Why do so many people complain about their homeowner's associations (HOAs)?

How many times in their lives do people buy a house?

0, once, or twice. Most lately will be at 0, and more in the future, if the economy doesn't start. Most at one. A few at two. Fewer and fewer as you go.

That is the level of experience most people have.

Many people do not read what they sign, they just see the home in a neighbourhood they think is suited to them and sign on the dotted line, pay the money. Later when they do something that is prohibited in the HOA documentation, the whine and complain.

Before you sign any contract you must know exactly what the document contains. If you cannot understand the document, get a reputable lawyer to interpret it for you.

I complain because somehow the same things in the CC&R document get notably more expensive EVERY YEAR.

It is as though no one was smart enough to sign a contract with any company that lasts longer than one year.

I pay more and more every year for the same darn services and protections. That is dumb

(And in my area you either live in an HOA neighborhood, or you live in a crime ridden neighborhood, or you have a 2 hour commute everyday

It all depends on the HOA.

Ours gets snippy if you try to build a shed or if you blow off paying your yearly dues of $60, which pays for all yard maintenance at the two entrances. Other than that, you don't hear about them too much.

Others are off-the-chart in terms of their invasive behavior.

Read the horror stories of some Florida condo associations that quintupled fees and then forced owners to sell. Speculators moved in, buying the condos for couple of grand fees. It was a scam.

Should they have read the docs? Yeah, I guess. But are you telling me anyone could foresee an HOA doing that ? It's criminal.

Mostly because they're from parts of the country where home owners associations don't exist. See in normal places, someone has to convince an entire town before they impose little rules. When people move into states where this is common, they don't realize what exactly they're signing. they think they're buying their own house.

It simply isn't normal to live somewhere where you need to ask if you can plant a bush.

Because HOA's are power hungry. My wife and I skipped over buying a house for the very fact that we would have to be a part of a worthless HOA.

Little Gestapo units, just like HLS, ATF, FBI. SS IRS and the other illegal units of government.

They all could turn legal by going to the Constitution and taking care of the oath they all made.

Agreed. People should read the contacts before they sign them. Dont like it, dont live there. Simple.

Most people think it just a formality that won't be enforced.They don't read the fine print.

Because they're sick of all forms of US richclass fascistic slavery.