Dear Property Developer

[Ophbalance]

Oh, and he still didn't answer what covenants I broke, or what health violation I had. And again restated "folks have been complaining to Becky about property values" which I presume to be the daughter of the widow. I can think of exactly one person that could have complained. She had her house up for sale for two years, during one of the worst down times in housing, and wouldn't budge a damn on the asking price (which mirrored what the purchase price was years earlier). This person remains unemployed as menial tasks are just sooooooooo beneath her station.

[Aethian]

Just call the 1-800 number for USPS and tell them you want to report someone using mailboxes in that manner. With you pulling the item out and the carrier not taking it to the manager our hands are a bit tied. If everyone had left the fliers in their mailboxes and they were all collected by the carrier then the realator could have been charged.

[EricKei]

*looks at pics* Sooo....you have some wildflowers and a car on the grass. BFD. It's not up on cinderblocks, so I see no problem there

As for the backyard? Unless someone is looking at buying YOUR house, I don't see any legitimate reason to care about it, as long as it's not so bad that it could be harboring large amounts of undesired critters (whether furry or insectoid)...From what I can see of it, this does NOT appear to be the case.

Do you have a *legal* way to record your conversations with these people (read: check state/locoal laws first)...? If so, and they openly admit to putting the stuff in your box, that could be something you could turn in to the Postmaster, and just let them handle it.

[Ophbalance]

Just call the 1-800 number for USPS and tell them you want to report someone using mailboxes in that manner. With you pulling the item out and the carrier not taking it to the manager our hands are a bit tied. If everyone had left the fliers in their mailboxes and they were all collected by the carrier then the realator could have been charged.

I'm going to have to... considering he still doesn't get it. Unfortunately the mail came inside with one of my children (who just LOVE to gather mail) so I wasn't able to leave it.

[Ophbalance]

*looks at pics* Sooo....you have some wildflowers and a car on the grass. BFD. It's not up on cinderblocks, so I see no problem there

As for the backyard? Unless someone is looking at buying YOUR house, I don't see any legitimate reason to care about it, as long as it's not so bad that it could be harboring large amounts of undesired critters (whether furry or insectoid)...From what I can see of it, this does NOT appear to be the case.

Do you have a *legal* way to record your conversations with these people (read: check state/locoal laws first)...? If so, and they openly admit to putting the stuff in your box, that could be something you could turn in to the Postmaster, and just let them handle it.

Yep, mostly the longest stuff is in the drainage ditch at the very front of my property... and I'm not the only one. I've counted at least 3 others that leave their drainage overgrown. The reason for me is I listened to my wife when it came to the string trimmer, and got a 2 stroke. I still need to pick up some oil to mix in with gas before I fire it up for the year.

It DOES appear that NC allows for one party consent audio recordings. I'd thought about it before calling, but given the that it's a grey thing, I didn't want to push it. I also have no easy way to record both parts of the conversation. My cell doesn't work in my house, and it's never quiet enough to warrant trying to have a serious conversation on speakerphone . I think I DO have a voice mail where he said that it's legal to leave items in my mailbox, but not that he did leave something.... but it's something anyway.

[EricKei]

See if you can talk to the local Postmaster (Just call the 800 number and ask for their office for your area/ZIP code). Or, at the least, a regional manager-type person. Tell them about the voicemail, and see what they advise.

[Ophbalance]

See if you can talk to the local Postmaster (Just call the 800 number and ask for their office for your area/ZIP code). Or, at the least, a regional manager-type person. Tell them about the voicemail, and see what they advise.

Noted. And I couldn't make this up if I tried, but it's raining again this weekend. We're on about 6 weekends in a row. Oy.

[Aislin]

Just watch out for city statutes on height of grass. I live in an area with no hoa but the bank selling forclosures in my block has resorted to reporting violators of the city code on grass to the city. The ticket is 75 and if you don't mow it goes to 300 an hour for them to come clean up and they brin the sheriff with them to enforce. Seems to be a massive waste but they have done it here a few times to the elderly until the neighborhood watch teamed up ad started trimming grass and trees for those over 65 or who were too infirm to do it for themselves and too broke to hire the guy who does most o the neighborhood grass.

[Ophbalance]

Just watch out for city statutes on height of grass. I live in an area with no hoa but the bank selling forclosures in my block has resorted to reporting violators of the city code on grass to the city. The ticket is 75 and if you don't mow it goes to 300 an hour for them to come clean up and they brin the sheriff with them to enforce. Seems to be a massive waste but they have done it here a few times to the elderly until the neighborhood watch teamed up ad started trimming grass and trees for those over 65 or who were too infirm to do it for themselves and too broke to hire the guy who does most o the neighborhood grass.

God I love living in the stix... From the county website.

Q: What can I do about my neighbor who doesn't cut their grass?
A: The County does not have anything in our ordinance related to grass cutting. Our Zoning Enforcement Officers send out letters to property owners advising them to cut their grass, however, we cannot enforce it.

[Ophbalance]

This has me rolling, to be honest. If the county cannot enforce grass cuttings, and it's not in the covenants, what the hell does this guy propose to do?? Honestly, I should just call once a day and just laugh. Oh, the bad person in me is coming out now, I need to go put him back in the bottle as it's bound to be the harbinger of bad things (TM).

[ArcticChicken]

Noted. And I couldn't make this up if I tried, but it's raining again this weekend. We're on about 6 weekends in a row. Oy.

I heard somewhere that it actually does rain more often on weekends, it's not just confirmation bias. Something to do with people driving more during the week. I can't remember the source though, so it might not be that reliable.

[Argabarga]

This is why I will never move to an HOA neighborhood, I wouldn't do well living around people who DO in fact loose sleep if the grass next door is 1/2'' too long for their taste....

It's long gone now, but there was an extended blog detailing a homeowner's fight with a HOA busybody who just couldn't be made to understand that the homeowner running the blog did NOT live in the same neighborhood. It was a former farm that had been subdivided into an HOA neighborhood, but the person living in the original farmhouse wasn't part of that development, despite living right next to it.

Well, the person on the adjoining lot just COULDN'T accept this and kept sending letters to the guy about all his "violations"

Grass too long
Mailbox wrong color
Toys left in yard
Pine tree in corner dropping pinecones that aren't being picked up
Running lawnmower before approved hours (in this case, 10am, not like something unreasonable like 5am)
Fence between properties too high and wrong style

And on and on and on it went

It was just a humor blog at first as he couldn't believe how bent out of shape this person was getting over something that wasn't even in their control... but he eventually did have to call the cops when this person decided that since his back porch light wasn't up to HOA rules, and he didn't like it shining at his house at night, it was perfectly fine for him to smash it....

Sorry, but there are people out there in the world without a roof over their head, period, I just can't see getting worked up over what amounts to minutia like how straight the daisies grow.

[Aislin]

My father is perpetually at war with his HOA. It started with his fence, then his pool not having a second fence around it, then it was the shed he chose to build around the pool pump to sound proof it, which you would think the neighbor would like. Then the HOA hit the fence while working in the drainage because other than my fathers house on its hill the whole division is in a flood plain. Then they wanted to fill in the lot that is a drainage pond and put a house on,it and sell it, never mind my father and his 2 other neighbors OWN the lot having paid for it jointly when they bought their houses. Then he built a 6 car garage on his property and they want him to tear it down, even though there is nothing in the covenants to prevent him from building anything but a covered parking space. Those are strictly prohibited. This is a nicely done shop that was permitted. The judge rules in my fathers favor every time. Last time they piled dirt against,his fence to bury it and make,it some now lower. They blocked the drainage and the county came in and forced them to come back, fix it, and pour concrete drains. I am sure they will pick another fight someday, forgetting my dad is loved by his neighbors because he is home and watches the hood and helps small children when their dogs get cactus thorns in their skin, sometimes multiple times.

[Kheldarson]

Sorry, but there are people out there in the world without a roof over their head, period, I just can't see getting worked up over what amounts to minutia like how straight the daisies grow.

It's about property values and Stepford-ism. The first I get (although how you do your landscaping doesn't quite mesh with that for me), the second...grow up people?

[Ophbalance]

The thing that slays me is that we have no HOA. We pay no dues. This guy is just bent because he wants to move this property RIGHT NAOW! And they want it gone for the same price it was selling for back in 2007. Admirable, but it seems unlikely they'll get a buyer at that price.