‘[That’s] a lot of money to pay just to find out if I can talk to my neighbors': HOA bans neighbors from talking about the HOA, so neighbors seriously consider a $300-$1k alternative

Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor

Oct 1, 2023 7:00 AM EDT

There is nothing like appointing trustworthy neighbors to keep the civility of your community intake, and then it turns out that those appointees are actually corrupt and stealing from everyone. Feels really great when that happens. SO GOOD.

Obviously, we're being sarcastic here. A homeowners association aka an HOA is supposed to enhance a community, help use its funds for the better, make sure everyone is taking care of their homes, and treating their neighbors kindly. However, Reddit makes it very clear that this is a rare occasion and in fact, HOAs tend to be filled with entitled shady neighbors who love to abuse their power. Just take Redditer u/gothruthis and their recent situation.

OP's HOA literally sent them a cease and desist simply because he was talking about the yearly HOA budget with his neighbor. So basically, they got in trouble for talking to their neighbor. They looked into hiring a lawyer and it could cost anywhere from $300 to $1k. But at this point, it almost feels worth it. Can the HOA really keep neighbors from talking to each other?

According to the commenters, that is most unlikely and it seems more like that HOA is trying to pull some sus moves. What would you do? Other Redditors discuss in the comments.