eli5: Your place or mine?

Do you own your own property? Do you have an HOA? Are your closest neighbors less than 300 feet away from your property line? If you said, "Yes" to the first & "no" to the second & third, feel free to destroy your house. Otherwise you're on the hook for damages.

Destroying a house in an area with an HOA lowers neighborhood property value, so you'll be in trouble with them. If your property is a mess, neighbors can have the city declare your house a public nuisance if there is the chance that rodents attracted by the mess run the risk of entering their properties & damaging them. Rats travel 100-300 feet from their nests when foraging for food.

/r/explainlikeimfive Thread