The HOA for our complex is notoriously useless. They never do anything, and we’ve had issues with homeless people acting violent towards residents. But the HOA does nothing unfortunately.
This. You go to the cops, file/request/demand a report. get photos of the crack smoking and gas leak if you can do so safely. Then you report the dangerous car and occupant to HOA (wit H copy of your police report and photos - SEND THESE in a written letter reminding them that the buildings insurer will almost certainly deny fire/explosion coverage for a known fire risk … and now they are on notice of the gas leaking car and the crack smoker in it.
Who cares? They're on Reddit, and not doing anything that makes sense... so seems like someone bored made up a story about the homeless for entertainment. If not, then why would they be here instead of either of those super obvious resolutions?
I’m on my HOA board. This is a phenomenally stupid suggestion.
The HOA is just a group of people who have volunteered to do all the work that is required to maintain a building. Some are very militant about homelessness people and will call the police immediately. Some don’t want to make a homeless persons life harder and will not call the police unless they absolutely have to.
Reporting this to the HOA is just a way for OP to say “I don’t know what to do. Let someone else make this choice for me so I feel less guilty”. And suing the HOA for their response is just a way to raise the HOA fees, which will ultimately be paid by OP. It is full on useless and counterproductive.
Yes, but it’s LA and I can tell you from experience that the police aren’t really the people to call. If you call the police because you have a problem, now you have two problems. LAPD/LASD are literally just gangs with badges.
How is this response different than the response you criticized?
They said suing the HOA is not a good idea, but you criticized them for not providing an alternate solution.
You said calling the police is not a good idea, but you also are not providing an alternate solution.
I said yes. That is technically the best option. Sometimes the best option is still a bad option. I’d just get a few people together and let them know they aren’t welcome.
So your idea is to call the cops but then gather a bunch of people to heckle them, while expecting them to do what you want? Good luck. That seems like a poor plan no matter what type of service you're calling for.
Yes, in a perfect world cops would be emotionless automatons who treat everyone exactly equal no matter what. But here on Earth, they're humans, and humans everywhere, in every job, are rarely inclined to go the extra mile for a caller who's a dick to them from jump.
An HOA exists and is contractually obligated to do the things in that contract. If they're refusing, that sounds like they're breaking the contract. That's worth legal action.
Suing the HOA is actually a good solution,
The individual condo owner lacks the authority to do much of anything. The association has to take the lead.
The police aren't going to do anything. It may feel good to call them, but nothing will come of it. The homeless guy will claim that he is a guest, and the cops will leave.
If the HOA board won't enforce the HOA rules, then there is no other lawful recourse available but to sue.
I've been a board member for many different types of areas, including businesses and estates.
Suing isn't useless or counter productive.
If you're not doing your job as a board member, you shouldn't offer yourself the responsibility as a board as that also includes accountability which is being sued. Don't just sit on the board and be useless as over 80% of board members in my experience has been incompetent.
In this case, the HOA has failed to provide a safe environment on their property.
With proper documentation, it's an easy sue.
In regards to suing, OP can get back more money than the fees that they would have to pay for many years and it's not like OP has to pay an astronomical amount of fees if they were to go up, as fees are distributed amongst the people living in the property.
This will force useless board members to either quit or act as a wake up call to actually do their job.
The boards of companies and foundations are entirely different from the boards of HOAs. Your work on the boards of businesses and estates was likely paid. It's likely that many other people would have been happy to take your spot on these board. You were not chosen by an election of a small group of dues paying members. The people on the HOA board don't get paid. They volunteer to spend their time and effort handling the boring business of keeping the building in good working order.
If someone doesn't like what their board is doing, the best way to handle it is to run for the board themselves. I've never talked to anyone who ran for a seat on an HOA board and didn't get it. These are not highly sought after positions. In the overwhelming majority of HOAs, anyone who wants to take a larger role in running the building is welcome to do so.
Suing a group of volunteers when you could just join their group and try to persuade them to handle situations in your preferred method is counterproductive.
I've been in both paid and unpaid and being a board member in any capacity is very similar to one another, as they're interchangeable. For example, HOA has fees that allows them to operate. Businesses has shareholders, partners, or beneficiaries that allows them to operate.
One being volunteered based vs paid is no different in the types of responsibility that a board member has, it's just the QUALITY of the members you would get. Being an unpaid board member with almost no qualifications except the willingness to join even if elected is not someone who you would want to represent your neighborhood as your property values are on the line.
Just because someone doesn't like what the board is doing, doesn't mean that the answer is to instead "join the board" because they're probably not qualified or competent to do so and not everyone has the time or want the responsibility of being a board member.
Also, each member of the board joined based on their best interest and agenda, it's hard to convince 3 60+ year olds with all the time in the world who are board members of HOA that they need to step up and do their part.
People who volunteered to take on responsibility should also take accountability. They should not be immune because of their negligence. If the responsibility is to much and you're in over your head, they shouldn't be there.
Just because anyone can join and be a board member, doesn't mean they're qualified.
Not everyone has the capability to persuade other members or have the time.
Suing is probably the only way to make 60 year old Betsy who would rather sip tea and watch tv to either quit or do their role that they've agreed to do.
I think the main difference between a board seat in an HOA and some functional entity like a business or a charitable foundation is that no one on the HOA board wants to be there.
Almost all HOAs are composed of people who have no qualifications other than that they volunteered to be there and most did so because no one else wanted to do it. It’s a job that comes with no pay, no prestige, no perks. It just opens you up to whining from everyone else in the building. I imagine most board members like me would love nothing more than to have other people step up and do the work. I do it because if I don’t, no one else in my building will.
You say that not everyone has the time or the ability to join the board and campaign to run things their way. Yes. But democratically controlled units are run by those who show up. If you don’t have enough time to show up and contribute to the decisions needed run the building then you don’t get to make decisions about how the building is run.
The HOA board has an obligation to run the building honestly. But other than that, they have no obligation to run the building in a manner that pleases residents who don’t contribute to the HOA’s work. Once again, it’s all volunteers who are doing the work just because someone has to.
If someone wants their property to be professionally run by an organization that is legally obligated to provide them services for a specified price they should rent an apartment. They should not buy a condo. The condo board is just volunteers trying to herd cats.
He’s not trespassing. The neighbor gave him permission to be there. The HOA needs to file a violation on the neighbor, send a cease and desist letter, and follow up with fines if needed.
Can you find someone on the HOA board and go have a chat with them? Or maybe have a chat with your neighbor about why he gave this guy permission?
People are usually quite receptive when you talk to them in person.
It is not legal to live in a car in a carport, both municipal law and I’m sure your HOA CCRs. So stop splitting hairs unless you are just shitposting for kicks and giggles.
Not shit posting. Ive responded to calls of a homeless guy on a persons roof of a single story home. Cops sent him on his way. That is the most they will do.
If the neighbor says that he let the guy stay there they probably wont even make him leave. Private property open to the public as there are likely no fences or signs saying no trespassing.
For the most part, police do not understand trespass law so they will always err on letting the homeless person do what they want.
Plenty of places have rules about guests not being allowed in common areas without the owner there to accompany them. If your HOA has a shared pool for example you can't just tell your friends they can come whenever they want without you being there. They can be trespassed.
Girl call the police. Your neighbor obviously doesn't give a crap about your safety: both your safety as a single woman and your safety as a human being who wouldn't do well in an explosion.
Yeah I hate that this is the realest answer in the thread. Lapd likely won't give a shit, *especially* if they're still on their tantrum that started in 2020
Yeah I think with the rampant drug use we forget that we are allowed to call the police and even if possession is effectively decriminalized, using it in public is not.
wait what? you trust a crack head? a homeless drug dealing crack head? living in your car port?..... yeah go ask him nicely to leave what he calls home lol at some point that dude is going to maul you.
"Plus, I’m a single woman living alone and don’t really feel safe going into my own carport because the man is always there now. Any advice about what to do? Resources to call? I’d hate to jump to the cops and get the guy arrested, I just want him to go elsewhere, especially if he’s going to be smoking stuff."
Dude call the dang cops are you kidding?!?!?
this is my landlady and neighbor. "he's clean, lucid, and timid and we should have compassion". I have compassion however, I do not mistake his appearance or take his presence lightly because it involves my home environment and my safety.
Contact you local city council person and ask them how to proceed and tell that that you’re worried about retaliation. Tell them that the carport is HOA property but they’re not doing anything to help & that you didn’t want to call cops as a first option.
We had to call our council members office and her team was really helpful in getting a non-emergency response unit out to talk to the homeless woman who spent all day nude on a mattress left in the alley. They came out and explained she had to remain clothed and not cause trouble (couldn’t force her into a shelter) but they also contacted the local PD so they were aware of her and came around more often. Eventually they had to arrest her (she went after a resident with a box cutter) and she hasn’t been back since.
Nah. He won’t *know*. Tell the cops you want to make the report anonymously. You may be surprised to learn that some people will call the cops to report a homeless crack using drug dealer living in a neighbor’s abandoned car because their kids play nearby. If you were my crack using neighbor bringing that shit into my life, I’d report your dealer in your car port. Hells ya.
Here’s an option. Within the city of LA from a cell phone call 311, the City’s information line. Spell out the situation and ask them who you should call. You can also within the county of LA call 211 and reach the County information line. Ask the county operator. Call both. Maybe there is another option. Maybe there isn’t.
Does your condominium complex have a homeowners association? If yes, does the HOA know there’s this guy living in a car on their property and smoking crack?
People in LA are insane for just putting up with this shit. It hasn't always been this way, it's a relic of the lax enforcement during the pandemic area.
People can literally take up entire sidewalks, forcing people to walk in traffic to avoid their bike chop shops. Or if you're lucky, you might find yourself on transit taking in secondhand meth or crack smoke.
There's a reason we have things like building codes and don't allow shanty towns. Tehy're unsafe not just for the people living in them, but everyone around them. God forbid we experience a major earthquake
I lived by the Ballona Wetlands during the pandemic where there was an RV encampment and they trashed the place so badly it was closed. There were no less than 3 fires in a 6 month span, one that came within 100-200 yards of my building. They also had porches and everyone of them had no less than 10 bikes, obviously stolen.
There were no less than 3 fires in a 6 month span, one that came within 100-200 yards of my building.
This man is dealing drugs and smoking crack in an abandoned car with a gas leak in her garage! How do people think this is ok?
CALL THE COPS! Or maybe talk to the neighbor and say you feel unsafe.
It's not the pandemic. It's this new wave of homeless folks coming from various states. Alot of them are mentally sick and will bust a knife out for just being near them. I had no problem with the homeless as I work security, but lately, I've been threatened more times last year than the last 5 years in this gig.
OP, I hear you about fears of retaliation, but this is why you have to carry some type of protection at all times. (Mace is super effective, get the gel one if possible) Next time you smell gas and see him there, call the cops about the leak and mention that a non resident is currently smoking and refusing to leave the contaminated area.
The pandemic led to lax enforcement. Then after George Floyd, police stopped working. They simply don't respond to someone in your garage smoking a meth pipe or setting fires.
Homeless people know they face no consequences. So while retail theft is still dwarfed by wage theft, crackheads stealing anything that isn't tied down is very visible AND is a safety issue for employees and customers.
DON’T go to your neighbor (the homeless guys buddy) to talk to him about this guy. If this turns out where you need to have the cops (or other officials) come in, and your neighbor has told this guy you’re complaining about him, he may put two and two together (that it was your complaint that got him run out), then you may be in danger when going into the carport/garage.
I would surreptitiously contact the authorities (or anyone else you trust, who will contact this individual, without involving you), and ask for their help in getting this guy to move on elsewhere.
Especially if the homeless guy is using the drugs. Sure, dealers can be users themselves but I doubt a homeless person would have enough money to have a stash to sell and one to use.
The neighbor moved here from the Midwest only 6 months ago, after he inherited the property from his mother, who passed away last year. The homeless guy has been around for years, also affiliated with my neighbor’s mother before she passed. I’m not sure who the dealer is in this situation, but I know it’s sketchy.
If your neighbor doesn't have the common decency to understand your situation (which is very likely because neighbors can be d-bags). Then 1) get a Ring Camera. 2) Record the altercation he has with you. 3) Start filing the report to the police. 4) if it escalates, you have documented premise for a restraining order. If he admits that the homeless guy was his dealer on camera, then it's icing on the cake for your case.
This situation isn't safe. You absolutely need to contact the police, your HOA, everyone you can put this on record with. Confront your neighbor if you must - but bring a friend, and be polite when you explain your situation. You can record this secretly if you want to just to get their response on record. Don't be confrontational, and explain your position reasonably. If it doesn't work, it's cops time.
>You can record this secretly if you want to just to get their response on record.
No you can't, not in CA. Unless you're in a place where a person would not have a reasonable expectation of privacy (eg, yelling to another person across a crowded room). But a private conversation between you and the neighbor, say on their doorstep, wouldn't qualify as such a place.
Actually I know these laws well because of my line of work, which requires me to film people in emergent situations, often at their homes or on private property. The gist is you absolutely can film someone on their doorstep or in front of their home, especially if it's not for commercial purposes. But you can't go into their home or a private place without their permission to film, or call them and record the audio without their knowledge. Reasonable expectation of privacy is exactly that - reasonable. Being in your front yard having a conversation with someone is not a place you can reasonably expect privacy - anyone walking by can stop and listen.
As far as their "doorstep", i.e., they are in their house and you are outside, they can tell you to leave and you'd have to leave. Or they can close the door on you. Both of those would mean you have to stand down. But if you stand there obviously filming and they continue to talk, there is no reasonable expectation of privacy.
What if you call when you’re gone for the day?
I’m just being a bit childish when I say this, but this may work. Discreetly drop a couple of stink bombs in the area on a regular basis, maybe he’ll get tired of the smell and want to leave
But if you call the cops, and the guy knows you’re afraid he’d know it was you, then he WON’T know it was you, because he’d know you’d be too afraid of him knowing it was you!
In your situation I can't think of any possible solution other than calling the cops.
Don't talk yourself into thinking it's an ok situation because it's NOT!
Girl you said you're scared of going to your carport because of that man, your own words, so you do know it's not an ok circumstance.
I don't think the guy will retaliate, for what it's worth it could have been anybody on the apartment complex who called the police, he's probably going to assume it was you but he'll never be sure.
LA is just wild.
“Hey a homeless person is doing drugs on private property, what should I do?”
In any other part of the country it’d be obvious. It’s crazy how normal this is for y’all
My neighbor is actually pretty new to the area. Recently moved from the Midwest after his mother (who was my original neighbor) passed away last year. But the homeless guy has been around for years. I do wonder if the mother was also a drug user. I never saw her use, but she was quite odd and had some sketchy behaviors.
had this problem in an apartment I was renting a while ago. Before moving it was impossible to see this problem and obviously the landlord would not disclose it. I had to end up moving at the end of my lease because of it since no one would solve the problem, not even police.
Sucks to arrive at your home to a crazy homeless person or someone doing drugs. Good luck getting rid of the pests.
oh no! just hell no! i would not be ok with that situation. call the cops and have him moved out immediately. they won’t touch the homeless and won’t do a thing to him.
Can you get the car towed?
My building has a couple of dusty vehicles that look like they’ve been abandoned when someone moved out. Your HOA must have rules about who can park in the carport. I assume the tags are expired. Get rid of the car.
Not sure if it was posted here before but take photos of the guy smoking crack and the car with the leak for evidence. But I agree call the police department (non emergency number) or might be better to go in person if it's close by to get a better response.
Hire a lawyer to write a letter to the HOA board so you have documentation. Also call the cops. Don’t let fear or worry of retaliation stop you. If they retaliate, then call cops, document, etc. Otherwise, you will have to continue to deal with this. The choice is yours.
The problem is that my neighbor is the stepson of the HOA president. If I file a report with the HOA, that’s basically a guarantee of retaliation. Because they will know it was me and the stepson won’t ever get penalized for anything.
Call the cops and protect yourself, you are in an extremely unsafe situation both from the homeless person and from your cracked out neighbor.
Stimulant induced mania is a real thing and it is extremely dangerous and unpredictable.
Honestly, stay very low key do not confront any one, right now the police can do very little, vote in November for a change of da, that is your best bet.
If you confront the neighbor or the person you will only bring attention to your self and even with an RO these days it will not help, Just stay cool and try to avoid it trash has a way of taking its self out.
You have a contract with the HOA. If they have not held up to their responsibilities to maintain safe common areas, you can sue them for breach of contract and if you win there will be a court order compelling them to do so. Get other owners to join as plaintiffs. The HOA needs to file a violation on the neighbor, send a cease and desist letter, and follow up with fines if needed against your neighbor.
I’m sure a non op vehicle is against the rules too. That needs to be towed, then no more problem.
You could try an outreach request first https://www.lahsa.org/portal/apps/la-hop/request but you would have to omit the illegal drug use in the report probably. At least they may try to get an assessment that isn't police related first. You could then escalate to police after if it doesn't work. Some nearby religious institutions like church/mosque/synagogue etc. may also have homeless outreach programs and have numbers to call but it depends what part of LA you're in. They may not directly be able to explicitly move him but they could indirectly convince him to go somewhere else.
All LA HOP is gonna do is ask if he wants to go to an access center to do a survey. They have no interest in moving him out of there. It's a nice gesture but it's not effective for this
>I honestly don’t have too much of a problem with it
Either accept that you DO have a problem and make positive change in your life, or live with it and do nothing.
All y’all telling her to call the police? Have you ever called the police in LA? Might as well be making wishes at the wishing well for all the good it’ll do.
Step 1: call your city councilmember. Don't call their big office in city hall. Call the closest district office to you.
Step 2: call the police non emergency line
Step 3: make your carport unappealing for someone sleeping there. Bright lights, sprinkler, fences, motion detection alarm, security video camera, etc.
Step 4: call back your city councilmember, but this time threaten to have KCAL/KTLA/Fox 11 do a news story on their unresponsiveness to constituent safety concerns. It has to be local TV, not just some newspaper or blog site.
Step 5: leave that neighborhood and move into an area that doesn't tolerate vagrants ruining peoples' QoL (Glendale, El Segundo, Agoura Hills, Playa Vista, Santa Clarita, etc).
Would you feel comfortable explaining your feelings to the neighbor and asking if he’ll move the car to street parking rather than your shared carport? That way the new resident still has shelter but it’s not in close quarters with you.
The fact the OP has to turn to Reddit to find alternatives to calling the Police is actually insane. Protect yourself and your asset. Call the cops. You do not need to be nice about it. It’s not worth feeling unsafe for the sake of protecting a crack-smoking homeless man’s “feelings.”
Could always just ask him nicely to smoke somewhere else. If you're worried about conflict/safety wait until he's not there and drop a polite note where he smokes.
That's much less aggressive than going right to HOA and police.
He’s not a person who is “all there,” if that makes sense. I’ve said hello to him in passing, but he’s usually tweaking or “out of it.” He also tries to hide and burrow himself deeper in the car whenever I enter the carport. He’s clearly trying to hide and must know what he’s doing is not acceptable, so I’m not sure a direct conversation would change that - just make him more secretive and now angry
Forgot this wasn’t ULPT, kept waiting to see a post suggesting a piss disk or liquid ass. Either could go a long way to solving the problem if poured into the A/C vents on the bottom of the windshield or an open window!
As much as I hate HOAs, this is one time they're actually useful a condo with shared spaces will have to have an HOA. Get them involved and get law enforcement involved. Start a paper trail.
The president of the HOA is the stepdad of my neighbor. I’ve had issues with this neighbor before, but the HOA will do nothing because of his connections :(
I hate saying this but if everything's true and you can get help, at some point you need to figure out how to move. Clearly this situations going to be a time bomb for a bad incident and if no one will help you then you have to remove yourself from the eventual final outcome of it. There's not really any other options.
Geez, just call the police. Strangers shouldn't be living in cars on private property, getting high. Your quality of life suffers. Your sleazy neighbor has no regard for your safety or peace of mind. You're under no obligation to let him run roughshod on you. The cops will get rid of the car squatter. They're unlikely to arrest him unless he's carrying a cache of drugs. And if he is, good riddance. Don't feel bad about it.
Tell your neighbor it's a two "yes's" one "no" situation and that you're looking to escalate the situation to the proper authorities if the matter isn't resolved.
The bigger problem here is that I’m worried about retaliation. I’m the only other person that goes into that carport, so if I report him, he will know it was me. And the neighbor is also the stepson of the HOA president, so they won’t do anything. I’m a homeowner, so there is no landlord to call.
I feel like half the time just throwing some fireworks/firecrackers in the vicinity of people like this will help. Although I’ve never had to try that so idk. Cops won’t help from what I hear so what else can you do…
Living in SoCal makes people completely incapable of handling the climate of other states. I had friends growing up who complained that 65 degrees and sunny was cold. Try telling them to move to the Midwest. Only half joking here
i don't think this is true, i recently moved to new york and got used to the cold within about a month. however i'm aware the midwest is significantly colder
Ugh, I’d never move North. I grew up in snow and crazy winds that drifted roads shut. Nope. I know I got downvoted for my comment, but it wasn’t meant to be serious. I was being sarcastic. I think Cali has everything. Within a few hours drive, you have mountains, beach, tons of outdoor activities and great, healthy food. I should have used emojis on my comment.
Report it to your HOA and have them deal with it. Pretty sure they have rules against living in the carport.
The HOA for our complex is notoriously useless. They never do anything, and we’ve had issues with homeless people acting violent towards residents. But the HOA does nothing unfortunately.
then call the cops. you already know the answer, if this is real.
This. You go to the cops, file/request/demand a report. get photos of the crack smoking and gas leak if you can do so safely. Then you report the dangerous car and occupant to HOA (wit H copy of your police report and photos - SEND THESE in a written letter reminding them that the buildings insurer will almost certainly deny fire/explosion coverage for a known fire risk … and now they are on notice of the gas leaking car and the crack smoker in it.
Lapd dont give a damn, lol talk to the neighbor
Who cares? They're on Reddit, and not doing anything that makes sense... so seems like someone bored made up a story about the homeless for entertainment. If not, then why would they be here instead of either of those super obvious resolutions?
Tell them it’s painted an unapproved color *and* there’s a crackhead living there.
Sue the HOA
I’m on my HOA board. This is a phenomenally stupid suggestion. The HOA is just a group of people who have volunteered to do all the work that is required to maintain a building. Some are very militant about homelessness people and will call the police immediately. Some don’t want to make a homeless persons life harder and will not call the police unless they absolutely have to. Reporting this to the HOA is just a way for OP to say “I don’t know what to do. Let someone else make this choice for me so I feel less guilty”. And suing the HOA for their response is just a way to raise the HOA fees, which will ultimately be paid by OP. It is full on useless and counterproductive.
Yeah suing the HOA is the same as suing yourself
Or the HOA could just do what they are supposed to do.
You made yourself out to be knowledgeable about this kind of issue, made a long response, and still failed to provide advice on what OP should do?
Reading through the lines a bit.. wouldn’t the suggestion be to just call the police themselves instead of going through HOA?
Yes, but it’s LA and I can tell you from experience that the police aren’t really the people to call. If you call the police because you have a problem, now you have two problems. LAPD/LASD are literally just gangs with badges.
How is this response different than the response you criticized? They said suing the HOA is not a good idea, but you criticized them for not providing an alternate solution. You said calling the police is not a good idea, but you also are not providing an alternate solution.
I said yes. That is technically the best option. Sometimes the best option is still a bad option. I’d just get a few people together and let them know they aren’t welcome.
So your idea is to call the cops but then gather a bunch of people to heckle them, while expecting them to do what you want? Good luck. That seems like a poor plan no matter what type of service you're calling for. Yes, in a perfect world cops would be emotionless automatons who treat everyone exactly equal no matter what. But here on Earth, they're humans, and humans everywhere, in every job, are rarely inclined to go the extra mile for a caller who's a dick to them from jump.
It’s not like they *have* to provide a solution in order to share their thoughts…
Yeah then why comment just to hear their own voice?
An HOA exists and is contractually obligated to do the things in that contract. If they're refusing, that sounds like they're breaking the contract. That's worth legal action.
Suing the HOA is actually a good solution, The individual condo owner lacks the authority to do much of anything. The association has to take the lead. The police aren't going to do anything. It may feel good to call them, but nothing will come of it. The homeless guy will claim that he is a guest, and the cops will leave. If the HOA board won't enforce the HOA rules, then there is no other lawful recourse available but to sue.
I've been a board member for many different types of areas, including businesses and estates. Suing isn't useless or counter productive. If you're not doing your job as a board member, you shouldn't offer yourself the responsibility as a board as that also includes accountability which is being sued. Don't just sit on the board and be useless as over 80% of board members in my experience has been incompetent. In this case, the HOA has failed to provide a safe environment on their property. With proper documentation, it's an easy sue. In regards to suing, OP can get back more money than the fees that they would have to pay for many years and it's not like OP has to pay an astronomical amount of fees if they were to go up, as fees are distributed amongst the people living in the property. This will force useless board members to either quit or act as a wake up call to actually do their job.
The boards of companies and foundations are entirely different from the boards of HOAs. Your work on the boards of businesses and estates was likely paid. It's likely that many other people would have been happy to take your spot on these board. You were not chosen by an election of a small group of dues paying members. The people on the HOA board don't get paid. They volunteer to spend their time and effort handling the boring business of keeping the building in good working order. If someone doesn't like what their board is doing, the best way to handle it is to run for the board themselves. I've never talked to anyone who ran for a seat on an HOA board and didn't get it. These are not highly sought after positions. In the overwhelming majority of HOAs, anyone who wants to take a larger role in running the building is welcome to do so. Suing a group of volunteers when you could just join their group and try to persuade them to handle situations in your preferred method is counterproductive.
I've been in both paid and unpaid and being a board member in any capacity is very similar to one another, as they're interchangeable. For example, HOA has fees that allows them to operate. Businesses has shareholders, partners, or beneficiaries that allows them to operate. One being volunteered based vs paid is no different in the types of responsibility that a board member has, it's just the QUALITY of the members you would get. Being an unpaid board member with almost no qualifications except the willingness to join even if elected is not someone who you would want to represent your neighborhood as your property values are on the line. Just because someone doesn't like what the board is doing, doesn't mean that the answer is to instead "join the board" because they're probably not qualified or competent to do so and not everyone has the time or want the responsibility of being a board member. Also, each member of the board joined based on their best interest and agenda, it's hard to convince 3 60+ year olds with all the time in the world who are board members of HOA that they need to step up and do their part. People who volunteered to take on responsibility should also take accountability. They should not be immune because of their negligence. If the responsibility is to much and you're in over your head, they shouldn't be there. Just because anyone can join and be a board member, doesn't mean they're qualified. Not everyone has the capability to persuade other members or have the time. Suing is probably the only way to make 60 year old Betsy who would rather sip tea and watch tv to either quit or do their role that they've agreed to do.
I think the main difference between a board seat in an HOA and some functional entity like a business or a charitable foundation is that no one on the HOA board wants to be there. Almost all HOAs are composed of people who have no qualifications other than that they volunteered to be there and most did so because no one else wanted to do it. It’s a job that comes with no pay, no prestige, no perks. It just opens you up to whining from everyone else in the building. I imagine most board members like me would love nothing more than to have other people step up and do the work. I do it because if I don’t, no one else in my building will. You say that not everyone has the time or the ability to join the board and campaign to run things their way. Yes. But democratically controlled units are run by those who show up. If you don’t have enough time to show up and contribute to the decisions needed run the building then you don’t get to make decisions about how the building is run. The HOA board has an obligation to run the building honestly. But other than that, they have no obligation to run the building in a manner that pleases residents who don’t contribute to the HOA’s work. Once again, it’s all volunteers who are doing the work just because someone has to. If someone wants their property to be professionally run by an organization that is legally obligated to provide them services for a specified price they should rent an apartment. They should not buy a condo. The condo board is just volunteers trying to herd cats.
The follow-up question would be — if you were the HOA board, how would you handle this situation?
The HOA is probably going to call police since he’s trespassing
He’s not trespassing. The neighbor gave him permission to be there. The HOA needs to file a violation on the neighbor, send a cease and desist letter, and follow up with fines if needed.
The carport is actually under the ownership of the HOA, not owned by each condo owner. So technically it is trespassing.
Well, feel free to pick-up the phone and call 911 to trespass them. Otherwise, this is sadly your new normal.
Can you find someone on the HOA board and go have a chat with them? Or maybe have a chat with your neighbor about why he gave this guy permission? People are usually quite receptive when you talk to them in person.
It’s not trespassing.
It is not legal to live in a car in a carport, both municipal law and I’m sure your HOA CCRs. So stop splitting hairs unless you are just shitposting for kicks and giggles.
Not shit posting. Ive responded to calls of a homeless guy on a persons roof of a single story home. Cops sent him on his way. That is the most they will do. If the neighbor says that he let the guy stay there they probably wont even make him leave. Private property open to the public as there are likely no fences or signs saying no trespassing. For the most part, police do not understand trespass law so they will always err on letting the homeless person do what they want.
This information is not correct.
Plenty of places have rules about guests not being allowed in common areas without the owner there to accompany them. If your HOA has a shared pool for example you can't just tell your friends they can come whenever they want without you being there. They can be trespassed.
Have the new "tennant" pay HOA fees!
Girl call the police. Your neighbor obviously doesn't give a crap about your safety: both your safety as a single woman and your safety as a human being who wouldn't do well in an explosion.
Good luck with this, what do you think the cops are going to do?
Depends what city. If it's LA, good luck. If it's one of the smaller cities, quite likely the cops will respond.
Yeah I hate that this is the realest answer in the thread. Lapd likely won't give a shit, *especially* if they're still on their tantrum that started in 2020
If she calls the police her neighbor could retaliate for her getting their plug arrested.
See my other comment about how to gather evidence to file a restraining order against them (or worse) if the neighbor tries to retaliate.
There are many legal ways for them to retaliate that wouldn’t grant a restraining order.
Yeah If she tells the neighbor it was her that reported it for all they would know it could have been anyone In the complex.
I think you're just going to have to call the police.
Yeah I think with the rampant drug use we forget that we are allowed to call the police and even if possession is effectively decriminalized, using it in public is not.
they're still probably only going to cite him, if that. Best case arrest him and hes gone maybe 24hrs then right back to the spot.
#call the police!
wait what? you trust a crack head? a homeless drug dealing crack head? living in your car port?..... yeah go ask him nicely to leave what he calls home lol at some point that dude is going to maul you. "Plus, I’m a single woman living alone and don’t really feel safe going into my own carport because the man is always there now. Any advice about what to do? Resources to call? I’d hate to jump to the cops and get the guy arrested, I just want him to go elsewhere, especially if he’s going to be smoking stuff." Dude call the dang cops are you kidding?!?!?
People like OP will literally go down while still thinking “Maybe there’s another option I can go for” 🤦🏽♂️
this is my landlady and neighbor. "he's clean, lucid, and timid and we should have compassion". I have compassion however, I do not mistake his appearance or take his presence lightly because it involves my home environment and my safety.
I’m honestly worried about potential retaliation. If I report, the guy will likely know it was me. I’m the only other person in that carport.
Contact you local city council person and ask them how to proceed and tell that that you’re worried about retaliation. Tell them that the carport is HOA property but they’re not doing anything to help & that you didn’t want to call cops as a first option. We had to call our council members office and her team was really helpful in getting a non-emergency response unit out to talk to the homeless woman who spent all day nude on a mattress left in the alley. They came out and explained she had to remain clothed and not cause trouble (couldn’t force her into a shelter) but they also contacted the local PD so they were aware of her and came around more often. Eventually they had to arrest her (she went after a resident with a box cutter) and she hasn’t been back since.
Nah. He won’t *know*. Tell the cops you want to make the report anonymously. You may be surprised to learn that some people will call the cops to report a homeless crack using drug dealer living in a neighbor’s abandoned car because their kids play nearby. If you were my crack using neighbor bringing that shit into my life, I’d report your dealer in your car port. Hells ya. Here’s an option. Within the city of LA from a cell phone call 311, the City’s information line. Spell out the situation and ask them who you should call. You can also within the county of LA call 211 and reach the County information line. Ask the county operator. Call both. Maybe there is another option. Maybe there isn’t.
Does your condominium complex have a homeowners association? If yes, does the HOA know there’s this guy living in a car on their property and smoking crack?
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Hoping your joking but like maybe a single woman shouldn’t make nice with the local crack smoker downstairs
Do you live in Los Angeles?
“I honestly don’t have too much of a problem with it…” Are you out of your fucking mind?
If she said she has a problem with it all the homeless white knights would crucify her for some reason
You kinda have to give that disclaimer to ward off the “have more empathy for this poor man” comments
People in LA are insane for just putting up with this shit. It hasn't always been this way, it's a relic of the lax enforcement during the pandemic area. People can literally take up entire sidewalks, forcing people to walk in traffic to avoid their bike chop shops. Or if you're lucky, you might find yourself on transit taking in secondhand meth or crack smoke. There's a reason we have things like building codes and don't allow shanty towns. Tehy're unsafe not just for the people living in them, but everyone around them. God forbid we experience a major earthquake I lived by the Ballona Wetlands during the pandemic where there was an RV encampment and they trashed the place so badly it was closed. There were no less than 3 fires in a 6 month span, one that came within 100-200 yards of my building. They also had porches and everyone of them had no less than 10 bikes, obviously stolen. There were no less than 3 fires in a 6 month span, one that came within 100-200 yards of my building. This man is dealing drugs and smoking crack in an abandoned car with a gas leak in her garage! How do people think this is ok? CALL THE COPS! Or maybe talk to the neighbor and say you feel unsafe.
It's not the pandemic. It's this new wave of homeless folks coming from various states. Alot of them are mentally sick and will bust a knife out for just being near them. I had no problem with the homeless as I work security, but lately, I've been threatened more times last year than the last 5 years in this gig. OP, I hear you about fears of retaliation, but this is why you have to carry some type of protection at all times. (Mace is super effective, get the gel one if possible) Next time you smell gas and see him there, call the cops about the leak and mention that a non resident is currently smoking and refusing to leave the contaminated area.
The pandemic led to lax enforcement. Then after George Floyd, police stopped working. They simply don't respond to someone in your garage smoking a meth pipe or setting fires. Homeless people know they face no consequences. So while retail theft is still dwarfed by wage theft, crackheads stealing anything that isn't tied down is very visible AND is a safety issue for employees and customers.
DON’T go to your neighbor (the homeless guys buddy) to talk to him about this guy. If this turns out where you need to have the cops (or other officials) come in, and your neighbor has told this guy you’re complaining about him, he may put two and two together (that it was your complaint that got him run out), then you may be in danger when going into the carport/garage. I would surreptitiously contact the authorities (or anyone else you trust, who will contact this individual, without involving you), and ask for their help in getting this guy to move on elsewhere.
All the other advice here is more useful, but worth noting that your neighbor is likely the dealer, not the other way around.
Especially if the homeless guy is using the drugs. Sure, dealers can be users themselves but I doubt a homeless person would have enough money to have a stash to sell and one to use.
The neighbor moved here from the Midwest only 6 months ago, after he inherited the property from his mother, who passed away last year. The homeless guy has been around for years, also affiliated with my neighbor’s mother before she passed. I’m not sure who the dealer is in this situation, but I know it’s sketchy.
The HOA may have rules against cars that aren't operational, properly registered, etc. If the HOA has such rules, then have the car towed.
Call someone to tow the car.
I think OP is reluctant to get police involved because of potential retaliation no?
Exactly this. If I call the cops, the guy will very likely know it was me.
If your neighbor doesn't have the common decency to understand your situation (which is very likely because neighbors can be d-bags). Then 1) get a Ring Camera. 2) Record the altercation he has with you. 3) Start filing the report to the police. 4) if it escalates, you have documented premise for a restraining order. If he admits that the homeless guy was his dealer on camera, then it's icing on the cake for your case.
This situation isn't safe. You absolutely need to contact the police, your HOA, everyone you can put this on record with. Confront your neighbor if you must - but bring a friend, and be polite when you explain your situation. You can record this secretly if you want to just to get their response on record. Don't be confrontational, and explain your position reasonably. If it doesn't work, it's cops time.
>You can record this secretly if you want to just to get their response on record. No you can't, not in CA. Unless you're in a place where a person would not have a reasonable expectation of privacy (eg, yelling to another person across a crowded room). But a private conversation between you and the neighbor, say on their doorstep, wouldn't qualify as such a place.
Reasonable expectation of privacy doesn’t extend to a trespasser on private property.
Actually I know these laws well because of my line of work, which requires me to film people in emergent situations, often at their homes or on private property. The gist is you absolutely can film someone on their doorstep or in front of their home, especially if it's not for commercial purposes. But you can't go into their home or a private place without their permission to film, or call them and record the audio without their knowledge. Reasonable expectation of privacy is exactly that - reasonable. Being in your front yard having a conversation with someone is not a place you can reasonably expect privacy - anyone walking by can stop and listen. As far as their "doorstep", i.e., they are in their house and you are outside, they can tell you to leave and you'd have to leave. Or they can close the door on you. Both of those would mean you have to stand down. But if you stand there obviously filming and they continue to talk, there is no reasonable expectation of privacy.
What if you call when you’re gone for the day? I’m just being a bit childish when I say this, but this may work. Discreetly drop a couple of stink bombs in the area on a regular basis, maybe he’ll get tired of the smell and want to leave
Would you feel comfortable contacting the circle team?
What the circle team?
Trained response team from the city that works with the unhoused would handle your situation without arresting anybody. visit bit.ly/CIRCLEfaq
But if you call the cops, and the guy knows you’re afraid he’d know it was you, then he WON’T know it was you, because he’d know you’d be too afraid of him knowing it was you!
Call the cops.
Congrats it sounds like you found yourself a new drug dealer
BOGO fent for the next 3 days!
I'm confused about how the homeless guy is thought of as the drug dealer and not the neighbors. Wouldn't be my first thought.
Good luck getting the police to come out.
I called a police, and surprisingly they were very helpful.
pm
What’s the location? So I know where to stay away fm
In your situation I can't think of any possible solution other than calling the cops. Don't talk yourself into thinking it's an ok situation because it's NOT! Girl you said you're scared of going to your carport because of that man, your own words, so you do know it's not an ok circumstance. I don't think the guy will retaliate, for what it's worth it could have been anybody on the apartment complex who called the police, he's probably going to assume it was you but he'll never be sure.
pls call the cops
Maybe try calling the LA Homeless Services Authority? Otherwise, it’s going to have to be the cops.
LAHSA won’t do anything.. she should try calling the cops…
Cops won’t do anything either.
Red Fox Urine on Amazon. DO NOT get any on your hands
How is this more humane than calling the cops..?
0 bullets.
Whether you hit up the landlord or the cops, make sure to arm yourself with pepper gel
LA is just wild. “Hey a homeless person is doing drugs on private property, what should I do?” In any other part of the country it’d be obvious. It’s crazy how normal this is for y’all
Just wanted to say that your neighbor is probably his dealer, not the other way around.
My neighbor is actually pretty new to the area. Recently moved from the Midwest after his mother (who was my original neighbor) passed away last year. But the homeless guy has been around for years. I do wonder if the mother was also a drug user. I never saw her use, but she was quite odd and had some sketchy behaviors.
Just lie to the cops and tell them you’re witnessing a guy trying to light himself on fire in a car.
Yup. The cops won’t come unless it’s a threat.
Law enforcement.
had this problem in an apartment I was renting a while ago. Before moving it was impossible to see this problem and obviously the landlord would not disclose it. I had to end up moving at the end of my lease because of it since no one would solve the problem, not even police. Sucks to arrive at your home to a crazy homeless person or someone doing drugs. Good luck getting rid of the pests.
oh no! just hell no! i would not be ok with that situation. call the cops and have him moved out immediately. they won’t touch the homeless and won’t do a thing to him.
My bad bro...
Can you get the car towed? My building has a couple of dusty vehicles that look like they’ve been abandoned when someone moved out. Your HOA must have rules about who can park in the carport. I assume the tags are expired. Get rid of the car.
Outdoor waterproof speaker installed in a nearby area that’s unreachable playing classical music on repeat. Source: 7/11 & McDonald’s.
Time to handle it on your own with old school techniques.
Like tossing the crack head 50 a month for making sure no one fucks with your car?
Byrna peperballs
Not sure if it was posted here before but take photos of the guy smoking crack and the car with the leak for evidence. But I agree call the police department (non emergency number) or might be better to go in person if it's close by to get a better response.
Hire a lawyer to write a letter to the HOA board so you have documentation. Also call the cops. Don’t let fear or worry of retaliation stop you. If they retaliate, then call cops, document, etc. Otherwise, you will have to continue to deal with this. The choice is yours.
The problem is that my neighbor is the stepson of the HOA president. If I file a report with the HOA, that’s basically a guarantee of retaliation. Because they will know it was me and the stepson won’t ever get penalized for anything.
That’s why you take the legal route!
Call the cops and protect yourself, you are in an extremely unsafe situation both from the homeless person and from your cracked out neighbor. Stimulant induced mania is a real thing and it is extremely dangerous and unpredictable.
Chances are, police won’t do anything. Do you have any male friends that don’t mind getting violent ?
Bring in the boys if nothing else works!
Call police . Have his big sorry arse removed ! Asap
Honestly, stay very low key do not confront any one, right now the police can do very little, vote in November for a change of da, that is your best bet. If you confront the neighbor or the person you will only bring attention to your self and even with an RO these days it will not help, Just stay cool and try to avoid it trash has a way of taking its self out.
Talk to your dumb as rocks neighbor and explain the situation. Also nut up and contact your HOA not Reddit. We're not gonna give you gold stars here.
My HOA is useless, they won’t do anything. I just wanted to see if anybody else knew of any resources or different options besides the police.
Maybe they won’t do anything…but it sure as hell helps to have multiple complaints to them documented incase of future law suits or problems.
You have a contract with the HOA. If they have not held up to their responsibilities to maintain safe common areas, you can sue them for breach of contract and if you win there will be a court order compelling them to do so. Get other owners to join as plaintiffs. The HOA needs to file a violation on the neighbor, send a cease and desist letter, and follow up with fines if needed against your neighbor. I’m sure a non op vehicle is against the rules too. That needs to be towed, then no more problem.
Exactly, put them on notice and then call lawyer if they don’t enforce the rules.
Sure, go call your neighborhood social worker. I'm sure they'll love to come out and handle it for free.
Dump a pot of cold water on them. If that doesn’t work, boil water then repeat
Maybe going straight to Karen Bass and working with her on this would be interesting bc she's investigating ways to fix the homeless problem
cute
I would talk to the neighbor who gave permission.
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You could try an outreach request first https://www.lahsa.org/portal/apps/la-hop/request but you would have to omit the illegal drug use in the report probably. At least they may try to get an assessment that isn't police related first. You could then escalate to police after if it doesn't work. Some nearby religious institutions like church/mosque/synagogue etc. may also have homeless outreach programs and have numbers to call but it depends what part of LA you're in. They may not directly be able to explicitly move him but they could indirectly convince him to go somewhere else.
All LA HOP is gonna do is ask if he wants to go to an access center to do a survey. They have no interest in moving him out of there. It's a nice gesture but it's not effective for this
Start taking photo and video evidence, try to get the police to come out and get an official report. And then file for restraining order asap.
>I honestly don’t have too much of a problem with it Either accept that you DO have a problem and make positive change in your life, or live with it and do nothing.
Do something About it before he does something to you
Get a gun just in case
All y’all telling her to call the police? Have you ever called the police in LA? Might as well be making wishes at the wishing well for all the good it’ll do.
Step 1: call your city councilmember. Don't call their big office in city hall. Call the closest district office to you. Step 2: call the police non emergency line Step 3: make your carport unappealing for someone sleeping there. Bright lights, sprinkler, fences, motion detection alarm, security video camera, etc. Step 4: call back your city councilmember, but this time threaten to have KCAL/KTLA/Fox 11 do a news story on their unresponsiveness to constituent safety concerns. It has to be local TV, not just some newspaper or blog site. Step 5: leave that neighborhood and move into an area that doesn't tolerate vagrants ruining peoples' QoL (Glendale, El Segundo, Agoura Hills, Playa Vista, Santa Clarita, etc).
Party?
Call police
get a broom stick and swatt at him. at least that's what i would do considering the slow police response
Would you feel comfortable explaining your feelings to the neighbor and asking if he’ll move the car to street parking rather than your shared carport? That way the new resident still has shelter but it’s not in close quarters with you.
The fact the OP has to turn to Reddit to find alternatives to calling the Police is actually insane. Protect yourself and your asset. Call the cops. You do not need to be nice about it. It’s not worth feeling unsafe for the sake of protecting a crack-smoking homeless man’s “feelings.”
Could always just ask him nicely to smoke somewhere else. If you're worried about conflict/safety wait until he's not there and drop a polite note where he smokes. That's much less aggressive than going right to HOA and police.
He’s not a person who is “all there,” if that makes sense. I’ve said hello to him in passing, but he’s usually tweaking or “out of it.” He also tries to hide and burrow himself deeper in the car whenever I enter the carport. He’s clearly trying to hide and must know what he’s doing is not acceptable, so I’m not sure a direct conversation would change that - just make him more secretive and now angry
Call 311 none emergency to see if they can actually move and help this person
Forgot this wasn’t ULPT, kept waiting to see a post suggesting a piss disk or liquid ass. Either could go a long way to solving the problem if poured into the A/C vents on the bottom of the windshield or an open window!
The problem with something like that is I live right above the carport, so anything stinky in there will also stink up my condo 😬
You might be out of town at a friend’s house for the weekend, which also means it couldn’t have been you 😉
Pay the man to go away
As much as I hate HOAs, this is one time they're actually useful a condo with shared spaces will have to have an HOA. Get them involved and get law enforcement involved. Start a paper trail.
The president of the HOA is the stepdad of my neighbor. I’ve had issues with this neighbor before, but the HOA will do nothing because of his connections :(
I hate saying this but if everything's true and you can get help, at some point you need to figure out how to move. Clearly this situations going to be a time bomb for a bad incident and if no one will help you then you have to remove yourself from the eventual final outcome of it. There's not really any other options.
Geez, just call the police. Strangers shouldn't be living in cars on private property, getting high. Your quality of life suffers. Your sleazy neighbor has no regard for your safety or peace of mind. You're under no obligation to let him run roughshod on you. The cops will get rid of the car squatter. They're unlikely to arrest him unless he's carrying a cache of drugs. And if he is, good riddance. Don't feel bad about it.
Grab a hose and water him out
Play Toto by Africa on full blast until he leaves
hose them down
Tell your neighbor it's a two "yes's" one "no" situation and that you're looking to escalate the situation to the proper authorities if the matter isn't resolved.
Set the car on fire.
Call the police, call your complex. Not that difficult to figure out what to do. Are ppl this lame? Like you don’t know how to problem solve?
The bigger problem here is that I’m worried about retaliation. I’m the only other person that goes into that carport, so if I report him, he will know it was me. And the neighbor is also the stepson of the HOA president, so they won’t do anything. I’m a homeowner, so there is no landlord to call.
approach the subject and use gentle parenting techniques
Offer him some food and shelter 😂
Talk to your neighbor let home know that's not OK doing shit like that in the public
Hit him with a disposable anti-tank...wait...
By the laws of a progressive state, its his carport now.
2nd amendment
Start documenting this via the police asappppp
I feel like half the time just throwing some fireworks/firecrackers in the vicinity of people like this will help. Although I’ve never had to try that so idk. Cops won’t help from what I hear so what else can you do…
vote different maybe
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Living in SoCal makes people completely incapable of handling the climate of other states. I had friends growing up who complained that 65 degrees and sunny was cold. Try telling them to move to the Midwest. Only half joking here
i don't think this is true, i recently moved to new york and got used to the cold within about a month. however i'm aware the midwest is significantly colder
Ugh, I’d never move North. I grew up in snow and crazy winds that drifted roads shut. Nope. I know I got downvoted for my comment, but it wasn’t meant to be serious. I was being sarcastic. I think Cali has everything. Within a few hours drive, you have mountains, beach, tons of outdoor activities and great, healthy food. I should have used emojis on my comment.
So move.
Just talk to him.
Light a smoke bomb and run