Case in point to why I am leaving this lousy town. A city ordinance enforcer paid me a visit today and took pictures of the Eagle. He informed me that it was against city ordinance to have a bus on your property. I informed him that it was titled and insured as an RV. He didn't seem to agree, so I expect a threatening letter/and/or a citation from the Peoples Republic of Matthews very soon forcing me to move it. Man I hate this town and can't wait to leave!
The last time this happened 8 years ago,I owned a standard RV. The enforcement officer came out and asked if it was registered, which it was. I asked him if there was a problem with me parking it where it was... He said No. A week later I got a citation from the city for breaking code. I have had almost 15 years of needless police pullovers and police harassment when I was younger, being ticketed for trying to sell a car on my Dad's property, not being able to even advertise for a yard sale because it is against city ordinance... and now this! It will be a very happy day for me when I leave this town in my rear view mirror forever!
I would make them show you in writing where it is not allowed to park an RV on your property..
That's not what they are trying to use against me. They are saying it is a bus, not an RV. If I'm still here when it hits the fan I will do just that though.
On a side note, I have a deal worked out with my next door neighbor to mow my grass in exchange for keeping some equipment in my garage. He has been doing this for over 10 years. For some reason he didn't mow it this week yet, so the "officer" took pictures of my overgrown lawn too, saying that was also a problem. They're looking for stuff to make a case against as some kind of a nuisance, I just know it.
Get a laywer..even a 1000 bill to stick it up their A&% would be worth every penny...
If your coach is registerd and insure and currently on the road as an RV then they dont have a leg to stand on....if it is in fact legal in your township to kepp an "RV" on your property....a lawer could jam that right down their throats... YEEE- HAWWWW !
I cant stand code enforcement guys..more than half the time they are wrong....or strech the statute to the outer limits of reality, to make it look like they are trying to do their job...to justify their own paychecks....or reach a quota...
pretty much a total waste of tax money in my opinion...
On a further rant..the USA is not supposed to be a Nazi camp....
you own the property and you pay the taxes...
the constant picking and nagging by local government and townships is rediculous!
Rant over :)
At least consult a lawyer. They might be responsible for his bill also if they are in the wrong.
+1
Call a reporter from the nearest city newspaper. Tell the reporter your story. Since the State of North Carolina recognizes it as an RV, does your city have a higher authority. If you fall into the retired category, they might have more sympathy. You might mention that you are considering a harrassment lawsuit against the city.
If you were an illegal alien in California you would have the press clamoring to cover your story!
Well I went through the "Beautiful town of Matthews'" website, but nowhere did I see any statute stating that I was not allowed to keep an RV on my own property. So I emailed the code enforcement "officer" (who left me his card) and demanded that he show me exactly where the statute is located and how it applies to me. Hopefully they will back off.
Actually I will consider getting a lawyer if they pursue the matter. What I told him was that it is an RV, as shown on the title... which is legally registered and insured.
He said he was responding to a complaint, so maybe he just came out on the premise that it was a commercial "bus" and they will just go away. >:(
JSM,
Just get your facts in order and go before the local board. Better yet, ask the officer for the code he is investigating you under.
It will get dismissed. Remember that there are overzealous code officers and usually the board will set them straight.
They can write up anything they want, but if your in the right, just prove it and move on.
99% of the code cases I heard were started via complaints, not the code officer looking for something to write up.
I know its a pain! Believe me...I know...
Cliff
Ask the officer who filed the complaint. They are required to give you that info. At least in Sc they are.
Sounds like you got a neighbor that ain't an Elvis fan ! :o
Ed
Dittos to what Ed said. And when they can't produce a complainant's name & address then give him an attorney's name & tell him to direct all further communications thru the attorney. The bug will go away I promise.
I think you are right Cliff. As I stated in the last post, I did demand that he show me where I am in violation, so maybe it will end there. I have not been cited, this is just the initial "investigation". Just enough to put me in a rotten mood. ::)
I have a theory as to what happened... There are a bunch of young kids to that hang around, some walk, some ride their bikes up and down the road. Well on Sunday I took the bus out for a short run just to keep it exercised... When I got back a bunch of kids were on the street. There was one who was sort of walking his bike very slowly right in the middle of the road in front of me. Obviously I stopped and waited but he wouldn't move. Finally I blew the horn and he still didn't move. After about 15 seconds his friends grabbed him so I could drive past. It turns out the kid was blasting his I-pod so loud in his earphones that he couldn't even hear me. When his friends got his attention and pointed, he looked back and had a frightened look on his face when he saw a bus behind him... Kind of funny actually, but I can only imagine how this episode might have gotten blown out of proportion if he told his parents.
Visited a friend in Fl. one time. He lived in a beautiful home on a golf course. Fourth tee was right out his back door!!! I said it must be nice to just walk out your back door and tee off. You can't do that he said, it is against the rules. You must schedule a tee time. Even after hours? Oh, you can't be on the course after hours. Well do you play for free? No, you must be a member. What if you just want to live here and not play? You must still be a member to live here. We go inside to watch TV. I asked what satellite provider he had as I saw the dish by the pool (THEY WERE BIG THEN!!LOL). Oh, I don't have sat. Why do you have a dish? I put it in, and the enforcement officer said it was against the rules. Made me put the screen around it to match the pool. Now it won't pickup anything!! He ask me to pull our car into the garage. Why? It is against the rules to park curbside here. What if my car is to big to go in the garage? They have off site parking available for $ 150.00 per month. What if I have a motorhome? They are not allowed here. It is against the rules. Also pickup trucks are not allowed. Let me guess, against the rules!! YEP. We have the best enforcement officers he explained. The measure everybody's grass to ensure all is within code, and the ticket all who leave their garage doors up during the banned hours. We decided to stay in a hotel to avoid the inevitable citation!!LOL
Well, here's a tactic that worked for me awhile back. In the little nazi town I live in they have all these codes that they only enforce if someone complains. Otherwise, they just ignore any and all violations. So, someone had it in for me and I started getting letters for stupid things. Finally, I had enough, and I drove up the street on which the enforcement officer lived. Every house that I
saw even the slightest violation (garbage can in view, etc), I wrote down the address. Then I sent a letter to the city with all those addresses, something like 28 out of the 54 houses on her street,
and I informed them they could consider this a formal complaint on every one of those properties, so now they had to investigate. Then I called the mayor and told him that I was currently unemployed
and had all kinds of time on my hands, and if they didn't stop harassing me I was going to make it my mission to find every violation in the city and report it. He said, "We'd have to hire 10 people
to investigate all those violations." I replied, "Whatever it takes. But I'm not going to stand by and let you selectively enforce the codes on me alone!" That was the last time I heard from them.
Think about it. If they only enforce the law when someone complains, it's selective enforcement, and is illegal. You can make their job very worthwhile! It's your taxes that are paying for the idiot.
You might as well get your money's worth!
Well, I figure "if it wudn't for a$$ho1es the rest of us cudn't look so good!
Dennis
Eric sounds like HOA in Scottsdale lol I had to move my helicopter it was not a automobile the garage was built for I am still LMAO at the old skinny leg fart that told me that but I did move it
good luck
http://www.matthewsnc.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=Gqb3v9etkVc%3d&tabid=157 (http://www.matthewsnc.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=Gqb3v9etkVc%3d&tabid=157)
I wish to add to this conversation from the other side of the coin. As part of my job, I am required to do code enforcement for my local town. Let me say right off....this is a part of the job I don't really like to do. It is never enjoyable to tell someone they need to take care of their yard, house, vehicles or other possible issues a community deems an eyesore or a safety issue.
Several of the major purposes of code enforcement is to protect property values and the safety of it citizens. The only means a community has to control this is code enforcement. Lets say you have a nice home that you spent considerable time, effort and money to improve your home value.
Now you have a neighbor on each side who could care less about their property. Their dogs and cats run loose and their garbage is left on the curb for weeks and half of it ends up in your yard. Their homes look run down and the weeds are three feet tall in the front yard!
Do you believe your chances of selling your home at a fair price are better or worse? So now you run to your City Council and they tell you there is nothing they can do because they have no code enforcement program in place. Now what are you going to do?
I know it's never fun when one of us shows up on your property in response to a complaint. Get with your City Inspector and work with them to come to an agreeable solution. The minute a homeowner becomes verbally combative, the chances of the inspector working with you are greatly reduced (it's just human nature). If you are given a notice or citation, you have every right to fight the notice or work to help change the code.
Now, I know there are people who do code enforcement that have little of no people skills. And on the same token, there are property owners who act the same way. If this happens, work with your city council person and file a complaint! I know of one case where there were enough complaints about an inspector, the city let them go. Get involved and help make a difference in your community. :)
Quote from: Depewtee on March 27, 2012, 07:36:03 PM
http://www.matthewsnc.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=Gqb3v9etkVc%3d&tabid=157 (http://www.matthewsnc.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=Gqb3v9etkVc%3d&tabid=157)
Yeah, I saw that page... Did you see anything there that said I can't park an RV on my own property?
Have a look at this... particular page 15 section F... Very strange.
http://www.matthewsnc.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=rYie_I8w0Gk%3D&tabid=106 (http://www.matthewsnc.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=rYie_I8w0Gk%3D&tabid=106)
TEAKNE,
I do see the value of certain statues and ordinances, like the examples you list. But I think the code enforcement "officer" should have enough knowledge/training to see that my coach is perfectly legal and dismiss the complaint on the spot as invalid. instead he left me with more reason to believe I was in for a hassle than not.
Which of your neighbours is upset?
The inspectors don't come around looking for trouble, they react to complaints, as detailed in the earlier post.
And if that neighbour has pull with someone in authority...?
Nothing the inspectors like better than rumbling with someone who reacts impolitely.
Figure out the source and find a compromise without the inspectors being involved.
Or it usually gets deeper.
Are you a member of either Good Sam or FMCA? They have expertise in these matters.
happy coaching!
buswarrior
Quote from: Ericbsc on March 27, 2012, 07:04:18 PMVisited a friend in Fl. one time. (snip)
Oh, gee, what a terrible way to live. If I got dropped there, you'd see a video on the evening news of my last hours -- one that included a SWAT team ...
Per the Matthews Code: "provisions of this subchapter. JUNKED MOTOR VEHICLE. As authorized and defined in G.S. ยง 160A-303.2 the term, JUNKED MOTOR VEHICLE shall mean a vehicle that does not display a current license plate lawfully upon that vehicle and that:
3) appears to be worth less than $500. (Ord. No. 17532, passed 9-13-10)"
Wow, I gotta be sure that the rain doesn't wash the sticker off my license plate -- I'd be driving a junked car!
If it the complaint sprang from the incident with the kids in the middle of the road then I have no idea who it is as I don't know where those kids live. I am going to stay on top of this thing and contact code enforcement again today to find out what their official standing is.
Cities are a tough position when it comes to code enforcement. If they hired a ton of code enforcement officials then people complain about enforcement being over zealous and the extra tax dollars being spent on these employees. If they only act when someone complains then residents complain about selective enforcement.
Last year or the year before my city did a neighborhood beautification sweep. Basically they checked every property for any code violations. My property passed. Apparently they didn't look very hard because there are couple of things on my property that technically would not pass. Garbage cans are supposed to be inside the garage or enclosed. My garbage cans sit out unenclosed, but they can't be seen from the road. My guess is they just did a walking tour and since my house is 200 feet from the road and they couldn't see any issues it passed.
Some of the requirements cities have are just silly. Some cities allow RVs and trailers in backyards, but they have to be on rock or a paved surface. Why I have no idea. Someone I know got in trouble for a popup camper on his grass in the backyard. He waent on all out war with the city kinda like Craig. The violations he reported to city hall made his trailer on the grass pale in comparison. People had piles of junk in the backyard that were fenced in and didn't bother anyone, but technically against city code.
Quote from: thejumpsuitman on March 28, 2012, 06:26:41 AM
If it the complaint sprang from the incident with the kids in the middle of the road then I have no idea who it is as I don't know where those kids live. I am going to stay on top of this thing and contact code enforcement again today to find out what their official standing is.
You better watch how you describe your RV. I have read and you have repeatedly you have called it a bus or a coach. There has already been one post who was a code officer. You never know someone from your city might be reading this. By your own admission you have a bus, you have lost.
Quote from: ldj1002 on March 28, 2012, 06:55:46 AM
Quote from: thejumpsuitman on March 28, 2012, 06:26:41 AM
If it the complaint sprang from the incident with the kids in the middle of the road then I have no idea who it is as I don't know where those kids live. I am going to stay on top of this thing and contact code enforcement again today to find out what their official standing is.
You better watch how you describe your RV. I have read and you have repeatedly you have called it a bus or a coach. There has already been one post who was a code officer. You never know someone from your city might be reading this. By your own admission you have a bus, you have lost.
LOL... Among friends it's a "Bus"... to the city I call it a motorhome or RV. I repeatedly pointed that out to him when he referred to it as a bus.
I am sorry to hear about your troubles. But fighting code enforcement is just like fighting an inspector. "Arguing with an inspector is like wrestling a pig in mud. The dirtier you get and the worse it gets, that happier the inspector gets." ;D Our local city building inspector told us that one.
I agree that the best way to handle it is politely (as it sounds like you are) and with reason. We have a great relationship with our building inspectors in town and code enforcement officers also. That is the way we will keep it, and the way I like it.
That said, there are always bad apples in every bunch. I see calling it a bus like this. Say you purchase an old house, rezone it commercial, then set up a shop in there. Yes it is a "house" but the city sees it as a shop. Call it house, by your own admission, and it doesn't change the taxes you pay on it. Only thing that matters is how the government sees it. No longer a house, but a place of business, or shop now.
Same with the bus. Maybe a commercial bus at one point, now an RV. Simple as that.
Hope you get it sorted.
John
I have calmed down quite a bit today, so I think I am better equipped to get back in touch with him to find a solution. My first order of business is to mow my lawn... ::) Not sure what happened to my neighbor... Of all times to leave me hanging!
after reading all of these it makes me think about my current situation..
I bought a house built in 1955 with no HOA but in the last 10 years my area is now the place to live in my town and all the old houses are being ripped down and McMansions are being built up all around me..
yup I have a 24x36 detached garage for my toys and a 40' bus parked next to it :)
I guess I better stay on top of what is going on in my neighborhood and make sure no one tries to start anything or start an HOA..that could be a real pain in the rear
All the code enforcement, etc harassment, gang writing on my cars, etc.. is why i moved out of town 10 years ago.
Quote from: BRUISER on March 28, 2012, 08:23:10 AM
I guess I better stay on top of what is going on in my neighborhood and make sure no one tries to start anything or start an HOA..that could be a real pain in the rear
I think it would be pretty hard to force someone to join an HOA when it didn't exist when you bought the property. Typically HOAs are listed on the deed. Nothing would stop neighbors from going to the city and asking for new zoning restrictions that could mean you could no longer park your bus there. Existing buildings are almost always grandfathered in when zoning laws are changed, but sometimes you can't rebuild if they are destroyed by a fire or other disaster.
Most new developments in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro have strict covenants written into the lease even when the lots are 2 to 5 acres. The covenants almost always prohibit out buildings and often restrict parking of vehicles like buses and RVs. Why would I buy a 5 acre lot if I couldn't build any outbuildings like a garage for my bus?
Quote from: BRUISER on March 28, 2012, 08:23:10 AM
after reading all of these it makes me think about my current situation..
I bought a house built in 1955 with no HOA but in the last 10 years my area is now the place to live in my town and all the old houses are being ripped down and McMansions are being built up all around me..
yup I have a 24x36 detached garage for my toys and a 40' bus parked next to it :)
I guess I better stay on top of what is going on in my neighborhood and make sure no one tries to start anything or start an HOA..that could be a real pain in the rear
Might be time to "remodel" that garage and expand it to be large enough to park the bus in it, rather than beside it.
Before they come up with some regulation prohibiting it!
;D BK ;D
Regarding HOA's in an existing neighborhood, I remember reading that if a certain percentage of property owners in a neighbor vote to create one, then one can be formed. Can you even imagine such insanity?
The last place I lived was rural, but had some boilerplate zoning that didn't make sense regarding rv's.
It said you couldn't camp on the property of a friend or relative for more than 5 days. I guess if you squatted on the property of someone you didn't know you could stay forever!;D ;)
Just thought I'd post this, on the subject of 'neighbour relations'...
My back garden, where my bus is parked, is overlooked to varying degrees by several other houses; when I first got my bus I made up the card shown below and sent copies of it to all my neighbours. I sent it inside Christmas cards, it being that time of year - some of the families I sent cards to that year were people I'd never really spoken to before. To date, four years (and much grinding, welding and assorted banging) later I've had no negative feedback or complaints of any sort.
(https://busconversionmagazine.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.payhost.net%2FMaggie-card.jpg&hash=c943d47684ff8c690113e6057af5f15d0f107596)
Jeremy
PS. I've been reading this thread with some amazement - I had no idea all these petty and totalitarian rules existed in the 'land of the free'. They'd have put me in jail and thrown away the key long ago if half those rules existed here.
Quote from: Jeremy on March 28, 2012, 12:47:56 PM(snip) PS. I've been reading this thread with some amazement - I had no idea all these petty and totalitarian rules existed in the 'land of the free'. They'd have put me in jail and thrown away the key long ago if half those rules existed here.
Only in some places, Jeremy. The fact that the SWAT team hasn't come is proof that there's not one where I live.
Jeremy, I am surprised that you do not have similar situations there. Do they not have gated or planned communities? We own a house in Texas that has an HOA (home owner's association) with a bunch of rules. As a absentee landlord, I like them because they help sustain property values. However, I would not want to live there, so I guess I would not want to rent the house from me.
Quote from: Lin on March 28, 2012, 04:06:48 PM
Jeremy, I am surprised that you do not have similar situations there. Do they not have gated or planned communities? We own a house in Texas that has an HOA (home owner's association) with a bunch of rules. As a absentee landlord, I like them because they help sustain property values. However, I would not want to live there, so I guess I would not want to rent the house from me.
There are gated communities here, but they are comparatively rare. My parents live in a 'wealthy' town and I know there are a number of gated communities there, but certainly none where I live. I've always regarded them as being a rather unpleasant phenomenon actually - literally a rich man's ghetto.
Certainly many properties here have covenants on them covering things like how high fences can be and whether you're allowed to run a business from the property. I've no idea who's job it is to enforce such things though, and I've never heard of it happening. I think the town council would get involved if a property owner was causing an obvious issue which was impacting on his neighbours, but the idea of a council policing things like whether you've cut your lawn or whether your car is worth less than $500 seems bizarre.
Jeremy
Marc.. Sorry to hear about your troubles with the big town of Matthews.. You've got my cell number so if it ends up getting deep and you need a place to park it for awhile, give me a call.. I've got plenty of secluded private land here where you are more than welcome to park and nobody will say a word...and you'll still be within 30 minutes or so away from your home..
Jimmy
Down here is Boca Raton FL. There is a ritzy HOA that, on top of the regular crap (no RVs, no trucks, no cars outside, etc) do not let you paint the INSIDE of your house without their blessing. Now top this!.
Marilyn's sister and bro-in-law live in a place like that. I call it a prison - its got gates and guards after all. I hate going there. Gotta get permission to get by the gate, can't park on the street. They can't park in their own bloody driveway. There's only 6 designs and 300 houses in the whole damn mess. They had to get permission and approval to landscape the yard. I wouldn't live there if you paid me to.
Jeremy-- it is bizarre, but none the less exists.
Bob-- I'm sure you would consider it if they paid you enough. I would!
Quote from: Highway Yacht on March 28, 2012, 05:27:57 PM
Marc.. Sorry to hear about your troubles with the big town of Matthews.. You've got my cell number so if it ends up getting deep and you need a place to park it for awhile, give me a call.. I've got plenty of secluded private land here where you are more than welcome to park and nobody will say a word...and you'll still be within 30 minutes or so away from your home..
Jimmy
Jimmy,
Thank you very much for that generous offer! Wow, that's what I tell people about busnuts... When you are in need they line up to help.
Hopefully I can charm my way out of this little threat but I might just take you up on that offer if it comes to it.
Marc
Have you thought about going to the local big RV lot and pretend that you are interested in one of their big rigs but the town of Matthews seems to have a problem with you parking one there. I am sure they will tell you that this should not be a problem. Then maybe you can ask them if they have any info you could check out that would stand up in court and see where it goes. They might have some info that would be of help to you.
are you a member of Escapees? They love to get into this stuff with their legal stuff. i think the same with FMCA. Always happy to have an instance to win and prove thier worth.
Just a suggestion. try it out. Hope it helps.
Jeremy-- A little out of the way, but we have been following the exploits of Tom Barnaby. It seems that HOA's are not the worst problems a neighborhood can have.
Quote from: bobofthenorth on March 28, 2012, 06:20:33 PM
Marilyn's sister and bro-in-law live in a place like that. I call it a prison - its got gates and guards after all. I hate going there. Gotta get permission to get by the gate, can't park on the street. They can't park in their own bloody driveway. There's only 6 designs and 300 houses in the whole damn mess. They had to get permission and approval to landscape the yard. I wouldn't live there if you paid me to.
There is a city locally that used to be a gated city. They actually had a guard house at the front gate with a guard for quite a few years. The gates were removed at least twenty years ago.
Property ownership and governement's role in the city is very different. Property lines extend to center of the road so homeowners own the road in front of their house. The entire city is in a single large HOA. All roads are privately owned and taken care of by the HOA. The HOA owns and maintains all parks and recreation areas in the city. City government owns no property in the city.
The city's only roles are to provide water/sewer to some homes, police, fire, and emergency management. Fire is contracted from a local fire dept and police service is contracted from the sheriff. City water is supplied by a neighboring city.
What is being recounted in this thread is why I moved. If they bother me much where I am now, I'll move again. You can't fight 'em. Most folks think it fine. Just move. Those of us that work, pay the taxes & furnish them money. De-fund them & they dry up & blow away. It takes a while, but it will happen. Read "Atlas Shrugged"
I know Marc is getting ready to move; I was just making the point.
TOM
I would like to move out into a more rural area with minimal or no building restrictions, but the housing market keeps me locked into my current house for now. I have a desire to build a bus garage which I can't due here due to zoning regulations. I don't really have the room on my 1/3 acre lot anyhow.
The ever increasing cost of gas is starting to put a damper on my desire to sell my house and move. Increasing my commute from 25 miles a day to 80 miles a day is a pretty big hit in the wallet. I would also spend at least an extra hour a day on the road. The state has said they basically are not going to build any more new highways or even widen add any more lanes due to lack of money so congestion will get worse and worse. One thing about living more rural is I wouldn't be jumping in the car to go to the store or whatever as often. I would need to plan more and do any shopping or errands on my way home.
Cities love it when you move. The next guy that buys your house pays more taxes and buy new stuff for the house at local stores to make your house their own. So selling a house and having a new owner is a win win for the city. they like turnover. 8)
Quote from: Lin on March 29, 2012, 05:09:45 PM
Jeremy-- A little out of the way, but we have been following the exploits of Tom Barnaby. It seems that HOA's are not the worst problems a neighborhood can have.
I had to Google Tom Barnaby to find out who he was. Apparently (and I believe this is an official statistic) Britain leads the world in exporting TV shows and TV show formats to the rest of the world. Well - it's a form of manufacturing I suppose.
Jeremy
Quote from: Dave5Cs on March 29, 2012, 09:18:01 PM
Cities love it when you move. The next guy that buys your house pays more taxes and buy new stuff for the house at local stores to make your house their own. So selling a house and having a new owner is a win win for the city. they like turnover. 8)
The property taxes don't change here in Minnesota when a house is sold. In today's housing market the property taxes may actually go down if the house sells for less than the assessed value and the new owner challenges the assessed value.
Quote from: belfert on March 30, 2012, 05:31:37 AM
Quote from: Dave5Cs on March 29, 2012, 09:18:01 PM
Cities love it when you move. The next guy that buys your house pays more taxes and buy new stuff for the house at local stores to make your house their own. So selling a house and having a new owner is a win win for the city. they like turnover. 8)
The property taxes don't change here in Minnesota when a house is sold. In today's housing market the property taxes may actually go down if the house sells for less than the assessed value and the new owner challenges the assessed value.
Maryland either. Besides, I formally lived adjacent to a wildlife refuge. They didn't want us there anyway. They have now made the law so restrictive nobody wants to move there. Eventually all that land will be bought by the government which removes it from the tax roles. That means no money at all for Maryland. That's fine with me!
TOM
Well the good news is that the city is now off my case about the bus... Er... I mean RV... ;D
The bad news is they are now on my butt about the box truck I bought so we could get ready to move. >:(
I think I am going to just pull it around back of the house and hope they don't go peeking.
As someone mentioned earlier, most inspector visits are in response to complaints. I imagine the percentage of cases resulting from inspectors cruising in search of violations is rather small. That would apply to your truck. If you have a neighbor that is out to get you, you will have another visit.
I doubt it's a next door neighbor. I think it all started with the kid on the bike. My next door neighbors should know that the best way to get rid of us is to let us get that box truck loaded and leave! LOL. But if I get a complaint about it being in the back yard, I will know it's one of them because only they would be able to see it.
Give the code enforcement guy a little slack. On a NC title the type of vehicle is listed as "HC". He may not understand that stands for Housecar, ie. motorhome. If you hear from him I would ask him how to contact his supervisor and his supervisor's supervisor. He may not know what "HC" means. But on the other hand he may have checked out what you told him and has gone away. I hope so.
Art
Quote from: ArtGill on April 02, 2012, 06:32:29 PM
Give the code enforcement guy a little slack. On a NC title the type of vehicle is listed as "HC". He may not understand that stands for Housecar, ie. motorhome. If you hear from him I would ask him how to contact his supervisor and his supervisor's supervisor. He may not know what "HC" means. But on the other hand he may have checked out what you told him and has gone away. I hope so.
Art
You must not have read my last post. He's off my case about the bus, but is now on me about my box truck. And he was just being a jerk, taking pictures of my lawn. My neighbor cuts it every week but I guess he got a little behind when the city man came out.
I have been nice to the code enforcement guy and have made several follow up phone calls and emails to make sure everything was okay. I think the problem now is that I am on his radar, like a fish on a line, I have his full and unwanted attention.
I don't like the selective enforcement going on. Yes, I have one box truck that I have been informed I cannot keep at my house because it is a commercial vehicle. But my next door neighbor has a dump truck, an unregistered junk van, two or three commercial trailers with landscaping equipment, a half built building, tires, etc. all over his property, but they leave him alone.
Quote from: belfert on March 30, 2012, 05:31:37 AM
Quote from: Dave5Cs on March 29, 2012, 09:18:01 PM
Cities love it when you move. The next guy that buys your house pays more taxes and buy new stuff for the house at local stores to make your house their own. So selling a house and having a new owner is a win win for the city. they like turnover. 8)
The property taxes don't change here in Minnesota when a house is sold. In today's housing market the property taxes may actually go down if the house sells for less than the assessed value and the new owner challenges the assessed value.
In some states yep that's true Brian, but in California right now because there are so many foreclosures going to investors over seas ( England ,the brits and Aussies) they are not dropping the prices or taxes as much. Here you can refinance with out it going up but if you sell the next guys taxes goes up as per estimated cost also but if the house is say paid off then the taxes haven't gone up for say 15 years, Save, a very small cost of living (which has never kept up) then yep he gets a big tax bill or each payment 2 times a years goes way up. There were a lot of people still in their homes trying to get a reduction because the worth of their homes have dropped in at least half and some more. The state ignored their requests. Some got lucky and got some reduction but not much. We have big cities going bankrupt here now so they are making money anyway they can. Sad
Quote from: Dave5Cs on April 02, 2012, 09:37:03 PM
In some states yep that's true Brian, but in California right now because there are so many foreclosures going to investors over seas ( England ,the brits and Aussies) they are not dropping the prices or taxes as much. Here you can refinance with out it going up but if you sell the next guys taxes goes up as per estimated cost also but if the house is say paid off then the taxes haven't gone up for say 15 years, Save, a very small cost of living (which has never kept up) then yep he gets a big tax bill or each payment 2 times a years goes way up. There were a lot of people still in their homes trying to get a reduction because the worth of their homes have dropped in at least half and some more. The state ignored their requests. Some got lucky and got some reduction but not much. We have big cities going bankrupt here now so they are making money anyway they can. Sad
California is different because property taxes can't be adjusted to the true value of the home until the home is sold. In Minnesota the assessed value of the home for tax purposes is supposed to reflect the market value. In Minnesota if a home is sold for less than assessed value the assessor really has no choice but to change the assessed value if the assessment is challenged.
I bought my home for $30,000 less than assessed value in 2000. I was able to get the assessment dropped no problem.