A HOMEOWNER has been fined $4,000 by his HOA due to a harmless message written on his truck’s sunshade.

Tom Campbell, who moved into his North Carolina home last year, was shocked when he was slammed with $100 daily fees.

Campbell, who lives in Kernersville, about an hour and a half outside Charlotte, has lived in his house for a year without any issues.

But everything changed when he placed a cardboard cutout with a message in the window of his truck.

Campbell had some issues with his home-building experience, and he wanted to start a conversation about what happened.

The homeowner didn’t go into any details but wanted to make sure neighbors knew he was a resource to speak with.

However, the sunshade didn’t sit well with the builder or, more importantly, the HOA. 

“I got an email from Priestly HOA asking me about the sign, saying it was a violation,” Campbell told local CBS-affiliated WFMY.

“I replied, not knowing what they were talking about.”

The HOA claimed the sign violated community rules. Campbell, on the other hand, saw it simply as a “sunshade with words” — hardly a disruptive piece of decor.

The HOA wasn’t buying it, however.

They issued a formal warning, threatening Campbell with a $100 daily fine if the sign wasn’t removed.

As the fines quickly piled up, Campbell found himself facing nearly $4,000 in penalties.

The local WFMY got involved and questioned both the builder and HOA about the fine.

The HOA reversed its decision, acknowledging that Campbell wasn’t responsible for the charges, and the fines were promptly waived.

“I appreciate the time you took listening; I think it played a role in getting this resolved,” Campbell said.

What is the meaning of HOA?

An HOA is a homeowner’s association, which is an organization that aims to structure a clean and cohesive place to live for residents.

They are often seen in entire neighborhoods, subdivisions, condominiums, family homes, or townhouses within “a planned development.”

It acts as a governing body for tenants after being used for marketing, managing, and selling homes by real estate developers.

How does an HOA work?
HOAs are run and funded by residents to ensure the community can function together, remain visually appealing, and keep property values high.

They primarily focus on common areas of a neighborhood, such as roads, parks, and pools, and provide locals with an HOA rule book to live by.

Known as covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&R), these regulations are enforced by an elected volunteer board of directors.

Restrictions include forbidding people to make physical changes to their homes without permission and strict rules for where you are permitted to park.

Penalties can be issued for breaching the rules — seeing fines being issued and even litigation in some severe cases — as most HOAs are incorporated and subject to state law.

All members of an HOA must pay a monthly fee and occasionally chip in for larger community expenses, for officials to use the money to pay for maintenance, utilities, and other amenities.

WHAT DOES AN HOA DO?

While homeowner associations are designed to maintain property values and ensure uniformity across neighborhoods, their role often sparks debate. 

Homeowner associations are designed to be self-governing groups that enforce rules, making sure no one makes decisions that could negatively impact the community.

This system appeals to some residents because it helps maintain harmony by ensuring everyone follows the same rules and standards.

For some, this authority can feel overbearing, especially when seemingly harmless actions, like Campbell’s sunshade sign, are penalized.

Some locals also do not approve of the imposing regulations forced on them by the HOA and the hefty fees they have to pay.

Residents have voiced frustration over HOA-imposed fines and regulations.

In one instance, a Florida homeowner was angered by a smoking ban in his unit, despite having lived there for 25 years. 

 However, smoking bans have been a growing trend in HOAs for years.

The more recent trend of banning smoking within individual units is still untested in the courts.

This means that while the rules may seem reasonable to some, it’s still unclear whether it would hold up legally, as it has not been extensively tested in court.