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[Dartastic]

San Francisco is a stupid city.

 

[Gordon Shumway]

go big, make it three trolls

With neon lights flashing troll lol..

 

[PSqueak]

It's a private street. The HOA owned it, was supposed to pay property tax to the city for owning it yearly, but didn't. Then the city essentially "foreclosed" on the street and put it up for public auction, selling to the highest bidder.

When it is private, yes.

Aaah, gotcha, somehow i was picturing a regular ass public street.

 

[Mortemis]

So, if someone is wealthy than they don't deserve sympathy? Not very kind of you.

how can I sympathize, idk how it feels like to own a multi-million dollar house

HAHAHAHA yeah this part is pretty hilarious.

lmao, wow

 

[Chococat]

So what happened to the tax money that the city didn't receive for 30 years? Was the guy at the wrong address just taking it? Or did the checks go un-cashed? Was it collected at all?

I'm just baffled that it could happen for 30 years and nobody in the neighborhood or HOA noticed.

 

[Tain]

This board really shows it's ass when it comes to stuff like that. I've grown used to it.

Which you think happened due to an accident or intended avoidance?

retaining massive amounts of wealth is inherently immoral

retaining massive amounts of wealth and not paying such a relatively meager tax? pretty insulting, even if out of forgetfulness.

 

[g11]

lol I know exactly where that is. Pretty ritzy

Good God, those houses look like they're right on top of each other. Who the hell would pay millions to live like that? Even if they are nice houses.

Props to the couple that bought the street though. Unless some esoteric rule somewhere can invalidate this, they'll probably make 100x their money back at least.

 

[ProfessorLobo]

lol I know exactly where that is. Pretty ritzy

I want a moat and a drawbridge.

 

[nukedeggs]

Lol this is pretty funny. I don't really have sympathy for the multimillionaires either. A homeowner's association should have been doing a title search to ensure this doesn't happen. The fact that it did is careless. There exist other private streets in San Francisco that keep up with their taxes. This one should be no different. The onus should always be on the property owner to be aware of tax obligations.

Furthermore if this street manages to sue and win back their land, despite not paying the taxes for 30 years, that'd be ridiculous and puts up a bad precedent. It's essentially rendering the tax as toothless if you can just sue people who legally bought the land you didn't pay taxes for and get the land back.

 

[Widdle Puppy]

Fuck these scumbag mccmansion owners. Pay up to your new block captain. Rich people have to follow the law too.

 

[ProfessorLobo]

'They are rich therefore deserve feck all sympathy' is a bit flawed in that I know some really nice folk who have worked their absolute asses off over the years to get to what would probably qualify as rich.

Financial wealth status should not really disqualify people from empathy any more than financially poor people

Yeah this thread is getting weird.

 

[Doctoglethorpe]

Please subscribe to my street subscription service. 50$ a month gets you unlimited access to and from your driveway to anywhere in the world!

 

[Marty Chinn]

retaining massive amounts of wealth is inherently immoral

retaining massive amounts of wealth and not paying such a relatively meager tax? pretty insulting, even if out of forgetfulness.

How would they pay a tax they weren't even aware of was being asked of them because it was being sent to a different address?

 

[Zoe]

For 14 years? Come on, man ...

The bill was going to the wrong address.

Lol this is pretty funny. I don't really have sympathy for the multimillionaires either. A homeowner's association should have been doing a title search to ensure this doesn't happen. The fact that it did is careless. There exist other private streets in San Francisco that keep up with their taxes. This one should be no different. The onus should always be on the property owner to be aware of tax obligations.

How would a title search for the homeowner's have found this? The taxes were on property owned by the association. Title searches are only done when ownership changes.

 

[_Ryo_]

Build a tunnel around the road and the sidewalk and charge an entrance fee into it both ways, and charge a fee to park under it. Separate fees for the sidewalk and the road. Or a subscription package of 200$ a year for both.

Something like

 

[tuxfool]

These people are rich, whatever agreement they come to won't exactly bankrupt them. It will probably cost them more than the equivalent of 14 USD a year, but I doubt it will be too painful.

 

[Kthulhu]

Karma's a bitch.

 

[nukedeggs]

How would they pay a tax they weren't even aware of was being asked of them because it was being sent to a different address?

As a property owner it is your responsibility to understand all the covenants and easements you are part of when you purchase the property. It's a failure on part of the property owners for not reading the paperwork. This is part of a homeowner association's responsibility. They didn't even confirm for 30 years if they had any outstanding tax payments.

 

[cubicle47b]

That's pretty fucked up. How was the HOA not informed of this for 30 years?

 

[fabricated backlash]

Don't really seem like these owners have a case. Good on the couple that bought the land. I would offer the owners the parking spots and sell any of the ones that weren't purchased by the owners.

Renting. Never sell. Always rent.

 

[G-Bus]

So...

People are upset that rich people live there and the fact the HOA made a big mistake and lost the private street. Now the rich people should be punished because they're rich?

Feel like I'm missing something.

 

[Skunkers]

As a property owner it is your responsibility to understand all the covenants and easements you are part of when you purchase the property. It's a failure on part of the property owners for not reading the paperwork. This is part of a homeowner association's responsibility. They didn't even confirm for 30 years if they had any outstanding tax payments.

I'm kind of curious how nobody caught it on a title search when buying a property there in thirty years. Maybe the muncipal lien search on a property wouldn't pull it up; but in my state at least, it's typical for mortgage lenders to title search and check the finances of an HOA before lending on a property in the association. CA must be different but it's certainly a comedy of errors.

 

[cubicle47b]

Feel like I'm missing something.

You're not.

 

[Blastoise]

woah

Just had a gander on Google Maps. Its a pretty nice street.

 

[David Incorporated Esq.]

That's pretty fucked up. How was the HOA not informed of this for 30 years?

They changed accountants and forgot to update the city on the new mailing address.

Pretty shitty reason to lose ownership of your private street. It's not even $500 (discounting interest, I suppose).

 

[T.v]

So...

People are upset that rich people live there and the fact the HOA made a big mistake and lost the private street. Now the rich people should be punished because they're rich?

Feel like I'm missing something.

A substantial chunk of GAF does not seem to like Rich people, and seemingly casts a huge blanket over them.

It's not that I feel bad for these people. They will hardly be affected by it, and obviously mistakes were made. However, the article is not really clear whether the fault lies solely with the HOA, or with the residents as well.

 

[Cipherr]

The people may not deserve it.


But death to HOA's. If the HOA can somehow be made to suffer, Im all for this.

 

[Zoe]

I'm kind of curious how nobody caught it on a title search when buying a property there in thirty years. Maybe the muncipal lien search on a property wouldn't pull it up; but in my state at least, it's typical for mortgage lenders to title search and check the finances of an HOA before lending on a property in the association. CA must be different but it's certainly a comedy of errors.

If it really is something that should have shown up during the title search, then title insurance should be kicking in to fight for the homeowners.

 

[Phoenix RISING]

'They are rich therefore deserve feck all sympathy' is a bit flawed in that I know some really nice folk who have worked their absolute asses off over the years to get to what would probably qualify as rich.

Financial wealth status should not really disqualify people from empathy any more than financially poor people

 

[Dalek]

This is a great story.

 

[E92 M3]

retaining massive amounts of wealth is inherently immoral

retaining massive amounts of wealth and not paying such a relatively meager tax? pretty insulting, even if out of forgetfulness.

Karma's a bitch.

This is crazy, you guys have no idea who these people are and how they obtained their wealth.

 

[Permanently A]

That is pretty funny but I don't think its fair to the homeowners. They had no idea about the unpaid property tax and were never made aware that the street was up for auction. Interesting to see how this turns out.

 

[Kill Your Masters]

'They are rich therefore deserve feck all sympathy' is a bit flawed in that I know some really nice folk who have worked their absolute asses off over the years to get to what would probably qualify as rich.

Financial wealth status should not really disqualify people from empathy any more than financially poor people

Red the op. If you did, read again.

They didn't pay the required tax. For 30 years. Poor them. Is there a gofundme for McMansion owners?

 

[GK86]

Please subscribe to my street subscription service. 50$ a month gets you unlimited access to and from your driveway to anywhere in the world!

$50? A month? They probably wipe their asses with $50.

 

[Jarmel]

lol I know exactly where that is. Pretty ritzy

Oh my god that looks awful.

 

[Anticol]

Everything that fucks with rich people is right in my book.

 

[gatling]

Jesus. Those are some hardcore-hideous McMansions.

Yeah, I can't put my finger on it but they've always looked so sterile to me. SF has its charms though. I guess sprawling country estates have always been beautiful to me instead of crowded residences.

 

[liquidtmd]

GAF law - if you're rich, fuck you. Irrespective of how you got it. Irrespective of whether they are at fault or the facts of the matter. Let's laugh at them. All of them. Got it.

People are people. If this had been a poor neighbourhood and a rich asshat had bought their street, GAF would be categorically screaming for the buyer to give it back. I imagine certainly many wouldn't be scoffing that the 'poor people are at fault for not reading up on matters like this, so fuck 'em'

 

[Permanently A]

Red the op. If you did, read again.

They didn't pay the required tax. For 30 years. Poor them. Is there a gofundme for McMansion owners?

But they didn't know that they weren't paying the tax. Its not like they ignored it on purpose.

 

[E92 M3]

GAF law - if you're rich, fuck you. Irrespective of how you got it. Irrespective of whether they are at fault or the facts of the matter. Let's laugh at them. All of them. Got it.

People are people. If this has been a poor neighbourhood and a rich asshat had bought their street, GAF would be categorically screaming for the buyer to give it back. I imagine certainly many wouldn't be scoffing that the 'poor people are at fault for not reading up on matters like this, so fuck 'em'

Yes, a lot of hypocrites.

 

[Zoe]

Why do people keep calling these McMansions? These are legit mansions in a neighborhood that has been there for over 100 years.

 

[Kill Your Masters]

But they didn't know that they weren't paying the tax. Its not like they ignored it on purpose.

Stupidity and ignorance doesn't absolve one from consequence.

 

[squeakywheel]

ASIA STRIKES AGAIN

I just knew they'd be Chinese lol.

 

[cubicle47b]

This is crazy, you guys have no idea who these people are and how they obtained their wealth.

The article lists people who used to live there like Nancy Pelosi, Dianne Feinstein, and Joseph Alioto.

 

[Permanently A]

Stupidity and ignorance doesn't absolve one from consequence.

I mean, I guess, but then does the potential punishment of getting milked for their parking spots and losing their privacy fit the crime of missing a $14 a year payment they didn't even know about?

I know I would be livid if someone knocked on my door and said "Well sir we've been mailing this annual bill to the wrong address, but you haven't paid and now this dude over here owns your parking spots. Tough luck!"

 

[gutter_trash]

the notion of streets being sold privately is such a head scratcher, but then again, the US is the Far-West

 

[E92 M3]

The article lists people who used to live there like Nancy Pelosi, Dianne Feinstein, and Joseph Alioto.

Yeah, some democratic politicians that are liked here. That said, there are still much more that we don't know about. Yet, everyone is a rich "scumbag" that deserves it.

 

[Tallshortman]

the notion of streets being sold privately is such a head scratcher, but then again, the US is the Far-West

It was built with private money, why would it be a head scratching concept that it can be owned?

 

[Zoe]

the notion of streets being sold privately is such a head scratcher, but then again, the US is the Far-West

It's a gated community with a 24/7 guard. They're not blocking access to anything public.

 

[Malreyn]

They should sell it back to the Home Owners association for something like 1 billion...steep but not impossible