I can't believe some people fill their garages with junk, not even room for one car. The people next door to me have a one car garage but I've never seen them put the car in there, not even during a snowstorm.

A neighbor where my GF lives has a one car garage but the new car sits outside in the driveway every day. They only use the garage door opener to walk in and out of the house thru the attached garage with a junk scattered around inside.

If you've got that much junk it's time to get a dumpster and have some of that crap hauled away.

I know some people have their own business and need to store equipment in the garage. I get that. For some people it's the only place they can store certain things, but in most cases it's just a bunch of junk.

It's really bad when someone has an old car taking up space in the garage that they are going to rebuild someday. It usually ends up getting hauled away to a junkyard someday when they decide to move to a different house.

I can't believe how some people get bent out of shape when some neighbor chooses to use his own personal space differently than they would.

It's their garage. By your own statements, they keep the door closed. None of your business.

I tend to agree with jayn_j, as long as I don't have to look at it! Now if they keep their door open and I have to look at a trash mound exploding out of the garage that is a different story. We had a renter in my neighborhood last year that had so much junk in his garage that he couldn't even shut the door half the time. We had to explain that if he didn't shut the door we'd be calling a service to haul his junk away (HOA rules thank god). It was an eye sore. Luckily he got evicted :) as his land lord wasn't happy either.

I can't believe how some people get bent out of shape when some neighbor chooses to use his own personal space differently than they would.

It's their garage. By your own statements, they keep the door closed. None of your business.

+1 :up

I can't believe you guys got so uptight.

You must have garages filled with junk.

I also can't believe an HOA can legally have a law that says they can clean out a person's garage if the door is left open a lot and they have a lot of junk inside.

Is this the pot calling the kettle black!!!! :)

Is this the pot calling the kettle black!!!! :)

Yep, that's how it works.
I have a garage full of junk so I start a thread complaining about people that have a garage full of junk.
:rolleyes:

I was speaking specifically about the uptight statement. You started this thread with this: "I can't believe some people fill their garages with junk, not even room for one car." That sounds pretty uptight to me.....

I have a one car attached garage that's full of lawn tools & "junk." My wife and I both park in the driveway and we get plenty of snow.

We don't have a huge house and we hardly have any storage. The attic is the master bedroom and most of the basement is a finished family room. I'd rather my clutter be banished to the garage than inside my house.

I also can't believe an HOA can legally have a law that says they can clean out a person's garage if the door is left open a lot and they have a lot of junk inside.

If it is an eye sore (which it was believe me) then you can. Honestly all everyone wanted was for him to shut the door so the plan was only for them to get rid of the stuff blocking that from happening (the stuff that was hanging outside) so that the door could be shut. Luckily the problem solved itself ;)

If it is an eye sore (which it was believe me) then you can. Honestly all everyone wanted was for him to shut the door so the plan was only for them to get rid of the stuff blocking that from happening (the stuff that was hanging outside) so that the door could be shut. Luckily the problem solved itself ;)

Eye sore or not the HOA can't legally just come in and take the persons private property away cause it doesn't look pretty.

Oh yes they can. All you have to do is read the HOA rules. The garage door HAS to be closed, it's that simple. If the door won't close they have the right to get it that way. You don't know much about HOAs do you.....

Eye sore or not the HOA can't legally just come in and take the persons private property away cause it doesn't look pretty.

I once briefly considered buying a house until I read a clause in the covenants that required me to give the hOA a key and which gave them the right to forcibly change anything that didn't meet architectural guidelines visible from outside the house. I asked and was told that if I left my drapes open and they didn't like the color I painted the living room walls, they could enter the house and repaint at my expense.

Don't ever assume anything with an HOA.

I can't believe some people fill their garages with junk, not even room for one car.I am married to one of those people...4500sq. ft. isn't enough space for her so the two-car and one-car garages are filled and our three vehicles are parked in the driveway. Unlike my grandparents (who literally collected "things" I would immediately discard) my wife takes perfect care of her stuff...and all her items are in "mint" condition and neetly stored and indexed. Yep, it's still a disease, but I've learned to keep my mouth-shut and hope she will one day realize that she wants to get rid of her ball-and-chain. Besides my home theater equipment I can pretty much toss all my possessions into the back of my pickup truck and be ready to move in a hearbeat. Unfortunately, as a society we place too much value in our possessions...and the Wal-Mart (lot's of cheap crap, now!) and "supersize me" mentallity is killing us.

I am married to one of those people...4500sq. ft. isn't enough space for her so the two-car and one-car garages are filled and our three vehicles are parked in the driveway. Unlike my grandparents (who literally collected "things" I would immediately discard) my wife takes perfect care of her stuff...and all her items are in "mint" condition and neetly stored and indexed. Yep, it's still a disease, but I've learned to keep my mouth-shut and hope she will one day realize that she wants to get rid of her ball-and-chain. Besides my home theater equipment I can pretty much toss all my possessions into the back of my pickup truck and be ready to move in a hearbeat. Unfortunately, as a society we place too much value in our possessions...and the Wal-Mart (lot's of cheap crap, now!) and "supersize me" mentallity is killing us.

I'm the same way. Every year in January I go through everything, if I didn't know I owned it, or don't have a use for it in the coming 6 months, it goes. I either pitch it sell it, or donate it.

Our parents, well those who's parents grew up in the Great Depression, never threw out anything. My father was a pack rat supreme, and when he died, it took 6 months to clear out everything from his house and two other buildings he and I owned. This was working 5 days a week, sorting and hauling, and three 20 yard dumpsters worth of useless crap. Made a lot of money, but probably not what my dad thought it was all worth.

Eye sore or not the HOA can't legally just come in and take the persons private property away cause it doesn't look pretty.

Ha! Yes they can. Here is an easy example.
You put a car in your front yard.
HOA rules say that you are only allowed to have cars in your garage and driveway.
The HOA gives you notice to move the vehicle or be towed.
You don't move it.
The HOA tows it.
You don't claim within required number of days.
The HOA auctions it off
(Note, you would get the difference between whatever the fees were to tow the vehicle, store the vehicle and auction the vehicle).

I once briefly considered buying a house until I read a clause in the covenants that required me to give the hOA a key and which gave them the right to forcibly change anything that didn't meet architectural guidelines visible from outside the house. I asked and was told that if I left my drapes open and they didn't like the color I painted the living room walls, they could enter the house and repaint at my expense.

Don't ever assume anything with an HOA.

That is very extreme and unsusal. Most HOAs are reasonable (I can only speak from my experience). If you don't like how an HOA is doing something, then join the board and change it.

Sure, if you don't like tyranny, join the tyrants.... :D

Hehe, exactly.

my next door neighbor is the same way. 2 car garage and can only get his motorcycle in there. The rest is tools, wood and junk. I dont have an issue with it and I am the HOA president where we live.

The neighbor across from me just has a bunch of crap in their garage...it was worse when the daughter and the 6 kids (aka the walking maury povich episode) moved back with gramma but she's gone now so there is some room in their garage

Our rule is the cars can be parked one deep in front of the garage and they do. Also when it snows alot they have to move them so the company that plows the driveway can get the driveways done

by the way...what do you consider junk?

In my garage where the 2nd car would go I have 2 6 foot satellite dishes, 2 Primestar dishes, and a computer desk with a 20" TV on so when I wheel the 6 footers out and aim them :)

some people might call that junk

Ha! Yes they can. Here is an easy example.
You put a car in your front yard.
HOA rules say that you are only allowed to have cars in your garage and driveway.
The HOA gives you notice to move the vehicle or be towed.
You don't move it.
The HOA tows it.
You don't claim within required number of days.
The HOA auctions it off
(Note, you would get the difference between whatever the fees were to tow the vehicle, store the vehicle and auction the vehicle).

Ha! I wasn't talking about a car parked on the front yard.

Whatever......

You don't know much about HOAs do you.....

I guess I don't know much about HOAs.

You sure set me straight......
:rolleyes:

I remember a co-worker telling me his wife had planted flowers around the base of a tree in the front yard. Within a day or so they got a letter from the HOAs saying the flowers are a violation and had to be removed.
:rolleyes:

Note to self: Never move into a HOA controlled area.

:tux:

HOAs are free to enforce any (non-discriminatory) rule that they can imagine. That's why I'd never live under one.

Ha! I wasn't talking about a car parked on the front yard.

Whatever......

It is the same concept. Not sure why you don't like the analogy?

HOAs are free to enforce any (non-discriminatory) rule that they can imagine. That's why I'd never live under one.

not all HOA's are bad ;)

I have a one car attached garage that's full of lawn tools & "junk." My wife and I both park in the driveway and we get plenty of snow.

We don't have a huge house and we hardly have any storage. The attic is the master bedroom and most of the basement is a finished family room. I'd rather my clutter be banished to the garage than inside my house.

Same here. Fact is, my car is designed to sit outside. My lawnmower, snowblower, weedwacker, wheelbarrow and the like are not. Plus, I'm sure stashing those in the yard would be more an eyesore than my car being in the driveway.

It is the same concept. Not sure why you don't like the analogy?

Cause one is a garage full of junk with the garage door up and the other is a car parked in the front area.

What's wrong with a car parked in the front area ?

Does the HOA also say the car must be in the driveway with the front of the car facing the garage door or do they allow you to back it in if you want to ?

My HOA states that you cannot park in your driveway overnight. They do not enforce it though.

Cause one is a garage full of junk with the garage door up and the other is a car parked in the front area.

What's wrong with a car parked in the front area ?

Does the HOA also say the car must be in the driveway with the front of the car facing the garage door or do they allow you to back it in if you want to ?

Well, I guess you aren't good at analogies. If you read the example in my post the person's garage was full and of junk and could not be closed because of the crap hanging out. I was using the car in the front yard example to respond to your comment that an HOA can't legally come and take your property if they don't like the way it looks. I would think that most people would have an issue with a car parked in a front yard (hence my example), but maybe you don't have a problem with that. This is precisely the reason that I live in an HOA neighborhood because if my neighbor had their car parked in the front yard I would not be a happy camper.

If you don't think that things like this reduce the value of YOUR home then you are sadly mistaken. The value of a home is greatly imacted by the "curb appeal" of not only that home, but also the homes that surround it. The whole reason for an HOA is to prevent people from doing stuff to their home that reduces the value of the homes around it. Sure, some HOAs go overboard, but in general I'm in favor of them. YMMV

What you do is always reasonable and responsible. Irresponsible behavior is only done by your neighbor :)

I can't believe you guys got so uptight.

You must have garages filled with junk.

I also can't believe an HOA can legally have a law that says they can clean out a person's garage if the door is left open a lot and they have a lot of junk inside.

If the restriction is in the Deed, Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (DCCR's), the HOA is the enforcement mechanism for that. The DCCR's should have been part of what's disclosed when you buy a house in a deed-restricted community.


(I'm on the board of my HOA).

That said, generally if the door is shut, the HOA won't say anything.

Leave it open, that's a different issue.

My HOA states that you cannot park in your driveway overnight. They do not enforce it though.

WTF ? What's the problem with parking your own car in your own driveway overnight ?

What if a friend stays over for the night or part of the night ?
Car in driveway overnight !!! :eek:
HOA violation !!! :eek:

Some guy I worked with said his HOA said that each homeowner could have one car in the parking area but any more than that requires a special permit from the HOA ? :rolleyes:

Does anyone else have any funny HOA rules ?

Well if you have one car garages like the ones in my area which are only big enough to squeeze a WWII era jeep or a 75 fiat into then no its not a problem getting your vehicle in there but given today's vehicle dimensions that wouldn't work without taking off some trim and mirrors. Even on many modern homes the garage whether one or two vehicle capacity is still built to older specs not allowing for large SUV's to be parked inside.

Now I will say that unless the OP is going into these peoples homes then really its none of his business what they are keeping in their garages and unless he's paying their car note then whats it to him to worry about them parking a new car outside in all types of weather?