'They told us we couldn't use hoses in our backyard': 20+ HOA rules that were petty and useless

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Jun 20, 2024 11:00 AM EDT

The HOA patrols are back out in force, ready to protect your neighborhood from things like trucks parked in driveways, or trash cans left outside on trash day. These heroic homeowners associations are always ready to save the day by… doling out large fines designed to stress families out. They're doing things like helping the victims of house fires. Wait, scratch that: they actually had the nerve to fine a family who had a house fire because they thought the place looked unsightly. Wow, it's almost like they aren't the good guys at all, and are instead just working towards their own interests! 

Even though HOAs are supposed to look out for the common good of the neighborhood, according to the folks over at r/AskReddit, they spend a lot of time making up nonsense rules and underhandedly advocating for their own self-interest. Just ask one family who discovered a roofing scheme within their HOA (see #12). That's why so many people absolutely refuse to live in HOA territory: they know there's the possibility of endless fines and walking on eggshells on their own properties. 

Up next, read a hilarious tweet thread about James the intern, who does things like wearing an American flag tank top and flip-flops on "Casual Friday," while being very confused about what he's doing wrong. 

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  • 01
    'We got a notice that we had not mowed our lawn and were in danger of being fined. We didn't have a lawn.'
    via Fauzan Saari on Unsplash
  • 02
    People in HOAs: what's the dumbest rule in your Home Owners Association agreement?
    via u/[deleted]
  • 03
    [deleted] House in the neighborhood caught fire. Luckily everyone was okay (they had small children), but the fire burnt a hole in the side of the house.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 04
    While waiting for it to be repaired, the family covered the hole with a blue tarp to prevent rain from getting in and causing more damage. HOA fined them because the tarp was an "eyesore."
    via u/[deleted]
  • 05
    theschullz My old boss lived in an HOA that demanded that trash cans couldn't be at the curb for more than THREE HOURS before or after trash collection. She got fined all the time because she was working during those hours and would have to bring it in late.
    via u/theschullz
  • 06
    wh... My parents HOA is stupid strict. Can't have any holiday decorations up past the first week of Jan. My mom pulled a Clark Griswold and broke her ankle falling off a ladder putting up decorations before the holidays so a wreath was left on the front door longer than allowed. They got a letter with a picture and a threat of fine.
    via u/wherestheiguana
  • 07
    A few summers later they and some of their neighbors decided to stick it to the man. They got a flock of plastic lawn flamingos and planted them in one of their yards. Whenever the HOA would send a letter the flock migrated to another yard. Kept it up for about a month and a half.
    via u/wherestheiguana
  • 08
    pleetf7 Not allowed to put a welcome mat at my front door.
    via u/pleetf7
  • 09
    bolivar-shagnasty Not allowed to park pick up trucks in the drive way with two exceptions: the Cadillac EXT and the Lincoln Blackwood. These were described as luxury vehicles. The HOA president also drove an EXT so he basically exempted himself from the rules.
    via u/bolivar-shagnasty
  • 10
    burghguy3 The fences on your property must all be the same color, and match the adjoining fences of the neighbors property. The community was planned single-family houses with fences between houses. Looking from the street it went House-fence- house-fence-house-.... I was in the middle of the row and had a shared fence with
    via u/burghguy3
  • 11
    both neighbors, that each each had their own color. I got a violation notice the same week I moved it. If I painted my fences to match each other, at least one of my neighbors wouldn't have matched theirs on the other side. This would have sent a cascade of violations down the street.
    via u/burghguy3
  • 12
    El... Everyone in my neighborhood was fined for having "dirty roofs." Seriously, they claimed that everyones roofs were dirty and made the neighborhood look bad. It's not like they were covered in mold or anything, idk how a roof is even dirty but 268 of the 284 houses in my neighborhood were fined
    via u/ElMuchoDingDong69420
  • 13
    $75 for it. We found out later that the HOA president started a power washing business and likely just wanted to drum up some business. He was impeached because of it and none of us even paid the fines
    via u/ElMuchoDingDong69420
  • 14
    Edit: I've replied in the comments with this a few times but it should be noted; power washing asphalt shingles will ruin them. It's strips them bare and you'd have to replace them as a result. The HOA presidents son conveniently owned a roofing company, which was 1 of the 2 that were
    via u/ElMuchoDingDong69420
  • 15
    approved by the HOA to work in the neighborhood. So after he would have ruined your roof and made money from that, you'd have to hire his son to replace your roof.
    via u/ElMuchoDingDong69420
  • 16
    Gruneun The first month in our townhouse, we got a notice that we had not mowed our lawn and were in danger of being fined. We didn't have a lawn. The entire yard was covered in topsoil, seed, and straw. The "lawn" turned out to be a single weed that was growing up in the shade of a bay window.
    via u/Gruneun
  • 17
    I didn't pull it. I tied it to a stake and told them it was our garden.
    via u/Gruneun
  • 18
    Lorraine367 Friend of mine lived in a building that didn't allow vacuuming between the hours of 1-3pm; the time of the HOA president's child's nap time.
    via u/Lorraine367
  • 19
    Wit-wat-4 Can't take a walk after 8PM. Reason? People's dogs bark and apparently this is others' fault for walking outside...
    via u/Wit-wat-4
  • 20
    Actuaryba We have a landscaping committee. If you want to plant flowers, they must be approved by the committee before you plant them.
    via u/Actuaryba
  • 21
    nikkisissymaid In my neighborhood, we are not allowed to have blue trampoline covers. They must be green or black.
    via u/nikkisissymaid
  • 22
    DM_meYourSmall... They told us we couldn't use hoses in our back yard. HAHAHAHAHAHAgofuckuou rselves
    via r/AskReddit
  • 23
    Victoria_AE Not my HOA, but when we were condo-hunting we looked at one community that had a changelog for their house rules. They'd been amended from no pets to allowing one cat per unit, and then two weeks later back to no pets. What did that cat do?
    via u/Victoria_AE
  • 24
    questionfear I actually live in a condo now with a pretty chill HOA...the worst place was actually when I lived in an apartment in a town that didn't allow overnight parking. I had to park like 1/4 mile away in a municipal lot but had to have the car moved by 830am. Overnight guests had to be reported to the police so they didn't get ticketed.
    via u/questionfear
  • 25
    When I busted my knee and was on crutches, I had to get a letter from my doctor faxed to the police dept in order to get special permission to park on the street near my place overnight. After having to play "may I have an overnight guest" with the police, an HOA would have to be really nasty to be worse than that...
    via u/questionfear
  • 26
    josh6466 Condo where I used to live forbade pickup trucks. In Georgia.
    via u/josh6466
  • 27
    ob... Not necessarily a rule, but my HOA has been having a never ending battle with pigeons since I bought my condo 5 years ago. Their latest plan was to leave trays of poison seeds all over the complex (on the ground, no less). This resulted in a pigeon corpses appearing
    via u/obernewtyn16
  • 28
    all over the complex with no noticeable decrease in the amount of pigeons hanging around. After a huge storm blew the trays over, it also resulted in everyone being afraid to walk their dogs for fear of ingesting poison. A+ work HOA
    via u/obernewtyn16
  • 29
    Ku... I have hedges in the front yard. There's dirt under them because you know, plants grow from dirt. HOA comes by and says we absolutely can't have any exposed dirt, including under the shrubs. I didn't even know what I was supposed to do about that??
    via u/Kuneria
  • 30
    I just poured mulch over the dirt under the shrubs. They haven't said anything so I think that was the right thing to do. It definitely looks shittier than just the plain dirt. Wildest thing is that it was just the dirt under the shrubs for a literal decade
    via u/Kuneria
  • 31
    Morall_tach At my parents' house growing up, you weren't allowed to have the garage door open and illuminated after dark for 1) aesthetics and 2) bears. We got cited because we were packing for a camping trip, bringing things from the garage to the car in the driveway.
    via u/Morall_tach
  • 32
    When we pointed out how dumb that was, they said we could have done it without violating the agreement if we'd loaded the car in the dark.
    via u/Morall_tach
  • 33
    Sal... We are only allowed to have chained link fences. No wooden or any other fencing. I'm sorry, but I want some privacy in my back. yard. Our houses are so close together I can see everything the neighbors around me are doing.
    via u/Saltyice18
  • 34
    Barracudalmpossi... You can't leave your trash cans anywhere visible unless it's trash day. For reasons too difficult to explain, it's almost impossible to get the cans in the back yard, so we had them at the side of the house (in the shade, practically invisible unless you were standing in our
    via u/Barracudalmpossible4
  • 35
    driveway). Fast forward to a letter from the HOA reminding us of that rule and helpfully including a photo of our cans. My dad's/stepmom's condo association told them they had to get rid of a potted plant on their front porch because it clashed with their front door. Their WHITE front door. No colors clash with white!
    via u/Barracudalmpossible4
  • 36
    [deleted] Condo association technically, but you can't put plastic skeletons out on your balcony unless it's October. I may be the reason that this rule exists.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 37
    Flareside Dumbest rule in ours is when they pass something it only requires the majority of people who voted to pass it but to stop it from passing. you need a majority of the entire neighborhood.
    via u/Flareside
  • 38
    So 50 ppl vote and 26 vote for it and it passes but if 26 vote against it, it doesn't count because you need 51% of the 2600 houses in the neighborhood to vote against it.
    via u/Flareside

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