Homeowner Getting a New Roof Got Hit by His HOA for Cars Parked Over Four Hours Even Though He Moved Them Every Three Hours

Getting a new roof is stressful enough. There is the noise, the crews, the dumpster and the bill. For the homeowner behind @thelawnglowup, it came with one more surprise: an email from the HOA. “Well, we haven’t had to do this in a while,” he sighs at the start of his video, “but here we go.”

He reads the message out loud. On Friday and Saturday of that weekend, it says, “multiple vehicles were reported in front of your house for exceeding the four hour allotted time slot.”

The timing was not a coincidence. That was the weekend his roof was being replaced. And he says the complaint does not match what actually happened.

According to him, the roofing crew’s trucks were parked in his driveway, not on the street. The only cars out front belonged to him and his wife, because the workers needed the driveway. And knowing the four-hour rule, he says, the couple made a point of going outside and moving their cars “every three hours just because we didn’t want this.”

In other words, they were trying to follow the rule while their house was a construction zone, and they got flagged anyway. “Can’t win for losing with these fellas,” he says.

@thelawnglowup

So he does what any self-described petty homeowner would. He pins the letter up on his wall. Then he announces his next move. He says he has had just about as much as he can stand with this HOA, and that it is about time for neighbors to get together and vote the board out.

“We’ll see how this goes,” he says. “Y’all stay petty out there.”

Why Home Projects Trigger HOA Complaints

Big home projects bring extra vehicles, loud equipment, dumpsters and debris, all things HOA rules often regulate. A neighbor who is already watchful may report anything unusual, and some management companies send violation letters automatically after a report without checking the circumstances first.

The irony in this case is that a new roof usually helps the whole neighborhood. Well-kept homes protect property values, and many HOAs actually require owners to keep roofs in good repair. Getting cited during the job that keeps your house up to standard is the kind of thing that makes owners feel the rules are being enforced without common sense.

How to Avoid HOA Trouble During a Big Project

If you have a roof replacement, remodel, fence, paint job or landscaping project coming up, a little planning can head off letters like this.

Check whether you need approval. Many HOAs require architectural approval for roofs, especially if you are changing material or color. Get it in writing before work begins.

Notify the HOA of your dates. Send the management company a short email listing the project, contractor name and work dates. Ask about rules for dumpsters, work hours and parking.

Request a temporary parking exception. Many boards will grant a short waiver for a construction weekend if asked ahead of time. Get the answer in writing and keep it handy.

Give the neighbors a heads-up. A friendly note saying the roofers will be there for a couple of days can keep someone from picking up the phone to complain.

Keep records. Save the contract, the work dates and any photos. If you move your cars, a quick timestamped photo each time costs nothing and can be powerful evidence later.

If You Get the Letter Anyway

Do not ignore it and do not just pay. Respond in writing, explain the circumstances, and attach your proof, such as the contractor’s schedule and photos showing where vehicles were parked. Ask the HOA what evidence it has of the violation, and ask for a hearing if your community’s documents or your state’s laws provide one. Many associations will dismiss a first notice once they understand there was a construction project underway.

It is also worth asking a basic question: who owns the street? In many communities the roads are public and maintained by the city or county, and an HOA’s power to regulate parking on them may be limited or depend on local law. In others, the streets are private property of the association, and its parking rules carry more weight. Your plat, governing documents or city public works office can tell you which applies. If the street is public, a parking time limit may be something only the city can enforce, and that can be a strong point in your written response.

If a pattern of unfair letters keeps coming, his instinct to get involved is the right one. Owners elect HOA boards. Read your bylaws to learn when elections are held, how to get on the ballot and how many votes are needed. Some communities also allow owners to remove board members early through a petition and special meeting. Even if you do not want to run yourself, attending meetings and voting in every election is the most effective way to change how rules are enforced.

For now, the latest letter has a spot on the wall, and @thelawnglowup has a new project on his list, one that might be harder than a roof.

Willow and Hearth