The Top 5 Most Ridiculous Things Your Illinois HOA Can Fine You For

Unless you're active in it, most of us hate our HOA's.

Homeowners Associations are a necessary evil. When you move into a new house, most HOA's require you to join them  Google "what's the point of HOA's?", you're met with this definition:

homeowners associations are designed to manage common or shared property, protect owners’ property values, provide services to residents, and develop a sense of community through social activities and amenities

A lot of HOA's I've seen become full of busy-bodies and the entitled "karens", who act like they run the neighborhood. I can understand folks wanting their neighborhoods and the common spaces within them to stay decent and maintained but it gets to be a little too much after a while.

Every HOA is different on what they allow and how unhinged their leaders are. Here are some of the craziest ways your Illinois HOA could fine you.

5. Your Shingles Don't Match

You can get fined for having much individuality by your HOA. That includes having the wrong kind of siding, bushes past a certain height, or even deviating from the organization's approved paint colors.

4. Your Holiday Decor Is Still Out

Depending on the HOA, they can set an early or late deadline for you take down your Christmas decorations and if you don't, you can definitely get fined. If your decorations aren't the right size or type for your HOA, you could face problems there too.

3. No Smoking

Many public places ban smoking, but more HOA's are jumping on board to require no smoking in residents' homes.

2. Hide Your Trash

I've heard of an HOA that fined residents if they did not hide their trash cans from street view. Where else is it supposed to go? To remedy that, one of the residents built a small fenced area by her driveway to put her trash can.

1. You Have To Get Written Permission To Email A Neighbor

I would hope most HOA's have more common sense than this, but I have heard of HOA's doing exactly this. Nothing fosters community spirit quite like this, right?

Have you had a weird HOA requirement? Let us know in the app!