Entitled HOA board member fines new resident over planting flowers, resident goes above her head and gets the fine removed: 'This board member clearly thinks her personal taste = law'

Why do so many bored homeowners with too much time on their hands decide to join HOAs rather than develop real hobbies? You know, the harmless kinds that fulfill lots of other people, like pickleball or guitar. Instead, these entitled individuals have to go ahead and ruin the lived experiences of everyone else in the neighborhood simply because they need to fill their days with some false sense of authority. 

There is a reason why people tell you to avoid HOA neighborhoods at all costs, and this is one of them. Of course, sometimes, living in an HOA is inevitable, but if that's the case, finding an ally who's on the board is always a good strategy. That way, if someone else on the board tries to give you grief over something minor, you can phone your friend and try to get them on your side. If there's one easy takeaway from this story of HOA drama that you can apply to your own experience, it's how helpful it was for this author to have previously charmed the HOA president. It meant that she was able to easily call him up and get him to intervene in their defense.

It turns out that all the author wanted to do was plant some nice flowers in her small garden. She was careful enough to be fully in compliance with the HOA guidelines, so when her next-door neighbor took issue with it and tried to get the author fined, she knew she was in the right and the neighbor was severely mistaken. Keep scrolling below to read about the full saga and to see what happened when the author got the HOA president involved. 

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Author image for Ben Weiss Ben Weiss
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  • For those of you who are tempted to join your local HOA, do weigh the pros and cons before you proceed. Sure, you get a little bit of power and can voice your opinions during board meetings. However, you're also likely to become the enemy of everyone else in the neighborhood. You have to face the fact that it's nearly impossible to please both crowds. If it were me, I would just try to pick up guitar lessons or join the pickleball league instead. After all, wouldn't you rather be fulfilled and liked rather than fulfilled and detested?

  • This spring, I started planting a flower bed along the walkway. I chose native plants that thrive here without much water, and I kept them neatly within my property line. A week later, I came home to find a printed notice taped to my door saying my flower bed was non- compliant and needed to be removed.
    via feelingdusty
  • I checked the HOA rules. Nowhere did it say anything about planting flowers being prohibited. In fact, there was a section encouraging "attractive landscaping" as long as it wasn't invasive or blocking sidewalks. Mine was neither.
    via feelingdusty
  • I emailed the HOA president with photos of my yard and a screenshot of the rulebook. He replied the next day saying the notice shouldn't have been sent at all, and I could ignore it. Turns out, the board member who issued it just doesn't like anything that isn't grass and shrubs.
    via feelingdusty
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  • I left the flowers, and they've already started blooming. A few neighbors have even asked me for the plant list so they can do something similar. Now every time the board member walks by, I swear she slows down just to glare at them.
    via feelingdusty
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    via Taiana Bartolomei

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Spare-Article-396 5h ago People involved with the HOA are typically the textbook definition of entitled people. Be prepared bc they'll be more of this nonsense.
    via feelingdusty
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  • NathanBrazil2 • 4h ago . HOAs should be there to stop people from having junk cars in their yard for more than a month, or not mowing their yard for a long period, or leaving appliances or couches outside to rot, or putting flowers in a tiolet. they should not be able to tell you which flowers, plants or where to plant them.
    via feelingdusty
  • Midnight Marmot • 5h ago . Our HOA requires a plan to be submitted for their approval if you change more than 10% of your land. I put in a flower bed too but just skated under their 10% rule. HOAs should be illegal.
    via feelingdusty
  • Alba_Laelia • 5h ago It's great that you took the time to plant native species, those choices are not only beautiful but also environmentally responsible.
    via feelingdusty
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  • It's frustrating when personal bias influences how rules are enforced, especially when your project clearly falls within the guidelines. Glad the HOA president cleared it up. Your neighbors following suit speaks volumes!
    via feelingdusty
  • Isabella_Flavia ·5h ago Your experience is a reminder of how important it is to actually read the HOA guidelines rather than accept every notice at face value. It's unfortunate when someone in a position of authority lets personal preference dictate action, but you handled it exactly right. Those flowers sound like a win for both aesthetics and sustainability.
    via feelingdusty
  • ReasonableTurnipo • 4h ago Next time she shows up, just ask her uncomfortable questions in a very loud voice. "Does your husband know that your children are not his?" "Do you always cry so loud when you're being buggered by the mailman?" etc. Very soon she will avoid you like the plague.
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  • Lildizzle 4h ago Imagine being so miserable that you hate flowers.
    via feelingdusty
  • Marina_Serena • 5h ago I admire how you stood your ground and backed it up with facts. So often people feel powerless against HOA decisions, but your story shows that respectful communication and a little documentation can go a long way. Hopefully the board member in question. learns to value diversity in landscaping, especially when it's done thoughtfully.
    via feelingdusty
  • feelingdusty OP. 4h ago This board member clearly thinks her personal taste law. I've already started documenting everything, just in case the next complaint comes out of nowhere. Some HOA members treat their position like a monarchy, believing they have the authority to dictate taste and choices.
    via feelingdusty
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