No, but if you break their arbitrary rules they have the authority to fine you. And if you don't pay the fines, some even have the authority to foreclose on your property until you pay up. If you don't pay up when you're foreclosed on, you're forced out of the house (just like with a normal mortgage default foreclosure)
They're an evil invention and I'll do whatever it takes to never live in one.
Unfortunately they're real. They're most common in North America/the U.S.
Basically it's a group of stuck-up property investors masquerading as homeowners that have banded together and formed a cult tiny local government to enforce certain rules in the name of keeping property values high in their neighborhood.
Because (at least in America) home values are based largely on "comps", that is, comparable homes that have sold recently, keeping the value of all the homes in your neighborhood high is the same as keeping the value of your own home high.
So they make people bend backwards to follow all these idiotic rules, all so they can make sure their property stays as valuable as possible...
As you can imagine, this attracts some of the most sociopathic people you'll ever meet.
LaserRanger_McStebb t1_jduuts4 wrote
Reply to comment by AutoModerator in [WP] Years ago, your mentor said, "Kid, there's a small secret when it comes to magic. You can literally make shit up and it'll usually work. Makes the guys who actually take it seriously really pissed off." Today, you're one of the least respected, and most powerful, mages in the land. by Prompt_Dude
Almost literally the plot of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
hugely recommend that book/miniseries btw.