'My tree got cut by an HOA I don't belong to': Resident fires back at HOA by decorating non-compliant tree with Christmas lights year-round

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Oct 11, 2024 2:00 PM EDT

The local HOA board members could not have been more frustrated with this guy. However, the cherry on top of it all is that he wasn't technically part of the HOA at all, so all their pleas for him to comply with their nonsensical rules went unheard, and there was absolutely nothing they could do about it.

This Redditor had initially asked to be a part of the HOA when he first moved into the neighborhood so that his kids could play in the neighborhood pool and playground. He was willing to pay the fees and comply with the rules in order to join, but he was outright denied for no legitimate reason. So when he planted a mulberry tree that did not comply with said rules and the HOA board members tried to stir up a fuss about it, they learned that they had zero jurisdiction. Matters were made worse when someone cut a big branch from that tree without the Redditor's knowledge, so he clapped back instantly.

Keep scrolling below for the full saga. For more stories like this, take a look at this post about a lawyer's revenge on a petty client.

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    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    My tree got cut by an HOA I don't belong to, so I lit that b up.
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    My house is the first house in the neighborhood behind mine. I am on the corner.
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    The street on the side of my home is the HOA neighborhood, but my front yard is on a different
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    street that isn't part of the HOA. When I moved I asked them if I could pay their HOA fees to let my kids use the pool and playground directly across the street. Nope.
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    I planted a mulberry tree on the corner of my property and started getting visits from their HOA saying that my branches were too low to the ground and it violated
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    their HOA. I told them if I was in the HOA you'd see my kids swimming in the pool. Since they didn't, they would have to deal with my tree. My kids love. that tree, and still come in Spring to gather berries,
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    even though they are in their 20's Then one day I come home and someone had lopped off a big branch
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    from the tree, one that went out over the street. I tried to find out who did it, but they kept mum about it and there wasn't anyone I could go after.
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    SO, I rebuilt the branch using PVC, and wrapped it in bright Christmas lights (It was May), and then wrapped the rest of the tree for good measure. I did it ugly too,
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    it was propped up with old branches I found in the woods and some rope, and just looked awful. I kept those lights
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    on all the way until just before Christmas, when I took them down. They sent me some letters, but they just went into the trash. The HOA members
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    who came to my house to ask me to bring them down since it was the gateway to their neighborhood and that I was 'probably' affecting property values were told to foff. They never did mess with the lights,
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    though. I guess they were worried about what I would pull next. Since people were asking, I went and looked at my FB and found a pic I took.
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    it doesn't have all the lights, but it shows most of the awful glory. You can see the wound on the tree about a foot above the fake branch
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    T
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    • Rhyth... 14h ago • You'd be horribly remiss failing to complete the FAFO algorithm. Just like 5th grade, you remembered to 'show your work'.
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    Well done, you're exactly the petty justice hero we all need!!
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    thedef... 14h ago • You want the lights down? I want the name of who cut my branches.
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    Comp... • 13h ago. I am happy to hear the tree survived!!! | was really hoping the limb reattached. I knew it was a snowballs chance in hbut I was hoping!!!
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hoa neighbors neighborhood neighborhood-drama bad neighbors neighborhood-stories tree reddit thread Reddit
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