I was annexed into an HOA. What now?

I live in what used to be a rural unincorporated area near Nashville, Tennessee. It was just my woman, my kids and my dog and me. A few years ago a couple of fat cats begun buying a bunch of property in my area and started developing subdivisions. One of these developments, called The Willows, sprung up right next to my farm. The local city then starts talking about annexing them in for more tax dollars. They decided to pull in my property, too. I didn't like it, but you can't fight city hall. Well, come to find out, somehow not only did I get annexed into the city, but now somehow my farm is part of the The Willows and I'm subject to their community guidelines. I never signed nothing agreeing to that. They're wanting me to take down my US of A flag, replace the satellite dish in my yard with one of those small ones that sticks on your house and put up a fence around my above-ground pool. They even said I wasn't supposed to hunt or burn trash on my own land and I couldn't keep the extra cars I was cannibalizing for parts around no more. What gives them the right? I tried to take it to the city, but the whole council is made up of the same people on the HOA board. Has anyone ever heard of this? I know cities can annex you against your will, but I've never heard of a homeowners association being able to. Something doesn't seem right.

you are correct

city annexation - yes, you may have been

hoa - no way no how

you need to send a certified mail return receipt requested letter to the 'registered agent' of the hoa in question

the registered agent would be registered via your state's 'secretary of state'

go to the website and search for the hoa, inc. - find the registered agent's name and mailing address

check with the 'register of deeds' at the county seat for a copy of your deed and any 'ATTACHMENTS' such as covenants and restrictions - w/o them NO HOA

then sit back and wait to get rich if they 'mess' with you any further

(an attorney would not hurt at this point)

Jason,

Annexed into the city would mean that you need to comply with all city ordinances. There are many ordinances that might affect you having disabled vehicles on your property and/or the size of your satellite dish. Therefore, you should read and understand the applicable ordinances you now need to comply with.

My understanding, and mind you I am not an attorney and I do not work in the legal profession, is that you can not become part of an existing Association without restrictions being attached to your deed. My understanding is that you deed can't have restrictions attached to it without your consent.

Therefore, I echo Glens advice and seek legal assistance now.

I also echo John's advice to verify if your deed has been actually been changed or if there is simply a misunderstanding with the individuals serving on the Association's Board. An attorney can do this for you or, as John indicated, you can check this yourself.

If the deed has been changed, you will likely need an attorney specializing in property law to correct the issue.

This sounds like one of many recent bogus postings on here. Sad...

Tim,

The phony hillbilly language in the OP should have been your first clue that this was a bogus post. The situation described was highly improbable and it came from someone making his first-ever post on the same day that a billion other ridiculous messages were posted.