Homeowner's tree gets cut down without permission by neighboring HOA, so he rebuilds it with PVC pipe and covers it in lights: 'I did it ugly too'

Author image for Isabella Penn
Isabella Penn
Oct 12, 2024 6:00 PM EDT

HOAs can be a real pain, especially when you're not even part of them, and they're STILL hounding you. That's what happened to one homeowner who kept getting complaints from a neighboring HOA that he didn't even belong to. The HOA kept pestering him to trim back his tree, but he refused. So, in true HOA fashion, they took matters into their own hands and came over without permission to cut back the limbs. But instead of just taking it, this guy decided to stick it to the HOA in the best way possible. He rebuilt the limbs using PVC pipes and then decorated it with the ugliest string of lights he could find. His goal was to make it as obnoxious as possible. And boy, did he succeed. 

HOAs are notorious for fining people over the most ridiculous things and sucking the fun out of homeownership. But every now and then, the resident underdog finds a way to fight back. This guy's creative (and petty) response is exactly what we love to see. He's reminding us all that sometimes, the best way to deal with an HOA is with a little humor and a whole lot of pettiness.

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  • 01
    r/pettyrevenge •4 hr. ago Educational_Dust_932 My tree was cut by an HOA I didn't belong to, so I lit that up.
    via u/Educational_Dust_932
  • 02
    My house is the first house in the neighborhood behind mine. I am on the corner. The street on the side of my home is the HOA neighborhood, but my front yard is on a different street that isn't part of the HOA. When I moved I asked them if I could pay their
    via u/Educational_Dust_932
  • 03
    HOA fees to let my kids use the pool and playground directly across the street. Nope. 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
    via u/Educational_Dust_932
  • 04
    it violated 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, even though they are in now their 20's
    via u/Educational_Dust_932
  • 05
    Then one day I come home and someone had lopped off a big branch from the tree, one that went out to 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.
    via u/Educational_Dust_932
  • 06
    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, it was propped up with old. branches I found in the woods and some rope, and just looked awful. I kept those lights on all
    via u/Educational_Dust_932
  • 07
    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 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'
    via u/Educational_Dust_932
  • 08
    affecting property values were told to off. They never did mess with the lights, though. I guess they were worried about what I would pull next. I went and looked at my FB and found a pic I took. it doesn't have
    via u/Educational_Dust_932
  • 09
    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 https://imgur.com/a/Dpil04g
    via u/Educational_Dust_932
  • 10
    T
    via u/Educational_Dust_932
  • 11
    Svennis79 • 20h ago "It's affecting property values" Really, by how much? Wow that much!, cool. I'll take it down for 5% of the combined value lost on the entire neighbourhood.
    via u/Svennis79
  • 12
    Lithogiraffe • 21h ago • oh jeez, that is a Giant Glowing Middle Finger Huzzah, my good man. thats a petty revenge
    via u/Lithogiraffe
  • 13
    GoingSouthGarage • 20h ago • I know of someone in a similar situation, house on corner, not part of HOA. First time they tried to mess with him he placed and old white toilet at the edge of his property and planted a fake flower in it.
    via u/GoingSouthGarage
  • 14
    • Necessary_Baker_7458 21h ago • You can sue for illegal removal of timber most states have that law.
    via u/Necessary_Baker_7458
  • 15
    SheWhoLovesToDraw ⚫ 21h ago Tree laws could've been a major factor in your favor when you discovered the damage.
    via u/SheWhoLovesToDraw
  • 16
    gt500rr 19h ago • Had a neighbour so something similar, tree is on our boundary but he lopped off the branch on our side of the boundary for a better view. Confronted him about it and said the local government department approved it. When pressed for details he couldn't provide any information
    via u/gt500rr
  • 17
    on who authorised it. So we wrapped the tree in pink ribbon and lined the boundary with rusty steel pickets with blue rope for extra eyesore bonus!
    via u/gt500rr
  • 18
    TLost17 19h ago • • I saw red just reading this. How dare they chop off a branch? Also, I love how they denied your family membership in the first place. Like why couldn't your kids play in the park and pool across the street?
    via u/TLost17
  • 19
    Not like you wanted to do it for free. HOA folks all seem like classest aholes. Never heard a story concerning an HOA that was positive.
    via u/TLost17
  • 20
    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.
    via u/Educational_Dust_932

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