People Share Stories That Show Why HOAs Are Every Person’s Nightmare

by Molly Reynolds

Homeowners Associations are meant to keep the neighborhood looking nice and neat so that property values remain high, and, in theory, it should work. What ends up happening, though, is the people in charge go on a neighborhood power trip, wielding their bylaws over the heads of every single household. The homeowners below have either found a funny way around the bylaws or are just tired of hearing their HOA complain about things that aren’t that serious. Let’s see exactly what people across America think of their HOAs and what they’ve done to solve the “problems” they’ve been told they have. You’ll love some of these solutions. Who knows, maybe you’ll find the remedy to one of your HOA issues! You’ll also see a few mind-boggling power trips that exemplify why HOAs are so abhorred.

#1: You Want Greenery? I’ll Give You Greenery!

This person had a grubby tree dying in their front yard and got fined by their HOA. Tree removal costs a pretty penny, but a can of spray paint is less than $10. You can get your very own can of Krylon Farm Implement spray from Walmart and even match the seasons with a yellow or orange.

Honestly, I’m not sure how long this will work, but the HOA can’t say the tree isn’t looking lush and ready to go! Of course, a quick chainsaw swipe and it’s all taken care of, but I’m sure they fine for stumps, too, so what’s the point? This is an excellent solution if it lasts more than a month.

#2: ‘Tis the Season!

This homeowner was told they had to take their Halloween decorations down in mid-November. It wouldn’t have been any harder to remove the skeleton than to add the hat, but where’s the fun in that? It had to feel supremely satisfying to get one over on the HOA by turning it into a Christmas decoration.

On the one hand, I get what the HOA was trying to accomplish. They want a uniform neighborhood with brainwashed houses that all tick each and every box of perfection, but life is so much better when communities have colorful personalities. We have gargoyles by our mailbox year round. People have knocked on our door and told us they love them.

#3: Keeping It Sharp

This homeowner was fined for the stump in their yard, so they turned it into a giant pencil. It’s actually pretty epic, though I’m sure there is some silly law against yard art that doesn’t match the seasonal theme or whatever. Still, they did a great job of making it look exactly like a #2 pencil.

I wonder if that yellow is called “pencil yellow”? Come to think of it, can you imagine how much paint is used by the pencil industry? It turns out that the yellow on a pencil came about in the late 1800s and was meant to signify a high-quality pencil produced with superior Chinese graphite. Yellow represents royalty and respect. You learn something new every day!

When the Grinch has an evil grin and is throwing his middle finger in the air at everyone who drives past, it’s pretty apparent the HOA was better off leaving well enough alone. Still, they can’t fault them because they definitely participated. I bet someone is clutching their pearls and calling their friends.

#5: There’s Always a Loophole

For many people, it’s important to celebrate the things they believe in and let the people around them know what those things are. Even if they aren’t members of the LGBT+ community, but they support their rights, they might want to show that support by putting up a flag on their house during pride week.

However, some landlords or homeowners associations want all the houses in the neighborhood to look uniform and refrain from putting any symbols that are associated with controversial lifestyles. Maybe they think this will prevent any conflict in the neighborhood. Either way, I couldn’t disagree more with this sentiment! Everyone should have a right to express their values and beliefs, as long as they do so on their own private property.

#6: I Concur

Some HOA rules are ridiculous. In our neighborhood, we have an HOA in name only. We each pay $100 a year, and it covers the landscaping at the entrance and nice little flags along the roads during federal holidays. Our house happens to be at the entrance, so we don’t mind paying for the landscaping at all.

Thankfully, they don’t have a list of rules about the yards or house colors. They haven’t complained about our gargoyles or the fact that our Christmas lights stay up a little too long. I can’t imagine what I would do if they started getting onto us for something as innocuous as a frog statuette.

#7: What I Think of Your Laws…

After twenty years, this family was told they had to hide their trash can. I think they came up with the perfect solution. Of course, there is probably a bylaw about the height of a fence, etcetera, but this gets the message across for now. Everyone has a trash can. Why would you need to hide it?

It’s always nice to see neighbors that have a sense of humor. I will keep this idea in my repertoire just in case I’m ever asked to hide my trash. My neighbors across the street actually hide theirs in the neighborhood shrubbery. I was baffled the first time I saw them walk it out and stick it in there.

#8: But Why?

I am so glad this went viral. Nothing can bring back the tree fort this father built with his kids, but at least the world knows how trashy this “passerby” is for lodging a complaint to the HOA over a tree fort in a yard. They could have had the classic 80s movie childhood, but no. Now they’re inside watching TV.

Whoever complained about this needs therapy to deal with their own sad childhood. They probably always wanted a treehouse and never got one, so they’ve turned into a whiney curmudgeon and are taking their anger and resentment out on the children throughout the neighborhood. It’s a sad thing.

#9: HOA Vs. The Duck Feeder

This one is mind-blowing. Kathleen Rowe, a homeowner in Texas, is being sued by her HOA for feeding the ducks in the neighborhood. They didn’t fine her $100 like a sane HOA would or even leave a simple note as a warning. No, they are suing her for $250,000 for violating deed restrictions.

Rowe has been feeding the ducks for over ten years. The neighbors are mad because the ducks are noisy and messy and basically act like ducks. They truly believe that if she stops feeding them, they’ll go away. It’s somewhat baffling. The ducks live there! They aren’t just there because she feeds them. She has her house up for sale in case she has to pay. I can’t blame her.

#10: The Answer Is Always Pink

The owner of this home kept getting letters from the HOA President across the street admonishing him over the state of his house. In retaliation, he fixed it up and painted it ALL pink. He didn’t even go with a pastel. No, he went all out and did Barbie pink on everything, including the fountain.

I wish this had a before picture. It can’t have looked any worse than this. Thankfully, there’s nothing in the bylaws about house color, so the neighbor can’t complain anymore. This was a perfect solution and, aside from the awful color, the house looks very nice. And hey, the owner of the house never has to look at it from the outside, so it’s his neighbor’s problem!

#11: You’re Not Welcome

According to this HOA, having a welcome mat is against the rules. Call me petty, but I’d be taping it to my front door and buying one with annoying sayings and dirty rap lyrics just to make a point. It’s not like they’re a tripping hazard or anything! It’s just a welcome mat!

Seriously, if you’re having this issue, check out this website: Rude Doormats. Find one that says what you feel and super glue it to the front door. Just explain to your guests that it’s not about them; it’s about the HOA. Everyone will understand!

#12: If You Can’t Beat Them, Join Them

One woman is getting fined for having a white mailbox, as they tend to get dirty. That’s right. It’s not even dirty yet. It just has the potential to be occasionally unclean, so they’ve fined her and asked her to remove it. That’s such a Susan thing to do, honestly. It’s so silly that it almost sounds like a joke!

Maybe the HOA will provide the paint to change the color. Either way, it sounds like she found the right way to deal with this inconvenience. You know the saying, “if you can’t beat them, join them,” and that’s what she did. She stooped to their level. She gave them a taste of their own medicine. And all those other cliches that could be applied here.

#13: Human Anatomy Is Not Allowed

I can see banning naked figures, but if they’re missing skin, it shouldn’t be an issue, right? Unfortunately, in this neighborhood, the HOA has decided that no skeletons of any sort are allowed as adornments. I wonder if cutting the grass in the shape of a skull is against the rules, too.

They must be some serious Halloween haters. They probably expect everyone in the neighborhood to shut down for the night and go somewhere else to get their candy fix and parade their costume. I wonder what they’d think of my lovely driveway gargoyles. I’m so glad I don’t have to find out!

#14: You Can’t Have a Hose

This HOA is seriously trying to ban hoses. According to this resident, you can’t even have one in your backyard. I don’t know about you guys, but we need a hose back there for several reasons, from cleaning up things to watering the backyard. Hoses are crucial to houses!

I bet this is the same type of HOA to complain about running sprinklers for kids to play in. Why can’t we have little Johnny having fun in his own backyard while playing in the water? That’s too loud and disturbs a proper afternoon tea time. Honestly, who cares what people do in their backyard?

#15: It’s Not Your Fault, But It’s Your Fine

This couple got fined for the vines growing up on the side of their house. The kicker is that the plant is their neighbor’s. It’s encroached on their property and begun growing on their wall, but they’re the ones that owe the HOA for the violation. Make it make sense!

Hopefully, the neighbor owns up to the problem and removes the vine, then pays the fine. I don’t know if these neighbors are friendly or not, but depending on the amount of the fine, I’d be walking over and asking. Some of these HOAs can fine $500 for first violations!

#16: Stick It to the Man

According to the HOA of this neighborhood, residents aren’t allowed to have any holiday decorations up after the first week of January. I get that some people tend to procrastinate taking off their Christmas decorations and might leave them on for a full month after the holiday, but is that really a bad thing?

Christmas decorations give off a fun and festive vibe, so why not enjoy that magical holiday atmosphere for a little longer? Sometimes it seems like HOA’s only mission is to make people’s lives harder and to take the fun out of everything. Perhaps the only good thing to come out of it is that it brings the neighbors closers together and unites them in their mutual hate for the HOA.

#17: Dirty Business

It’s always aggravating when people in positions of power use their power for personal gain, but it’s something we see all the time in all realms of life. And it’s no different when it comes to HOAs. Maybe it’s unfair to generalize about all HOAs from this one story, but I get the feeling this isn’t the only time something like this has happened.

At least this story has a happy ending: the corrupt president was impeached for trying to use his role as president for personal gain, and the residents didn’t have to pay the fines. We’re not sure if the residents had to fight to get justice or if the HOA realized what was going on and set things straight, but either way, we can all be glad they got their happy ending.

#18: This Poor Puppy!

The HOA in this neighborhood decided to spray a pesticide that wasn’t animal-friendly without telling everyone. This pup got burnt by the chemicals when he went into his OWN backyard. It’s this kind of thing that makes HOAs so awful. They should have knocked on every door and warned them beforehand to keep their pets inside.

I hope whoever signed off on this helps pay the vet fees. It better not come out of the HOA pool, either. The neighbors don’t deserve to pay for this pup’s care. Personally, I’d have sued someone over this to make sure it never happened to another unsuspecting pet. I’m sure others suffered as well.

#19: When You’re the “It” House

Apparently, this homeowner got slammed by the HOA for running a daycare because they didn’t mind having all the neighborhood kids over to play. You’d think the HOA would be happy that all the kids weren’t wandering the neighborhood in mischievous bands, but nope. They’d rather complain that the kids are all playing together at a house!

Honestly, we all know this was a cranky old lady or a sour mom that wished the kids would want to play at her house. I can’t understand why running a daycare would even be an issue. With the economy the way it is, we gotta do what we gotta do. If that involves watching the neighborhood kids for a bit of extra cash, where’s the harm in that?

#20: Whoops

Imagine you get a dusting of snow, take off for work, and come home to a $100 fine for leaving a phallus-shaped spot where your car had been. Seriously, that’s what happened to this woman. It doesn’t matter that she never saw the actual problem or that it was nature’s fault.

Honestly, if you’re in charge of the HOA and keep seeing phallic shapes everywhere, you’re the problem. Go get yourself a battery-operated hair dryer and fix this issue yourself if you’re so offended. What was this person supposed to do? Check what shape was left behind by their car? That makes no sense.

#21: They Asked for a Lawn…

Natural yards are a great way to create beautiful landscaping and help our little pollinators stick around so the human race can survive on this planet. Without bees and other pollinators, we wouldn’t have food to eat or feed the animals that provide meat and dairy. It’s a serious issue, and this lawn helps curb it!

The HOA, however, isn’t fond of this wildflower landscaping. They want them to tear it all out and replace it with a lawn. One that will require watering, pesticides, soil disruption, and more. Don’t get me wrong. I have a lawn. I’m not against them! I just don’t mind it when others have wild yards. Especially this one. It’s gorgeous!

#22: A Smell That Can’t Be Ignored

I’m having a hard time imagining what led to this and what they expect people to do about it. They’re just begging for someone to get fart bombs and set them off in the elevator. They should have thought this one through a bit more! How many times did it even happen before they wrote a letter?

Seriously, though. Cameras can’t detect farts, and it’s super rude to point out flatulence. It’s not like people other than toddlers run around purposely passing gas to annoy others! What if one of the people using the elevator has IBM? Isn’t there some law against discrimination when it comes to medical issues?

#23: Why Would They Do That?

This HOA made the decision to cut down state-protected trees that dwelled in the courtyard behind these houses. Not only were the trees protected, but in this specific area, you need a permit from the county to cut down any tree at all! Which begs the question: Why would they do that? Did these trees bother anyone?

If they haven’t been fantastic (and from this decision, we’re going to assume that’s the case), they could end up being reported to the local authorities and owing tons of fines. I hope it doesn’t come back on the residents. They’re already upset about what happened. They don’t need to pay for it, too!

#24: Poisonous Pumpkins?

This family is having a one-sided tiff with the neighbors. The people next door reported that they had deadly and poisonous plants all over their backyard. Yes, that’s right. They didn’t recognize squash vines. I’m not sure what they thought it was, but it wasn’t poisonous or deadly!

I have no idea what started the feud, but it’s obvious the HOA didn’t take it too seriously, or we wouldn’t have all these lovely squash to look at. Those are beautiful and the perfect size! They probably make butternut squash mash with butter and brown sugar at least every other night, and their neighbors don’t deserve any.

#25: Not So Fine

Someone in the HOA doesn’t know their grass varieties. Charging $50 because seasons change and the grass dies away is just silly. Only a few varieties grow year-round, and even those struggle in certain temperatures without constant watering. I’d ask the HOA to fund my new lawn if they want it perfectly green year-round!

Honestly, I get it. If everyone has green lawns and one house has one that has turned brown, it can look a little rough on the eyes. Still, anyone driving through the neighborhood or looking to buy will recognize that the grass will be green in the spring and summer.

#26: Delightful Fix, Thank You

When your HOA is cheap or has spent too much money on other things, this is their not-so-reasonable solution to perfectly reasonable requests. Sure, it solves their liability if someone trips, but it doesn’t fix the uneven sidewalks! I’d be pretty upset if I gave a decent penny to the HOA each year, and this was their answer.

The “Walk at Own Risk” is slowly killing me. It’s a sidewalk. You walk everywhere at your own risk, but this is a sidewalk. It’s meant to be walked on. That’s why it’s there! Walking in the street is risky. Walking in the grass is risky. The sidewalk is supposed to be SAFE. Hopefully, this was just a temporary measure.

#27: No Privacy for You

We all like our privacy, and when I say “we all,” I’m not just talking about myself and the people I know, but everyone. We have several trees growing around the backyard and a lovely wooden divider in front of our bay window to block nosy neighbors. This couple sounds like us, and I can only imagine how upset they were when they came home and discovered this!

What’s going on? I’m glad you asked. The HOA cut their privacy bushes down by HALF without asking. I have no idea if this is a trespassing violation or not, but I’d be raising a ruckus and demanding new shrubs. I don’t need my neighbors looking into my living room. Surely, the people at the HOA get that!

#28: A Whole Letter for That?

What is it with people not wanting to hear kids play? That seems to be a predominant theme. Now, I can see why they wouldn’t want balls hitting parked cars or buildings, but to throw them in the backyard and side yard is ridiculous. The world shouldn’t only be about adults.

They literally complain that kids playing might disrupt dinners, family gatherings, and enjoyable times with friends. Talk about being oblivious. Making kids play in designated areas while their parents must oversee is the exact same thing! Have a heart and just ask people to watch out for the balls being thrown at cars. That’s an acceptable ask!

#29: They Want to What?

I had to double-check the meaning of this one. At first, I thought they were going to move the sidewalk 15’ into the property. That would be bad enough, cutting their yard nearly in half, but no. What they actually mean is that they’d like the entire house moved up!

Apparently, having a large front yard is a bad thing, and this house wasn’t built at an acceptable distance from the street. It wasn’t a problem for twenty years. Why is it a problem now? Hopefully, the Rogers County Courthouse was packed with supporters of the family, and it didn’t end up happening.

#30: Why Do You Need a Gate in a Neighborhood?

This one blows my mind. That’s an actual gate keeping residents from accessing the portions of the neighborhood they don’t live in. I don’t know what caused this, but I’ve never seen an HOA choose to do something like this. They must be true jerks, or there must be some other reason behind this.

I’m sure there are other entrances, but this still looks dumb. What if an emergency vehicle needs to get through? I mean, it’s an electronic gate. It was expensive. A lot of money went into separating this neighborhood. Hopefully, someone drives through it, or an HOA boycott will take place.

#31: Yay, A Rock

You’ll never guess what this lovely gravel lot is for. It isn’t for parking cars like one might think. No, it’s a dog park. This was what the HOA installed for all the neighborhood pups to play on. I’ve seen some bad ideas, but this one is dangerous! Those puppy paw pads aren’t made for playing on hot gravel!

Even worse, you can’t easily pick up the poop, and the pee will puddle. There’s a reason most dog parks are grass or at least dirt or sand. I guess they thought they’d make up for it with an extra rock or two that was a bit larger than the rest. My dog and I would be going elsewhere, and I’d deduct the fee of a doggy daycare from my HOA dues each year.

#32: That Worked Beautifully

I want to crack a joke about a broken sprinkler, but residents’ hard-earned money went to placing sprinklers around the local pond. Yes, that’s a sprinkler IN a pond. Why? I don’t have an answer. Do you? Did they not take into account water levels rising on occasion?

I hope they at least cut the water off to it. It failed, end of story. Let’s not waste more water and money keeping the pond wet. It’s not helping out the grass anymore, okay? This HOA is run by people who need to go back to school.

#33: No Need to State the Obvious

I love how this HOA was like, “Let’s waste tons of paper and time stating the obvious to each and every resident that has yet to remove the plywood.” Everyone who goes through these storms knows what needs to be done. They’ve just had their lives disrupted for a few days.

Give them a bit of extra time. If it’s been a month, offer help to remove it! You never know what stresses are happening behind that front door. It could be a single mom with four kids trying to make it through each day. This is why HOAs get a bad rep. It just seems like they don’t really care about the residents, only the rules.

#34: His Own Property

This guy parked on the property he owns and got a parking violation. Weird, right? They didn’t even use non-sticky or easy-to-remove paper! They special ordered parking violation stickers on the wrong kind of adhesive paper to be utter jerks. Even if the car had been there for a month, you don’t do this.

If this were a violation from a police officer, that would be one thing, but it wasn’t illegally parked if it’s just the HOA complaining. Next time, they should let the professionals handle the issue if it’s an actual problem. Heck, they could just mind their own business. That’s an option, too!

#35: We See Your Fence and Raise You One

This person scheduled a fence cleaning, and two weeks before it was set to happen, the HOA installed an entirely different fence two feet shorter than theirs. Nothing about this looks good. The homeowner needed an upgrade, but this just looks awful.

Now they can’t even properly clean their fence! Plus, moss and mold are sure to grow in the areas that no longer get sunlight. The HOA defeated itself with this one. I’m not sure how to fix this without tearing down one of the fences. That outer one is too low to provide privacy, though, so it should be the one to go.

#36: Yep, That Makes Sense

Is there anything in HOA bylaws that allow you to send them bills and fines? Their landscaper cut through the cables on the side of this house. Sure, it’s not an expensive fix, but depending on the purpose of that cable, it could be a real problem! Have they considered fining them?

If that’s from a cable company, it could take forever to get them out there to fix it. It took me three weeks to get the cable guys out to find out what was wrong with my internet. We’ve all had to deal with the cable company before, and we all know they work as if we were in the real-life adaptation of the animated film Zootopia.

#37: Thanks for This

The HOA in this neighborhood gave each house a new set of numbers. I’m not sure who installed it or what they were told to do, but they put this one directly behind a bush. Now this family still needs numbers, which will look very different from the rest of the neighborhood.

Personally, I’d buy giant inflatable numbers for the front yard and run them for a month straight. It would cost a pretty penny, but it would be worth it to get their attention and help them realize how useless this exercise in uniformity was. They should have just attached them to the mailbox.

#38: Again, with the Kids?

Here’s an idea. If you don’t have kids anymore and families are moving into the neighborhood, move out of it. It’s that simple. You can find yourself a lovely child-free retirement home and find something else to complain about. Cars shouldn’t even be in the front yard.

Don’t get me wrong. There are kids out there who like to play in the street, but my neighborhood fixed this by installing “Children Playing” signs and putting in not one, but three speed humps. That way, the kids could play, and the cars had to slow down. That’s how you should handle it. Thanks, Doug!

#39: Please, Someone, Fix This

While I’m thankful they installed the sign instead of banning kids, there’s a reason it’s printed that way. The shape and color of signs have meaning. In America, a yellow diamond sign means caution. A square sign signifies something regulatory, like “No Parking” or “No left turn.”

Thankfully, this is a quick fix. I’d have my husband out there that same afternoon putting it in the correct and legal position. I mean, sure, it gets the point across either way, but I might have a little OCD streak in me when it comes to road signs. And I know I can’t be the only one.

#40: Check the Time

This is a nice initiative in theory, but this HOA seriously invited people out from 6:30 to 7:30 in the morning on a Saturday to clean up the community. You know it’s one of those older people that wakes up at 5 am and drinks coffee while staring grumpily down the road. No one else would think this was okay.

I hope they aren’t talking about alcoholic drinks afterward at the pool. Maybe old Tom likes a little something extra in that morning coffee while he hates on the neighborhood and runs the HOA. Let’s hope someone else takes over soon and has decent ideas and decent working hours. A community clean-up is an acceptable request. Just do it at a decent hour!

#41: Take That, HOA!

After she was fined for not pressure-washing her driveway, she did exactly what they asked. That’s a pressure-washed driveway, alright. The HOA didn’t think it was too funny and fined her a second time. Still, that’s worth the laugh. They’re lucky she didn’t just write a longer letter the second time.

I’m sure she had a few choice words they would have found entirely offensive. Honestly, I’ve never pressure-washed my driveway, and it’s not bothering anyone. Is it all shiny and new? Absolutely not. Does it serve its purpose? It sure does! I’ll take a long look at it later and reassess it.

#42: What Was the Reasoning Behind This?

Why would the HOA place a cardboard sign with the house numbers on it by the front door? I can see a homeowner doing this to mess with the HOA or use it as a temporary placeholder while picking out other numbers, but this was seriously their solution.

They didn’t even use nice handwriting. They could have at least typed it out on paper and laminated it! That would make more sense than this. One good rain and this thing is done for. Maybe they have a bunch of cardboard, and they’re trying to get rid of it.

#43: A Sidewalk? There?

This is one of the more confusing uses of HOA funds that we have seen on this list. That’s a sideyard sidewalk… that no one asked for in a place that makes zero sense. If you zoom in, you can see that it goes directly to a fence. It doesn’t even lead to something useful behind the house!

Whoever came up with this needs to be removed from the HOA. They didn’t even get homeowner permission. They just hired a company to do it and walked away. It looks like it might cause some erosion issues in the long run, too. Maybe some kids will enjoy writing on it with chalk. That’s all it’s good for. I bet they’ll complain about that, though.

#44: Goodbye 80s, Hello, HOA!

I’m staring at my netless basketball goal in my driveway and mentally thanking my neighbors for never bringing it up. That thing is concreted deep into the earth and would take an actual miracle to move. What’s hilarious about this is they provide a picture, and there is a net in this one.

I can see why someone would be concerned. Ours, I pointed towards the backyard at the side of the driveway. This one is pointed right at the street if you miss it. Still, it’s private property and has probably been there for a while. It doesn’t look like the kind you move and “store.”

#45: Thanks, HOA

This HOA installed doggie bag locations so people could pick up the poop without giving any thought to who would need to empty it. Honestly, my guess is the neighbors would be happy to take turns if the HOA weren’t such jerks about it by adding a second receptacle when asked about it.

That’s right. Those little boxes in the photo were the HOA’s solution to the overflowing poop can. Instead of asking for help or figuring out a solution to get rid of it, they just made room for more. This is HOA money at work. I’m surprised they didn’t write a letter to every resident banning the use of it more than once a month.

If you love to hate your HOA, are glad you don’t have one, or simply delight in seeing the HOA s drama, we hope you enjoyed these! I’m so thankful my HOA doesn’t come with a book of bylaws. Our neighborhood is nice, even with the eclectic front yards and house colors. I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Wednesday, November 2, 2022