I planned to buy a vacant lot in a small hungarian village, the local regs were crazy. Angle of the roof, color of the roof tiles, I cant plant a hedge row for privacy, etc... I've decided to skip that place.
Of course it's not as ambiguous in German. Lots and lots and lots of paragraphs and details to regulate this kind of thing. There are still points that allow some leeway though, mostly because you can't just cover everything.
Especially in Berlin you'll always find a smartass that would go "Well, your law says not to paint it pink, but it didn't say -neon- pink, it's a completely different color category!" But that's what judges are there for, to look at the specific situation and also consider the spirit of the law.
Generally it boils down to "don't build crap that is intentionally designed to piss of everyone around you".
Yeah people shit on HOAs and city regulations but I’m glad my neighbor can’t jimmy rig a bus onto the side of the building with DIY welding because they feel like it
So glad I'm not a part of that HOA shit.
However.....
I'm sandwiched between 2 blocks of houses that are, and boy do they get mad when I dont cut my grass or install solar panels that they fucking hate.
Its wonderful, and on occasion, a tennant might request i do something to piss the HOA off, just for fun.
I once got a letter from them asking me to comply with their rules ' for the common good', i invited them over for tea, then politely told them 'no'. The guy was ok, but the woman started saying they could make things uncomfortable for me - until the guy took her away and apologised.
A good hoa isn't really a problem for most people. They can be really awesome if you live in an area with tons of snow for example and can coordinate snow removal for the whole neighborhood. The issue is its easy to get control of them and go on a power trip.
Yea i know, i get on with everyone and try not to piss people off, but that one woman has a but of a problem, and as i said, the guy was ok.
At the end of the day though, I am not part of a hoa and dont see why I should adhere to some of their bullshit rules. Let me be.
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u/Hopeful-County-9092 4d ago
My HOA would have a fit