'The painters asked multiple times if they were sure': Homeowner couple follow HOA rules by painting their house in bright neon shade

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Aug 24, 2023 11:00 AM EDT

This HOA member had a personal vendetta against her neighbors. It seems like this is one of those stories of neighbors who have bad blood. Oftentimes, a small issue will spark an argument that goes unresolved. Then, over years or even decades, a feud between neighbors begins until eventually they're nemeses. These fights can get so personal — because they're your neighbor, they probably know your work schedule, who you live with, and any number of other personal tidbits about your life. 

The story from r/MaliciousCompliance is infuriating. As the OP tells it, a couple in their neighborhood had their elderly mother living with them so they could help her after a medical incident left her needing their care. Their neighbor Joan acted crazy over this. She seems… unhinged. Joan sent the couple a letter, calling the elderly mother an "unlawful renter." Okay Joan, who made you queen of the neighborhood? 

Even after the couple kindly explained that their mother wasn't just some random renter, Joan was still out to get them. Check out this entire story below, along with comments from people who know HOA drama all too well. 

Next up, this innovative employee found a way to improve a buggy app, only to get fired for it! 

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  • 01
    Building
    via Avi Waxman on Unsplash
  • 02
    Font - It's the Great Pumpkin, Vindictive HOA President LOC Lots of backstory, so tl;dr at end. I've told a shorter version of this story in the comments, but it's probably worth its own post so we can all hate on HOA's some more. I babysat (and elder sat) for the neighbors down the street who committed this malicious compliance, so I was there to hear the ranting as this whole mess went down.
    via u/deleted
  • 03
    Font - We'll call my neighbors Liz and Dave. They were nice folks who ran afoul of the homeowner's association (HOA) when the busybody president, who lived next door to them (we'll call her Joan), got it in her rotted turnip for a brain that Liz and Dave had taken in an illegal renter. Renting out rooms was strictly against HOA policy. They had not rented out a room. Liz's elderly mother had moved in with them after breaking her hip and being unable to live alone anymore. Joan sent them a very t
    via u/deleted
  • 04
    Font - Joan did not believe that "story" and had the HOA lawyer start sending them certified letters about their continued violations with ever increasing insane fines. This went over poorly. Liz and Dave got their own lawyer to fire back a cease and desist letter. After many increasingly aggressive back and forths, it all culminated in an association meeting where Liz, Dave and Liz's mother came in with ID and birth certificates, and basically made Joan look like the pimple on the backside of h
    via u/deleted
  • 05
    Font - Cut to the following fall. Liz and Dave needed to repaint the house after making some siding repairs post-hurricane. They carefully checked the bylaws for approved paint colors and picked out a fairly bland shade of something between brown and tan. They gave the painters the color info listed in the bylaws to the painters and painting happened.
    via u/deleted
  • 06
    Font - Less than a week after their house was painted, they got another certified letter from the HOA lawyer stating their house was the wrong color. They fired back evidence they ordered exactly what was in the bylaws. Well, after many back and forths it turned out the approved color and the swatches on file with the board no longer matched because the manufacturer had changed the colors in their line slightly due to some kind of formula change. Their house was a few shades darker than it shoul
    via u/deleted
  • 07
    Font - Liz and Dave were taking no chances on the second try. They got the swatch set from the HOA. For some reason it made no distinction between approved accent colors (most houses in the neighborhood had brightly colored doors) or house colors. They decided that if they had to paint their house a second time, Joan, the dog that caught the car, could live next to the most garish option they had. It was pumpkin orange. The painters asked multiple times if they were sure. They were very sure. Yo
    via u/deleted
  • 08
    Font - tl;dr HOA president accuses a disabled, elderly mother of being an illegal tenant, involves lawyers and publicly embarrasses herself. In revenge, makes massive issue of a minor paint color error. Winds up with a pumpkin orange house next door.
    via u/deleted
  • 09
    Font - yamaha2000us +2. If this were an elected position, I would have attempted to have her removed. Especially if I was retired and had time on my hands. Citing the needless legal fees on the association.
    via u/yamaha2000us
  • 10
    Font - [deleted] She was ousted the next election, but it didn't stop her from filing endless complaints that the board was required to investigate and showing her a at meetings. Thankfully the investigations were super lame unless it was a legit safety issue.
    via u/deleted
  • 11
    Font - ulyssesphilemon. The best way to fight petty HOA tyrants is to use the state laws, declarations, bylaws, and association rules against them. They are rarely in full compliance themselves.
    via u/ulyssesphilemon
  • 12
    Font - AllMyBeets When I was house hunting rule one was no HOA. I was firm on that. No way in ham I paying someone else to tell me what to do
    via u/AllMyBeets
  • 13
    Font - D [deleted] I feel you. My current place doesn't have one, and that was on my must have list when I went hunting too.
    via u/deleted
  • 14
    Font - Sturmundsterne +3. I had the same rule, wife overruled because she wanted our now current house. So I ran for (and became) HOA President, and we don't do s except keep up common areas and send the occasional reminder letter to cut your foot high grass please. Zero fines issued in two years.
    via u/Sturmundsterne
  • 15
    Font - anomalous_cowherd +2. A guy living in a very old house in a pretty village near me decided to paint it a light colour instead of the dark brown it had been for years, but the local council was full of jobsworths who went to court to say he had to repaint it 'more in keeping with the tradition of the building'. So he found a painting from the 1600s when it was first built - and painted it bright blue with strong green windows. They didn't have a leg to stand on! Now everyone loves it and a
    via u/anomalous_cowherd
  • 16
    Font - G metal2187 I joined our small HOA board for the sole purpose to help prevent dumb s like this. Our HOA is made up of 5 small neighborhoods in my area, none of which are directly connected besides the builder. I signed up because the management company was sending letters for the most nit picky c and I wanted a say to protect home owners from being harassed over petty rules. First HOA I've ever been a part of
    via u/G**metal2187

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hoa neighbors malicious compliance house neighborhood paint colors malicious-compliance-reddit homeowner petty revenge home improvement complaint bright painting Bad Neighbor funny vivid colors
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