'I cut off the boot in front of the HOA member': Boss and employee rally entire neighborhood against overzealous HOA

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Jun 14, 2024 5:00 PM EDT

If you're crafty enough, you'd never let something like a boot on your car's tire stop you. You'll have to have a devil-may-care attitude, plus access to some pretty powerful tools. This person knows that all too well, as they shared in a story to the r/AmItheA****** subreddit. 

Putting a boot on someone's car is no laughing matter. Instead of writing a ticket or even snapping a photo of the license plate to report to officials, this HOA decided to stop this dude from driving! Now he wouldn't be able to get to work, or go food shopping, or get to a doctor in an emergency. It's a really serious thing to do,  especially for a minor issue like "illegally parking" somewhere. That's why this person wanted to ask if they were actually in the wrong for bringing their boss the tools to get that boot off. 

In the end, the HOA seemingly made things worse for themselves. As commenters noted, it'd be feasible to vote out the current members and put in new members who have more reasonable views. 

Up next, these retail workers shared the things they really dislike their customers doing, like when they complain about the prices or insist on discounts. 

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  • 01
    'The HOA came and put a boot on his car'
    via David Gilbertson on Unsplash
  • 02
    AITA for boss's HOA? off my My boss called me and told me that the HOA put a boot on his car for "illegally parking" because he parked his car on the road next to the sidewalk next to his house and left the car for 2 minutes to drop something off at his house and drive away. In the 2
    via r/AmItheA******
  • 03
    minutes he was gone the HOA came and put a boot on his car and the guy installing the boot ( board member) said he had to pay 250 dollars to get it removed. My boss said and this you and he called me and told me to bring over an angle grinder from our workshop.
    via r/AmItheA******
  • 04
    I came over and I cut off the boot in front of the HOA board member. They then tried to fine him an additional 200 dollars for 50 dollar car breaking their boot. The law is on our side on this as HOAs can't boot cars and nobody other than the government can charge you for damaging boots they place on your cars. My boss responded to
    via r/AmItheA******
  • 05
    the fine with a || you and and my big hairy My boss's car got booted again and I came over and did the same thing a week later. They were so furious their faces turned red. My boss then kept a new angle grinder at his place for whenever this happened to him or another resident. He freed like 3 different
    via r/AmItheA******
  • 06
    residents. The HOA then started using more expensive boots so I had to bring over other power tools to break them open as it took to long with the cheap angle grinder we had. The HOA then sent out a notice saying they will have to increase monthly HOA fees by an additional 75 dollars a month because they lost 500 dollars in boots and have like 15000 dollars in unpaid parking
    via r/AmItheA******
  • 07
    fees. Some neighbors are at us but the majority are at the HOA for the increase in fines. The HOA also gave up trying to put boots on people's cars because we kept breaking all of them. We would also deliver them to the HOA president's house and we also fixed some of the boots and decided to boot the president's car and some other board members when they actually parked illegally.
    via r/AmItheA******
  • 08
    I see this as a victory and a loss, people in the neighborhood are standing up to the HOA and are enacting removal processes to get rid of the board and I stopped the booting. Someone in the niebgorhood was 3 hours late to his cousin's wedding because of this and some other people missed doctor's appointment's funerals and other important life events.
    via r/AmItheA******
  • 09
    lolafalanax NTA. Though I would advise your boss to take the raise in fees to court due to them doing something illegal as an HOA.
    via u/lolafalanax
  • 10
    ts46910 NTA. HOAs are the devil. Keep fighting the good fight and liberating those poor, innocent cars. Or, alternatively, arrange for multiple people in the neighborhood to park in front of HOA members driveways and then install your own cheap boots so they can't get out.
    via u/ts46910
  • 11
    AndreaTwerk Is this real? If the HOA doesn't want cars parked on the sidewalk why would they boot a car WHILE it's parked on the sidewalk?
    via u/AndreaTwerk
  • 12
    stjees5223 Not all heros wear capes. NTA.
    via u/stjees5223
  • 13
    markroth69 NTA But do you know what would work better? If so many people are at the HOA, they can go to the annual meeting and vote in a new board.
    via u/markroth69
  • 14
    [deleted] NTA HOAs. Why would you pay money to an entity that will tell you what you can and can't do ON YOUR OWN PROPERTY??
    via u/[deleted]

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