the siding.
A couple hundred bucks later and the siding is fixed, "Well, what about the side of the house?"... *****, you said NOTHING about the side of the house. In fact, you weren't clear at all about what had to be fixed, you just printed out a part of the code and highlighted shit.
So now we have to have call the guys again to replace the siding on the side, in winter.

Not to mention the 20 notices we've received about our grass, when there has been a house literally just down the street with grass 2x longer than ours. It's barely even ankle length and we'd get notices that our grass was too long.
God I miss being in a neighborhood not governed by the HOA.

 

[Fox12]

What the hell is wrong with people when their biggest concern is what other people put on their driveway.
Seriously, don't you have bloody life of your own?

Apparently you've never had an HOA. The short answer is "no."

The long answer is that they're usually filled with old retirees and cat ladies who drive through the neighborhood in a golf cart, looking for obscure home owner violations. These people are typically self righteous loners, and their meetings are usually echo chambers, where they stroke each others egos. Seeing a giant British telephone booth in the driveway probably gave them a hernia.

And God FORBID you challenge them. They'll target you. A bunch of people tried to get the board members removed (they eventually succeeded). Suddenly they have members parked outside their houses at odd hours, people taking pictures of their property, and tons of fines coming in for "violations." They're like weird, parasitic little dictators.

 

[Travis Fischer]

I love how when people are being incredibly anal about something, their defense is always "but it's the rules!" as though that argument is supposed to show they aren't being anal.

 

[Scarim Coral]

I betting the "The Lexington Home Owners Association of Tampa Florida" are really darleks or anyone of the Doctor foes in disguise in a bid to get rid the Doctor TARDIS from ruining their plans.

 

[RaikuFA]

Just looked online, HOA really can't do shit. Can't fine them, can't destroy it (well they can but not without legal retaliation.). Speaking of retaliation, they should by putting up weeping angel statues.

That whole American Dad episode "Roy Rodgers McFreely" encapsulated why HOA is never a good idea.

 

[kael013]

do you really want to see a scale-model replica of Stonehenge made out of rusted refrigerators across the street from you?

Yes. In fact, I'd [i/]move[/i] to a neighborhood that allowed that since it shows the people living there are tolerant, resourceful, and artistic.

Shame HOAs ensure there are no neighborhoods like that.

OT: I've never understood how HOAs can get away with stuff like this. Isn't this crap against the last two parts in "Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness"?

 

[Spacewolf]

So do these HoAs have any power to enforce this sort of thing or can he just tell them to shove it?

 

[RoonMian]

do you really want to see a scale-model replica of Stonehenge made out of rusted refrigerators across the street from you?

Yes. In fact, I'd [i/]move[/i] to a neighborhood that allowed that since it shows the people living there are tolerant, resourceful, and artistic.

Shame HOAs ensure there are no neighborhoods like that.

OT: I've never understood how HOAs can get away with stuff like this. Isn't this crap against the last two parts in "Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness"?

Well, if you start arguing like that then the death penalty is already against that whole unalienable right to life thingy. And if the government is shitting on those rights big time, why shouldn't small-minded informers in your neighborhood shit on them small time?

 

[frizzlebyte]

do you really want to see a scale-model replica of Stonehenge made out of rusted refrigerators across the street from you?

Yes. In fact, I'd [i/]move[/i] to a neighborhood that allowed that since it shows the people living there are tolerant, resourceful, and artistic.

Well, I agree it would be awesome, but only if they were Electrolux brand. They make some wicked sweet appliances.

OT: I've never understood how HOAs can get away with stuff like this. Isn't this crap against the last two parts in "Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness"?

Not sure if you live in the US, but one thing this country leans on heavily is the contract. As long as you agree to something in a contract, it is usually considered binding by the court system, fair and equitable or not, and failing to abide by it is considered breach of contract.

The sanctification of the contract is something our nation needs to get past quickly.

 

[Flames66]

how can one grow up around you without your consent? we had a notion to start one about 5 years ago up here and it was promptly squashed when two of us on the block said no.

If an association covers an area and expands to cover your area, from what I've heard they can't make you join if you own the land but they can apply informal pressure.

They can also shove a life sized TARDIS up their vortex.

As inconsiderate as it is to complain about a TARDIS in your neighbor's driveway, it's at least equally inconsiderate to put one in your own driveway. That's ultimately the problem with this HOA issues. They really only deal with petty situations, and often, both sides of the argument are just about equally petty.

I only see one side being petty. The other I see doing something they enjoy on their own property.

Personally, if someone said this to me"

"I'm slightly amused by this....I maintain this is a mode of transportation, therefore I have every right to park it in my driveway."

I'd ask them to demonstrate that claim. If they couldn't, then it doesn't really belong parked in a driveway.

If I was hypothetically asked this, my preferred reaction would be to invite the asker to enter the vehicle, knock them unconscious and leave them in an identical vehicle in another country. (more likely I would tell them to piss off and mind their own business, but I find the first idea more amusing) Also, you know what belongs in my driveway? whatever I decide belongs in my driveway.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Alas, the downside to being part of a H.O.A. Yes, you get to live in a nice area where all the houses are in good shape, yards are well kept, and it generally looks like a good place to live. But the price for that is that creativity isn't really allowed. You want to add a little something special to your home? Make it stand out? Nope, not allowed. Now if this was just a regular neighborhood, then they are completely free to do whatever they want, but by buying a home that is part of this H.O.A., they have to follow the rules that come with that.