I don't own any property, but I always that if I bought my own house, I'd be able to do whatever I want to it. Turns out, it's not that straightforward. There are things like building codes, and Homeowners Associations that have rules about how a given community ought to function. In theory, an HOA sounds like a good idea if the goal is to make sure people living in a neighborhood feel safe and heard by their neighbors. But sometimes people can get a bit carried away with the rules. Redditor u/Alternate_chaos5150 isn't even a member of their local HOA, and yet they've managed to ruffle a few feathers by putting up Christmas lights a little bit too early. When u/Alternate_chaos5150 turned to Reddit's r/AmitheAsshole to make sure they weren't in the wrong for ignoring the HOA's petty demands, the answer was a resounding 'you are not the A-hole.'
