By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities
Today, for a change, I’m sharing a lighthearted HOA story.
It’s a story of homeowners using the power of humor to “fight” against HOA restrictions.
You see, Somersett Owners Association, located in northwest Nevada, is having its second annual holiday decoration competition. And this year, homeowner Dan Rowan decided to decorate a roundabout on the cul-de-sac of his street.
Decor includes some inflatable figures, a large lighted sign that reads “JOY,” a mailbox for receiving letters to Santa, and a box to collect donations for the local Toys for Tots.
When Rowan received a letter from his HOA, explaining that it’s against the rules to decorate common areas, the homeowner responded in an unexpected way.
Instead of getting angry, Rowan wrote back to the HOA, explaining that perhaps the Elf on the Shelf put those decorations in the roundabout.
Neighbors in the community are laughing off the HOA’s letter with its black and white ‘mug shot’ of the offending decorations.
And some homeowners are waging a #SaveTheJoy campaign on social media. Check it out on Twitter.
Merry Christmas!
Residents poke fun at Somersett Owners Association for demanding Christmas decor come down
Siobhan McAndrew, Reno Gazette Journal Published 3:26 p.m. PT Dec. 4, 2018 | Updated 8:18 a.m. PT Dec. 6, 2018
Dan Rowan suspects Elf on the Shelf may be to blame for the holiday decorations that violate his homeowner’s association rules.
Rowan, an optometrist who lives on Deerbrook Court in Somersett, received a letter saying his holiday decorations had to come down. Rowan and neighbor Tierra Bonaldi had put up the 6-foot-by-10-foot JOY sign, plus an inflatable Santa and mailbox where kids can send letters to St. Nick. The decorations were in the roundabout in front of their homes.