I spent many, many years living in apartments, or sharing a house with roommates, which explains why—as soon as I got on the WoW housing hype train for the Midnight expansion—my thoughts also immediately turned to The Rules.

Because without rules, your roommate’s significant other moves in, eats all your ice cream, and leaves their moldy coffee cups on the windowsills.

And one thing led to another to me poking at my GPT and asking it lots of questions about homeowners association rules and neighborhood community charters.

What kinds of rules should WoW neighborhoods have?

IRL, housing covenants typically:

• Restrict or require specific uses of a property, such as no running a commercial appliance repair business in residential homes (the worst neighbor I’ve ever had)
• Dictate design standards like approved paint colors, roof types, fence heights, etc. Not something I particularly care about.
• Preserve neighborhood aesthetics or values like not allowing air conditioners or satellite dishes on roofs, or requiring lawns to be mowed every other week.
• Limit occupancy or ownership such as 55+ age-restricted communities, owner-occupancy requirements, banning AirB&B rentals, not allowing pets, etc.

They are combined with bylaws, which govern residents’ behavior while on the community property. 

So what would this sort of stuff look like for a WoW guild’s neighborhood? I came up with what this could look like for an all-gnome guild like the one I’m the bank officer in.

DISCLAIMER: This is not a real guild’s HOA documents. It’s merely one cackling shadow priest gnome’s creativity upon this screen.

Gnomish Housing Covenants

1. “A Home for Every Gnome—No Lotteries, No Lockouts”
   All housing plots within the District are permanently zoned for open access and may not be subject to scarcity-based assignment systems.
2. “Void-Zoned for Eternity: Cemetery Plots Reserved for Shadowy Occupants Only”
   Gravesites and crypt housing lots are reserved for Shadow Priests, Warlocks, and other certified embracers of the shadow; violation voids the lease (and may invoke actual void spirits).
3. “No Structures Taller than the High Tinker’s Weather Balloon”
   All exterior expansions must remain below the district’s vertical magical containment field — to prevent atmospheric tears or gnome-launching incidents.
4. “Workshop Zones Must Be Fire-Suppressed and Rune-Sealed”
   All crafting-focused domiciles must include emergency shutdown glyphs, anti-contamination charms, and fel-neutralized vents to maintain neighborhood safety standards.
5. “Advanced Mode Residency Required in Tinker District”
   Any plot zoned within the official Tinker District must be maintained using Advanced Housing Mode tools; Basic Mode installations are not permitted in these parcels.
6. “Bioluminescent Landscaping Only — No Incandescent Flora”
   All yard designs must conform to the Mechagon BioGlow Directive; traditional lanterns, torch plants, or daylight-based photosynthetic species are prohibited.

Neighborhood Bylaws

A bylaw is a rule adopted by a community or organization—like a guild or HOA—that governs the behavior, responsibilities, and shared expectations of its members.

Bylaw #001: “Summon Responsibly—No Demons in Shared Spaces”

Warlocks must conduct all summonings using personal altars or pocket dimensions; the HOA is not responsible for soulstone mix-ups in communal courtyards.

Bylaw #002: “Stable, Rune, or Bust—All Mounts Must Be Parked Properly”

Flying, crawling, or steam-powered mounts must be secured in designated stables or active rune circles; unauthorized hoofprints in biosensitive zones will incur cleanup fines.

Bylaw #003: “One Banner, One Guild—Exterior Banner Displays Must Be HOA-Approved”

Only pre-registered guild banners may be displayed on home exteriors; rogue faction insignias will be removed by the Banner Recalibration Committee (BRC).

Bylaw #004: “No Fishing in the Ornamental Koi Ponds—Even If They Look Edible”

The HOA koi are companions, not cuisine. Offenders will be required to attend empathy training with the Pet Battlers’ Union.

Bylaw #005: “Necromantic Activities Must Conclude Before Dusk”

Raising the dead, communing with shadows, or conducting bone-based rituals must occur between sunrise and 5:59 p.m.; violators will be assigned dusk-watch cleanup duty.

Dues & Fees

• $200 Gold per month HOA dues (discounts for crafters who donate materials to communal projects)
• Late payments result in:
  • Having to take notes at the next guild meeting
  • Public shaming via notice board and enchanted town crier alerts

Monthly HOA Meetings

Held at the local inn (with mandatory coffee and biscuits). Agenda items include:

• Complaints about Death Knights leaving icy footprints, druids trailing leaves, etc.
• Voting on holiday decor themes for community spaces
• Bidding wars over prime herb garden plots
• Planning for upcoming community events

Once you start thinking about housing bureacracy, the mind truly can run wild!

Which is why I also drafted an HOW charter. Mwahahaha.

The Unofficial Gnomish HOA Charter Scroll

Ratified Year 35,523 C.E. (Common Engineering)
Preserving Order, Encouraging Whimsy, and Preventing Unscheduled Detonations Since Tuesday

Article I – Purpose

The Gnomish Homeowners Association (GHOA) exists to:

• Maintain a harmonious, spark-resistant living environment for all Gnomish residents.
• Foster a shared commitment to engineering excellence and aesthetic eccentricity.
• Prevent chaotic neighborhood destabilization due to rogue inventions or unsupervised mana leaks.

Article II – Housing Covenants

These binding rules are tied to property plots and remain in effect regardless of ownership transfer.

Section 2.1 – Zoning & Design Restrictions

• All homes must feature at least one (1) whimsical exterior element (e.g., spinning gears, inflatable chickens, musical doorbells).
• No structure may exceed the height of High Tinkertown’s Weather Control Balloon without written approval from the Zoning Zeppelin.
• Cemetery plots are permanently reserved for Shadow Priests, Warlocks, and similarly shadowy, void-aligned residents.

Section 2.2 – Functionality & Safety

• All tinkering zones must be rune-sealed, spark-suppressed, and include labeled storage and emergency venting.
• Homes in the Tinker District must be maintained using Advanced Housing Mode tools only.
• Only bioluminescent flora may be planted in public-facing garden plots; incandescent landscaping is prohibited.
• Each residence may display up to three (3) raid boss trophies of significant size. Oversized heads require shadow containment protocols.

Article III – Resident Bylaws

These rules apply to all individuals residing or visiting the GHOA district.

Section 3.1 – Shared Space Behavior

• Bylaw #001: No demons may be summoned in communal areas. Warlocks must use personal altars or approved containment zones.
• Bylaw #002: All mounts must be parked in stables or within marked rune circles. Floating creatures must not obstruct walkways.
• Bylaw #003: Only approved banners may be displayed externally. Unauthorized flags will be reflagged by the Banner Recalibration Committee.
• Bylaw #004: Fishing in ornamental koi ponds is strictly prohibited. The koi are sentient. Probably.
• Bylaw #005: Necromantic energies are permitted only during daylight hours. Sunset reanimation is discouraged for the sake of neighbor morale.
• Bylaw #006: Absolutely no asking shadow priests to emerge from their shadow form. It is encouraged to use artful ighting and placement when including shadow priests in group portraits instead, for everyone’s safety. Especially yours.

Article IV – Conduct & Courtesy

Section 4.1 – Noise Ordinance

• No gadget testing, fel-bubbling, mana flaring, or summon chanting may occur between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
  • Exception granted for emergencies involving rogue AI toasters, active doomsday clocks, or gelatin-based threats.

Section 4.2 – Visitor Protocol

• All non-Gnome visitors must be greeted warmly and may not be immediately teleported into traps, cubes, or gelatin.
• Visitors must sign the “I Waive My Right to Blame Gnomes for Their Genius” waiver upon entry to the district.

⚖️ Article V – Violations & Enforcement

Section 5.1 – Violation Notices

• First Offense: A warning scroll delivered via pneumatic tube.
• Second Offense: Placement of a blinking “Out of Order” sign on the residence.
• Third Offense: Mandatory attendance at “Responsible Invention and You” — a workshop led by Mimiron, featuring hands-on boomstick restraint drills.

Article VI – Amendments

Section 6.1 – Suggestions Welcome

All District residents may propose bylaw amendments or covenant revisions by submitting a triple-carbon-copied Suggestion Scroll to the HOA Suggest-o-Tron, located between the mailboxes and the glitter fountain.

WoW HOA Suggestions and Examples Wanted!

OK, thank you for indulging me in this spurt of creative nonsense.

While the above was…a lot… I am absolutely certain we will all want to think through our own HOA charters to add to our guild charters before the expansion launches to avoid the sudden but inevitable drama that will break out when one guild member copies another’s totally original design or whatever the day may bring.

I could not mash the pre-purchase button fast enough for Midnight just so I will be able to get more time with the neighborhood controls and the housing functionality before launch since it includes BETA access. I’ve had the privilege of being part of the friends and family Alpha a few times, and many of the BETA tests but did NOT want to leave this one to chance!

And now, I ask you, Citizens of Azeroth, to share your thoguhts on what the ideal HOA shoud look like. I’d especially love to see some that reflect the uniqueness your guild brings to the game. And let me know if I have permission to share them in these pages!