Villainization of homeowner associations can stop now

I read two stories today critical of homeowner associations that really ticked me off.

The first complains that a 90-year-old decorated veteran is being prohibited from having a flagpole in the front yard of his Virginia townhouse.

The second whines about a Minnesota association that won't permit solar panels on the roofs of residents' homes.

Both cases take a decidedly anti-homeowner association stance, particularly the first.

This baffles me. When you move into an association-governed home, you assume the rules and restrictions that come with that association. Rules and regulations are what make an association an association. Without rules governing architectural changes, appearances, snow removal, lawn care, property presentation, etc., there would be no difference between an association property and any other property.

In the first case, the veteran asked to be permitted to put up a flagpole when he moved in. The board told him this wasn't acceptable, though mounting a flag on his home would be fine. The lawn was community property though and therefore a flagpole couldn't be installed. He installed it anyway. HE IS WRONG!! I don't care what kind of flag he's flying or what country it represents, the flag is not the issue! His status as a war hero is not the issue either, despite the fact that Fox News would like to make it an issue. His violation of a regulation that was clearly stated to him is the issue. Of course, the title of the article, "Decorated Veteran, 90, Fights to Raise Flag in His Yard", is enough to tell you the slant Fox News took on the story.

In the second case, again, the association is restricting solar panels because their residents have decided that they don't like the look and want to maintain uniformity among their homes. That's their decision as an association. It's not the job of the state to interfere with that.

In both cases, the rules and regulations could be changed through the association itself. Board members come up for election every few years. Residents can be mobilized. These are the appropriate channels for changing the rules.

Whining to the media or higher governments isn't the way to handle disagreements with association rules. Most Americans don't live in associations though and don't relate to these stories. And so the homeowner is portrayed as a defenseless victim to the big, scary association.

It's ridiculous.