Elderly home sellers fail to disclose HOA to buyer, forcing them to pay decades of debt, leading buyer to refuse to let sellers pick up their lawnmower after the sale: ‘They want it back out of spite’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Nov 3, 2025 7:00 AM EST

The scariest and important purchase the ordinary person goes through in their life is when they buy their first home. There are so many decisions, so many twists and turns when it comes to buying a house; just the thought of it can make people dizzy. 

When someone decides to buy a house, they should be prepared to discover new details about the property long after the purchase is done. You can never fully know what you signed yourself up for until you experience it on your own. Which means you can't really get a feel of a house until you actually move in.

The home buyers in the story below discovered many new details about the house when they least expected it. Right before closing the deal, they found out about an HOA they didn't know existed, repairs that were never made, and debts never paid. Still, they decided to go through with the purchase and were ready to never hear from the sellers ever again.

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  • However, the sellers still had some belongings they intended to get from their old home even after they handed over the keys. The buyer, on the other hand, was starting to feel like they were being fooled and decided to keep whatever was left behind.

    Was that really the right call?

  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10569432064
    via KLAPHAT

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

  • 02

    AITAH for telling the elderly seller of my new home they can't come take the lawn mower they left at my house after closing?

    I just bought my first home and while I am thrilled to be in my dream home, the purchasing process has been full of ups and downs.
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 03
    After putting in an offer the inspection revealed a number of safety things that need to be fixed right away and the seller declined to fix or give a credit for any of these except they agreed to repair a toilet.
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 04
    Ok, that's fair. They are within their rights to decline and its my choice to decide if I want to move forward with the sale.
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 05
    This meant I would have to spend quite a bit more than I originally expected but surprises happen in the home buying process so I was prepared for some things to pop up.
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 06
    Three days before closing, my lender discovered the home has an HOA that the seller had not paid for decades, and because of this there was a lien against the home that needed to be taken care of before the sale could go through.
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 07
    I'm pretty annoyed about this because it added a lot of unnecessary stress but also the seller never disclosed an HOA.
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 08
    Its a stand alone single family home in a neighborhood that doesn't appear like it would be an HOA but apparently there are some shared common amenities withing the neighborhood.
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 09
    So now I have to incur additional monthly costs that I did not originally budget for, but it's not like it bumps the home out of my price range.
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 10
    I'm more just annoyed that not only was it not disclosed until just days before the sale, but the lien put the house at risk for not being able to be sold on the closing date.
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 11
    At the final walk-through we realized that they did not repair the toilet as they agreed to so my realtor requested a $500 credit which they agreed to but cost them more in the long run than if they had just agreed to credit it in the first place or paid a professional to come out and replace the toilet.
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 12
    They also did not return the keys or garage remote. They were supposed to drop off the keys and remote to the location of the closing meeting (they were not attending in person) before the closing.
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 13
    Instead they sent the lawyer a message that they dropped them off at the house. They actually went inside the home after the final walk-through, took some items they had left in the home including a ceiling fan, some ceiling light globes, and clearly went through drawers because they left the bathroom vanity drawers broken which were not broken the day earlier at the walk-through.
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 14
    This brings me to why I think I might be the AH, they also left me a note that said "I'll be coming by to pick up my lawn mower later this week".
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 15
    I don't want to give them the lawn mower. At closing all items on property are transferred to the new owner.
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 16
    I've already had to incur a lot more costs than I planned and so not having to buy a new lawn mower would be a huge help to me.
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 17
    I'm also pretty sure they were not supposed to come into the home and take anything or mess anything up after the walk- through.
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 18
    At this point I've moved in, I'm living here, I'm not holding onto your stuff for you so you can come pick it up at a more convenient time.
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 19
    SOLD 田田 D
    via shisuka

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

  • 20
    I talked to my realtor about it and they said I should just let them have it back, that they are older and it wasn't properly explained to them that they needed to take anything they wanted out of the home prior to closing.
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 21
    I feel like that should be pretty obvious, and the owner was not even living here, they were renting it previously so its not like they will need the lawn mower at their new house and I doubt they are mowing the lawn anyways.
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 22
    I really feel like they want it back out of spite because they had to give me a larger credit to fix the toilet after they didn't repair it as agreed upon and had to take time to come back and return the keys they didn't turn in.
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 23
    Some of my friends said since I already got the higher credit for the toilet I should just put some of that towards a new mower and let her come take it, and that its not that big of a deal.
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 24
    In the grand scheme of things buying a new mower isn't going to k me but I'm just really frustrated about the non-disclosed HOA fee and failure to fix the agreed upon toilet that it just feels like the principal of it.
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 25
    Am I just being petty? Should I just let the older lady come take the lawn mower?
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 26
    Edit: Okay, I've decided its not worth it to keep the mower, it's not worth it to be petty or cause someone else to be upset.
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 27
    I get what you have all said and appreciate the feedback. I still love my house and I'm just going to enjoy it, sans mower.
    via Traditional_Sock4964
  • 28
    In the grand scheme of things its not important.
    via Traditional_Sock4964

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hoa aita seller home owners association debt entitled new homebuyers property Reddit owning a house home money entitled people
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