Homeowners who contribute to a homeowners association expect their money to be put to good use. One exhausted and frustrated homeowner in Arizona wondered how to deal with an HOA that permits landscapers to start their noisy work at 6 a.m.
In a Reddit post in the r/legaladvice subreddit, the sleepy Tucson resident shared that they get home around 2:30 a.m. after finishing their night-shift job. At the early hour of 6 a.m., landscapers begin work just a few feet outside the resident's bedroom window.
The workers also use gas-powered equipment, making it especially loud and disruptive for the homeowner.
After doing some research to find a noise ordinance that appears to at least cover hours prior to 7 a.m. and calling their HOA to make a complaint, the Redditor said there was no change in the landscapers' start time and that they were still using gas-powered lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and chainsaws.
The original poster asked the subreddit group: "What do I do? … Do I call the cops? The city? The state? Do I file a complaint another way?"
One commenter responded: "You'd be well within your rights to reach out to the police or code enforcement to find out how to address this."
The wider county of Pima has regulations on air quality as well, which might help the sleepy resident when it comes to the commercial leaf blowers, at least, which have been found to be so bad that an hour of using one can produce as much air pollution as driving a car for 15 hours.
Homeowners across the United States have experienced issues with their HOAs, including battling regulations restricting them from making eco-friendly updates to their properties.
In this instance, the HOA could require their landscapers to use electric equipment, which is much quieter and healthier for residents — and better for the environment. Like other electric machinery, electric landscaping tools don't release air pollution, which has been linked to health concerns like asthma.
Some HOAs have even stopped homeowners from making money-saving changes to their homes or properties. In Maine, HOAs were enforcing restrictive lawn policies until the local government stepped in to allow residents to make native-plant upgrades to their yards, which would save them time and money throughout the year.
A woman in Virginia was frustrated that her HOA would not allow her to install a charging station for her electric vehicle. Since EVs save users money on gas and maintenance, it's not surprising that the woman took issue with this regulation.
HOAs are intended to help residents, not hinder them from making eco-friendly, money-saving updates.
The OP stated: "Just frustrated that the HOA can break the city's rules with no issue."
If you're experiencing a similar dilemma with an HOA, visit TCD's HOA guide for assistance with making changes to your property and community.
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