‘I picked the HOA bylaws apart’ : Resident plants bamboo to overrun Neighbor’s bright LED security light

Eleonora Bader

Apr 23, 2023 1:00 PM EDT

HOAs waste a lot of energy on ensuring all residents have permits for their plants, rose shrubs are trimmed correctly, and trampolines in backyards are painted in the right color. Some HOAs even enforce an overnight guest fee (put your welcome mats away). They love to interfere when interference is not needed but keep their nosy face knobs away when a resident actually has an issue that is worth looking into.

In this case, a Texas resident who we'll call OP was enjoying suburban life until one of his neighbors set up an LED security light that shone so bright it was comparable to light pollution in the city. At first, he tried a diplomatic approach and went knocking on his neighbor's door to complain (holding $20 in his hands, insisting he came in peace with beer). Initially, his neighbor reacted well and agreed to point the light away from OP's house.

A month went by and alas, nothing had changed, so OP went straight back to his neighbor, this time empty-handed, demanding answers. He was promptly told that minds had been changed and there were absolutely no good neighborly intentions at this point. Okay then, thought OP. Good intentions gone, so be it. OP formulated a plan but first looked up all the HOA bylaws and made sure that the city couldn't come after him with his brilliant idea, which involved a lot of bamboo seeds. For those who don't know, this plant is a total menace, and grows extremely fast, especially in Texas conditions.

Scroll down to read exactly what went down. For more stories like this, here are some hotel guests who made an OTA reservation when they were already physically at the hotel, and then instantly regretted it.