Resident reports neighbor to the HOA after they kept letting their kid play drums at 2 am, despite their promise that it won't happen again: 'HOA ended up fining the family'

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Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Oct 30, 2025 9:00 AM EDT

If we could have chosen each and every one of our neighbors, we all would have probably chosen the quietest and polite people in the world, but that is not how that works. So, while having neighbors with noisy kids is not pleasant, it's not exactly something you can control.

However, there are still rules and laws in every neighborhood, so even if you can't control who your next-door neighbors are, you can still ensure they follow the rules to the maximum. 

The resident in the story below attempted to take the peaceful route with their neighbor to ensure they follow the rules, but that didn't exactly work out. These neighbors allow their kid to play the drums at 2 AM every night, even though it is clearly against the law. After a few sleepless nights, this resident approached the neighbors and asked them to get their kid to stop. And while the mom was apologetic, nothing changed. This forced the resident to turn to the HOA and let them take over.

And take over they did, but the neighbors were not happy about it. Keep scrolling to read the full story…

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  • 01
    Little boy playing drums
    via AleksandarNakic
  • 02

    AITA for reporting my neighbor to the HOA after they kept letting their kid play drums at 2 a.m.?

    I'm 32 and live in a townhouse community where the walls are pretty thin. My wife is 30 and works really early shifts, so we're usually in bed by 9.
    via MeadowThornn
  • 03
    A few months ago, our new neighbors moved in with their teenage son who's really into drums.
    via MeadowThornn
  • 04
    At first it wasn't a problem since he practiced in the afternoon or early evening. But lately he's been drumming past midnight, sometimes even around 2 in the morning.
    via MeadowThornn
  • 05
    I've gone over there a few times to ask nicely if they could keep it down.
    via MeadowThornn
  • 06
    The mom always apologizes and says it won't happen again, but it always does. Last week my wife had to get up at 4:30 for work, and sure enough, the kid started drumming at 1:45.
    via MeadowThornn
  • 07
    She was so frustrated she started crying. I recorded a clip and reported it to the HOA.
    via MeadowThornn
  • 08
    They ended up fining the family $200 for breaking quiet hours. Now my neighbor's mad at me, saying I should've talked to them again instead of involving the HOA.
    via MeadowThornn
  • 09
    I told her I've already tried talking, I just want to sleep.
    via MeadowThornn
  • 10
    Young Couple with Pillows Suffering from Noisy Neighbours
    via Africa images

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 11
    mariehotwife84 I hate HOAs, but this is literally what they're for. You asked nicely, they ignored you, so you escalated. Don't lose sleep (literally or figuratively) over it. NTA
    via mariehotwife84
  • 12
    OP Meadow Thornn Haha same, I'm not a fan of HOAs either. But yeah, this time I'm kinda glad they exist.
    via MeadowThornn
  • 13
    Swansboy Nta, they are for drumming that early in the morning.
    via Swansboy
  • 14
    OP Meadow Thornn Yeah, I didn't want to be that neighbor but ater being woken up for the 4th time, I was done.
    via MeadowThornn
  • 15
    ArkieRN They can sell the kid's drums to pay the fine. Edit: punctuation
    via ArkieRN
  • 16
    OP MeadowThornn I mean... fair trade if you ask me
    via MeadowThornn
  • 17
    Head-Emotion-4598 It's been quiet since then, right? NTA
    via Head-Emotion-4598
  • 18
    OP Meadow Thornn Yeah, thankfully it's been super quiet since the HOA got involved. I'm honestly shocked it worked lol.
    via MeadowThornn
  • 19
    Tennisluver75 NTA. Your neighbors ARE not only A, but F. If they can't control their son's behavior, perhaps THEY need to find a solution.
    via Tennisluver75
  • 20
    OP MeadowThornn Yup, they;ve had plenty of chances to fix it. I'm done losing sleep over their lack of boundaries.
    via MeadowThornn
  • 21
    Euphoric-Owl5065 Ah, the classic "you should have talked to us about it" after doing nothing after being asked to stop multiple times.
    via Euphoric-Owl5065
  • 22
    Dear_Leadership2982 The parents shouldn't have raised him to believe this is acceptable behaviour. It's at least partly on them. Maybe make him pay back half of the fine.
    via Dear_Leadership2982
  • 23
    mattking246 Same, HOAs usually stress me out but this is exactly when they make sense. If someone's drumming at 2am, I'm pressing every button I can just to sleep.
    via mattking246
  • 24
    Particular-Summer424 Why the k is she mad at you for her kid playing in the drums at 1:45 in the morning. She's literally in the same unit, probably a wall away. Does she wear earplugs?
    via Particular-Summer424

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hoa aita neighbors drama kids neighborhood neighborhood-drama reddit story noise Bad Neighbor Reddit payback weird parents entitled people
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