‘I had birds on my roof . . . Wild birds’: Homeowners reflect on some of the most ridiculously outrageous violations their HOAs accused them of and fined them for

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Sep 4, 2024 1:00 PM EDT

I'm sure we've all heard the HOA horror stories that are constantly posted and circulated on all major social media channels. It can't possibly be a "homeowner who cried wolf" situation if you are having your daily morning cup of joe, scrolling Reddit, and happening upon at least six stories about how HOA boards are often trying to find any way to hold power over homeowners in their community.

When you join an HOA, you are definitely subjected to certain standards of living. This can take shape in many ways, but the most common ask of any HOA is to have cosmetic, exterior harmony with your fellow homeowners in the HOA community. Now, though you sign away your right to get exceptionally eclectic in your decor choices, HOAs take this kind of domineering to the extreme, as you'll see if you keep scrolling below.

For those of you who are currently part of an HOA, we're sure you'll feel for the folks recounting horror stories from their past. If you are currently on an HOA board: "Be the change you wish to see in the world." A little compassion and a lot of competence go a long way for the select few who take their anger out on innocent homeowners. Okay, okay. Now, the funny stuff you've been waiting for!

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  • 01
    Got a fine for having "an object in the window that's visible from the street" A cat. It was my cat.
    via Lena Khrupina
  • 02
    Whats your Dumbest HOA violation?
    via LAmamba21
  • 03
    I had solar lights that went around my fence in my backyard and got a $600 fine for it. So I took them down and had to submit a fee waiver and wait 2 months for the board to meet and discuss it. Then it got refunded to my HOA account. Not my bank account. These lights were very very small. What stories you guys have?
    via LAmamba21
  • 04
    Angry_Pterodactyl 17h ago . Got a warning letter because my christmas deco was still up a week after christmas so I put it all away in the garage. A few days later I get another letter that my garage door was open. Found out those weren't doing this in response to resident complaints - they were driving around in their cars looking for violations. We voted them out.
    via Angry_Pterodactyl
  • 05
    • Hi_Jinx_309 17h ago I fell down the exterior common area stairs and went to grab the railing. The railing was rotted so when I grabbed onto it, it broken into a million pieces. (The HOA board did not even ask if I was injured). But they did tell all the owners that it was going to take the HOA's "property manager" weeks to fix it. My husband
    via Hi_Jinx_309
  • 06
    replaced the railing with a new one the next day. We told them they could remove it and replace it or keep it there permanently. We were given a warning for doing exterior work without permission and told if we ever touched anything else we would be fined.
    via Hi_Jinx_309
  • 07
    DillionM • 16h ago Got fined for never cleaning the dog from the common area in front of my house despite not even owning a dog. Odd that common areas are common to everyone. They also threatened to take me to court over using 1000 gallons of water a day. I had a
    via DillionM
  • 08
    professional plumber come to confirm there were no leaks. After a few more weeks of threats I told them to come check the meter (my unit houses the meters for all three units). After the management company sent their rep down into the dirt pit they call a crawl space (in a dress worth more than I made in a month) they confirmed it wasn't my unit.
    via DillionM
  • 09
    Backpacking1099 16h ago I had birds on my roof. Not pet birds. Wild birds.
    via Backpacking1099
  • 10
    keen238 17h ago . Got a violation for replacing broken gate slats, after getting a violation for having broken gate slats. Said the slats didn't match existing and we needed to replace them all, not just the broken ones.
    via keen238
  • 11
    whathadhappen... . • 16h ago Got a warning for not having a dog on a leash. Checked my cameras, not my dog. It belonged to the HOA VP. Same month, the entire community got a notice that golf carts must remain on the paved surfaces. Only 1 golf cart in the entire neighborhood and it belongs to the HOA Prez
    via whathadhappenedwas13
  • 12
    stuntkoch 16h ago • I didn't keep the stray cat I didn't own on a leash was the dumbest one I received.
    via stuntkoch
  • 13
    ayannauriel • 14h ago . My kid playing outside with chalk. Got literally screamed at by the president and another board member for "vandalism".
    via ayannauriel
  • 14
    lyssiemiller · 11h ago My dog isn't allowed to pee/ anywhere but the designated dog area which is a mile walk from my condo. Also not allowed to walk her anywhere but the dog area. I've been here 10 years, this is the first year they've done this
    via lyssiemiller
  • 15
    Maraschino_Pine... • 10h ago I received a warning after having a party at the clubhouse. They stated I had over 30 guests, and the limit is only 20. My event was a small bridal shower and had 13 guests.
    via Maraschino_Pineapple
  • 16
    statix138 8h ago Got a notice that our yard wasn't mowed properly and that we need to bring it into compliance as soon as possible. Our HoA maintains all of the yards in our neighborhood and its part of our monthly HOA dues. I reminded them of that and never heard another word.
    via statix138
  • 17
    farawyn86 12h ago The HOA hired a tree trimming service who trimmed a large tree in a common area adjacent to my unit, but left the pile of wood. HOA tried to fine me for storing wood in a common area.
    via farawyn86
  • 18
    ilikedags 7h ago HOA sent a letter regarding a new fence being built and that I didn't notify them. My neighbor built a new fence. Also, they wanted us to take down our basketball hoops when not in use and drag/place them between houses... because they are an eye sore..
    via ilikedags
  • 19
    Beau_does_BJJ • 5h ago A direct quote from the letter "overabundance of flower pots in front yard" and I asked how many made it an overabundance and never could get an answer. That's gotta be the best one.
    via Beau_does_BJJ
  • 20
    Old-Platform6706 · 5h ago . I got a warning to take down my ring camera
    via Old-Platform6706
  • 21
    Magerimoje • 2h ago Got a fine for having "an object in the window that's visible from the street" A cat. It was my cat.
    via Majorimoje
  • 22
    better whenfrozen • 2h ago They tried fining us for water pooling on the sidewalk next to our house. It had been raining every day for the past month.
    via betterwhenfrozen

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management hoa hoa stories repairs repair fine hoa scandal HOA board member home repair reddit story horrible-management hoa drama entitled subreddit reddit thread Reddit official hoa entitled people hoa members
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