A HOMEOWNER has warned others about their homeowners association’s resistance to solar panels despite a new law enacted in Virginia.
A user on Reddit explained his situation in which the HOA denied the installation of solar panels on the front side of his Virginia home and hoped others could help find an answer to his problem.
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Users in the comments instructed the user to stand firm against the HOA’s resistance.
“The HOAs will try to bully you, but establish dominance by doing it anyway,” said a user in response to the homeowner’s Reddit post.
“After you install, let your neighbors know you got to stick it to the HOA by going solar.”
The 2020 SB 504 bill, enacted by the General Assembly, limits HOAs’ ability to reject homeowner applications to install solar panels.
After the bill became effective on July 1, 2020, many homeowners in HOAs could install solar, capturing the sun’s energy and turning it into electricity.
Even though the law limited HOAs’ power to reject solar panel applications, some associations are finding loopholes, such as retroactive declarations against solar installations.
The user who implored help from Redditors said that despite citing the SB 504 Bill, they said their HOA claimed that “declaration overrides the law with no reason.”
The user also said his HOA denied him solar panels for aesthetic reasons.
While member-controlled HOAs face less difficulty in implementing solar, those governed by developers can amend rules until most lots are sold, posing a challenge.
The new law allows developers to change agreements on their own until most or all lots are sold.
Despite legal protections, some HOAs remain resistant, possibly requiring homeowners to take legal action to install solar panels.
Other users shared similar experiences and the measures they took to ensure their solar panels were installed without objection.
“I had a similar situation in California with the timing of the response, and I wanted my installer so he could start the installation,” said a user.
“In California, there is a $1,000 penalty for each occurrence, and on the day of the installation, when the HOA Board tried to stop my installation, I gave them a copy of the California Solar Rights Act and asked them if they wanted to incur another $1,000 fine by stopping my installation.”
“After reading the statute most of them apologized. I did not pursue reporting them.
“Hopefully the Virginia statute has a similar provision about penalties despite being from different states.”
The U.S. Sun has previously reported on difficult HOAs and homeowners having to take legal action.
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