So these guys only job is to make sure the name on the DL matches the one on the boarding pass. Couldn’t even get that right.

In the case of the HOA and the 6-year old kid, I’m sure the HOA has sacred contract law on its side. And sure, the grandparents could probably find somewhere else to live if they really tried. And yes, it sucks if you moved there specifically to get away from kids. But at this point, it looks to me as though the non-dickhead approach would be for the HOA and members to show a little mercy and not try to score points off the grandparents at the expense of the child.

There is NO WAY I would let a member of my family be put in foster care because of a house. I’d take the financial hit and move out with her. Of course that wouldn’t have the same frontpage headline effect.

They already cut their asking price for the house by nearly 50%. Maybe they should just donate it to a charity, right?

Plus 1 to perlhaqr. If this was a 3-month situation and the board got nasty that’d be one thing. But these folks knew the rules going in, and have had five years to change their living arrangements due to their circumstances. Five years ago, the housing market was just fine, and even two years ago it was.

The fuck is wrong with you people for valuing contract law over something as fundamental as a 6 year old being able to be raised by her own relatives? It is this “principle uber alles” that makes libertarians look like ideological morons to the masses who rightly expect that common sense can carve out special exemptions for extremely extenuating circumstances like this.

It’s not like they haven’t tried to sell the house or anything…

I know what the letter of the law is in place to keep just anyone from buying a home and it ceasing to be a retirement community. But the spirit of the law should take into account circumstances like this. What would happen if the girl was orphaned? Would they disallow her from living there as well?

Here on LI, the get approval to build the condos with the specific stipulation that they must be 55+ communities. We could use that type of inexpensive, high-density housing for moderate-income, young families, but those people bring along kids to educate, so it’s a no go.

I’m only half-joking…

Hardly, though you might wish for that.

It seems to me that the fact that the homeowners are forcing the HOA to kick out the child isn’t the HOAs fault. This story would play with much less dramatic effect if the whole family had to go find a new place to live. I’d guess this particular drama has come about specifically for the effect. There is NO WAY I would let a member of my family be put in foster care because of a house. I’d take the financial hit and move out with her. Of course that wouldn’t have the same frontpage headline effect.

The HOA isn’t taking the girl away from her family, the Grandparents are choosing to let her go.

In principal I don’t like HOAs frankly the concept always seemed sketchy to me.

#38 | JS | January 1st, 2010 at 9:23 pm

I’m starting to think that if you join a HOA then you get what you deserve. How the hell could anyone do that?

Unfortunately, in some areas (like here in South Florida), it’s more or less impossible to live outside of an HOA. The only way you’re going to be able to avoid it is if you’re either (a) willing to live in a terrible neighborhood, or (b) able to afford 7 figures (and even then, there are communities of $3 million+ houses here that are in a HOA).

As for the story, I’ll add to the choir. There shouldn’t be any laws that restrict the right of a community (or an individual) to discriminate and sell only to the individuals whom they want to sell to. But since those laws do exists, it’s just plain ridiculous that 55+ gets exempted for some reason.

My grandparents live in an age-restricted community in Boca Raton. Plenty of people have grandkids who either spend a significant amount of time there, or live there. Nobody seems to care.

#32 | ZappaCrappa | January 1st, 2010 at 7:35 pm
….And turn your %^$#! blinker off and go faster than 15 mph under the $#@! speed limit…and if you can’t see over the steering wheel…stay the hell at home. I SHOULD be able to live in a community without those annoyances caused by geezers.

So much THIS! I live near a college neighborhood and over the last 10 years or so It’s been filling up quickly with old people. You can’t get stinking anywhere without some blue-haired old person being in the damn way. You would think once you get that old you might want to get where you’re going a little quicker since you’re running out of time in general but NOOOO.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20100101/D9CUKTGO0.html

#32 ZappaCrappa

I wonder if I can find a community that excludes 65+ year olds from living there?

A community like that would probably violate current laws against stuff like discrimination and freedom of association and shit. Of course, if you had a huge lobbying group (maybe something like AARP) you could conceivably get the laws changed. But, without a lobby, you’re largely invisible to government. A non-entity. You know, little people.

#33 Michael Chaney

Oddly, this exact same logic applies to all levels of politics…

When favoritism starts to rule the day and the rights everyone thought they had by contract (sometimes referred to as a constitution) are trampled upon in the name of “the children”, then your homeowners association will be no different than Congress.