New homeowners find loophole in strict HOA policy forbidding them from renovating 'historic' home: 'No variance was required if we tore [it] down'

Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor

Jul 11, 2024 8:00 AM EDT

It's hard to take an HOA policy seriously when there are glaring loopholes within the so-called "strict policy."

Here, we have a pair of new homeowners who wanted to renovate and combine the two old cottages on the land they had recently purchased. However, they found themselves in a bit of a pickle when they were refused permission to do so by the locals in their community. However, clearly, the restrictions were not carefully worded because the homeowners' lawyer advised that they should be able to tear both cottages down altogether and build one new home in their place, as long as that home was within the exact same dimensions as the two old cottages.

What the homeowners did next proves that sometimes when you go out of your way to prevent someone from doing what they want for no justifiable reason, they are going to find a way to get back at you out of spite. Keep scrolling below for the full story and for the fallout. When you're done, check out this post about another demanding homebuyer.