Can an HOA stop shrieking heathens?

Hello all,

If you recall I had an issue with my previous neighbor cutting collars off my dog {i think i titled that post autard in my yard}. I moved into a really nice area, except for one thing: The neighbor behind me to the left has what sounds like five shrieking heathens. Last night their shrieking woke me up and upset my dog. I live in an HOA neighborhood, could i talk to the head of the HOA and complain? I know I just moved in so he might not take my part, but in my defense between a single CF person with dog and a breeder, the CFer is more likely to be on top of dues, etc. What should i do? I work a lot and i don't appreciate being woken by these banshees.

Apologies to any actual heathens I might offend. Your philosophy is your business, it was just the best descriptor that came to mind.

Bonus question:

Are there any good plants for noise reduction? Preferably thorny ones that would deter potential trespassers? I have a Dobe and you just KNOW that if a little shit got into my yard and got bitten they would call for him to be put down

Lock him up or put him down.
Stolen from Shiny.

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contemplativeintrovert

Bonus question:

Are there any good plants for noise reduction? Preferably thorny ones that would deter potential trespassers? I have a Dobe and you just KNOW that if a little shit got into my yard and got bitten they would call for him to be put down

Maybe rose bushes? I don't know if they would do anything to cancel out noise, but they can be quite thorny, and some varieties like to grow into dense bushes if left alone long enough. I doubt a HOA would object to roses either, since they seem to be something people commonly plop into their yards.

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contemplativeintrovert
Are there any good plants for noise reduction? Preferably thorny ones that would deter potential trespassers? I have a Dobe and you just KNOW that if a little shit got into my yard and got bitten they would call for him to be put down

Check out Barberry

I've planted it at almost every house we owned, concentrating it under the windows as a deterrent to any peepers or burglars. Plus, it has attractive foliage, tends to grow in a uniform manner, and is fairly hardy.

ETA: if the varmints woke you and your dogs at night, you might check noise ordinance codes for your area. Many areas have quiet times that are enforced by law. Google your county/state name and "noise ordinance."

I second the barberry. I have it planted under all of my first floor windows. Those little thorns hurt!

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"Not every ejaculation deserves a name" - George Carlin

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contemplativeintrovert
Hello all,

...

Last night their shrieking woke me up and upset my dog. I live in an HOA neighborhood, could i talk to the head of the HOA and complain? I know I just moved in so he might not take my part, but in my defense between a single CF person with dog and a breeder, the CFer is more likely to be on top of dues, etc. What should i do? I work a lot and i don't appreciate being woken by these banshees.

I used to live in a condo/HOA. In my experience, the answer is NO. The HOA could write all of the ordinances they wanted to, but there just weren't enough officials to monitor the situation and issue fines accordingly. I had issues with kids running up and down flights of stairs for no reason, shrieking, screaming, shouting, littering, and ball-playing in common areas. All of these were illicit behaviors according to the HOA agreement.

Your experience may be different. Maybe your state laws will allow your HOA greater enforcement authority, and maybe your HOA has more muscle and manpower to draw up complaints and fines against the offenders.

If I had to guess, I'd say most HOA's are probably the same. The boards are made up of residents who volunteer their time on top of (usually) an already busy full-time work schedule. They just don't have the time to police and monitor everything, all the time.

Condos/HOA's seem great on paper. Then when I actually moved into one I realized what little control I had over so many aspects of the property. They deferred maintenance on items that needed a great deal of attention, but sunk money into things that left me scratching my head. When I moved in, the residents were mostly single people and couples. Over time we got more and more kydz. The families moving in seemed more and more dysfunctional. I was following the HOA rules to the letter of the law, while the kids were becoming more brazen, and their parent (singular) couldn't care less. I eventually just grew sick of it and moved out.

I lost money on the property, but I consider myself lucky to have gotten out when I did. It's quickly becoming a hellhole.

My experience has been that HOAs often don't have the time/resources for tons of enforcement, so they go for the most grievous offenses. The way I was able to get rid of kid noise once was simply due to the fact that the comings and goings of different kids from that unit pointed toward a home daycare being run from that condo, and such practices were specifically forbidden in the rules. So I reported it as that type of violation, not just a kid noise violation. My HOA generally goes after parking violations (since the parking lot is small and there's only one assigned space per home), maintenance issues/safety stuff, and the like. As studiofiftyfour pointed out, HOAs tend to be run by volunteers who also have jobs, families, and lives. Ours does work with a property management company for some things, so that helps...but over all it's tough to get them to crack down on kids and kid problems.

bamboo makes an excellent noise/sight barrier. it grows quickly to about 12-15 feet tall with little attention. get the clumping kind so the roots won't branch out. i have a living bamboo fence in my backyard and it's great!