New HOA board member goes power-hungry, gets hit with 30 rule violations after neighbor digs up old 47-page handbook out of spite: 'Rules are rules, right?'

Author image for Isabella Penn
Isabella Penn
Nov 8, 2025 4:00 AM EST

If you've ever lived in an HOA neighborhood, you know about that neighbor. The one who joins the HOA board five minutes after moving in and suddenly thinks they're the sheriff of Suburbia. For one Idaho homeowner, that guy's name was Marcus. Within weeks of settling into the townhouse community, Marcus started handing out violation notices like candy on Halloween. Wrong-colored doormat? Citation. Car slightly over the driveway line? Citation. Kid's skateboard left out for a few hours? You guessed it... citation.

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  • So, the homeowner decided to play Marcus’s favorite game. They dug up the 47-page HOA covenant from 2008 and started enforcing every single line—including rules no one had followed in years. Ring doorbells, decorative flags, and visible garbage bins are all technically violations.

    Within a week, thirty reports hit the HOA inbox, including ones for Marcus himself.

    The HOA president, who’d just been enjoying her quiet retirement, was suddenly fielding a storm of notices and complaints. In the end, Marcus came knocking, suddenly ready to talk about finding a reasonable middle ground. Funny how that works. 

    Sometimes the only way to beat an HOA tyrant is to give them exactly what they asked for.

  • Cheezburger Image 10573474304
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

  • "HOA said every violation gets reported? Okay, EVERY violation gets reported"

    Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - I live in a townhouse community outside Boise, Idaho. We have an HOA but it's usually pretty hands- off, like they deal with landscaping the common areas and that's about it.
    via Typical_Bar_9544
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - Three months ago this guy Marcus moved in two doors down and immediately joined the HOA board.
    via Typical_Bar_9544
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - Not even like, waited to see how things work. Just straight in. He's been sending violation notices for everything.
    via Typical_Bar_9544
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - My neighbor got one because her doormat was burgundy instead of brown or black (I didn't even know that was a rule).
    via Typical_Bar_9544
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - Another guy got cited because his car was parked 3 inches over his driveway line into the guest spot.
    via Typical_Bar_9544
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - Two weeks ago I get a notice. My son left his skateboard on our front porch.
    via Typical_Bar_9544
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - Apparently "recreational equipment must be stored out of sight." It was there for like, maybe four hours?
    via Typical_Bar_9544
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - He'd just gotten home from school. I asked Marcus if he could maybe just knock on doors for small stuff before sending official notices.
    via Typical_Bar_9544
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - He literally said "Rules are rules. If I make exceptions, where does it end?" Fine. I read the entire HOA covenant.
    via Typical_Bar_9544
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - All 47 pages that nobody's looked at since 2008. Turns out there's rules nobody follows. Like: No security cameras visible from the street (Marcus has a Ring doorbell), No decorative flags except US flag on specific holidays (at least 8 houses have those seasonal garden flags), Garbage bins must be stored in garage, not visible from street (everyone keeps them on th
    via Typical_Bar_9544
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - Every single violation I saw. I spent like two hours walking around with my phone taking photos and filling out the online forms.
    via Typical_Bar_9544
  • Cheezburger Image 10573480448
    via Nathan Anderson For Unsplash+

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


     

  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - Submitted maybe thirty violations in one week. The HOA president called me. She's this retired lady named Joan who's been doing this volunteer gig for like fifteen years.
    via Typical_Bar_9544
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - She sounded exhausted. Asked me what I was doing. I said I was just making sure all violations get reported equally.
    via Typical_Bar_9544
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - Rules are rules, right? She told me they've now got to send out all these notices because they're officially filed and it's a mess because half the board members are getting cited including Marcus and people are pissed.
    via Typical_Bar_9544
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - Marcus came to my door yesterday. He didn't yell or anything, he just looked tired and asked if we could "find a reasonable middle ground going forward." I said sure, that sounds good.
    via Typical_Bar_9544
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - But now Joan keeps giving me these looks like I made her life harder and honestly I feel kind of bad about that part?
    via Typical_Bar_9544
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - She didn't do anything wrong.
    via Typical_Bar_9544
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - OP Typical_Bar_9544 I didn't expect Joan to call me sounding so stressed out. Like I was mad at Marcus but she's just trying to keep things running smoothly and I basically dumped a pile of work on her desk. My wife said I proved my point and should've stopped after like five reports instead of thirty. Also Marcus's Ring doorbell is still up so I don't think anyone'
    via Typical_Bar_9544
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - tthrivi Joan shouldn't be mad at you. She should take it up with Marcus. Be very explicit that you did this because of his attitude.
    via tthrivi
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - CaptainKando Joan was ok with Marcus harassing "her" community. Joan wasn't on your side. Now she has to deal with the inconvenience of handling violations, just like you and your neighbours did but from the other side. I'd say good lessons were learned for everyone involved.
    via CaptainKando
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - mycatpartyhouse Sounds like it's time to update the rules.
    via mycatpartyhouse
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - Moneia >But now Joan keeps giving me these looks like I made her life harder and honestly I feel kind of bad about that part? She didn't do anything wrong. She did do something wrong though, she let Marcus weaponise the reporting system. Although talking to her\\\the rest of the board first may have been a more more amicable first step
    via Moneia
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - floph512 As a non-American, the entire concept of an HOA sounds so alien to me. How can you tolerate living in a place where strangers tell you how to decorate your home? Not just matters of basic decency or cleanliness (like, I'd understand rules about trash) but matters of taste?! The entire idea of someone telling me what to do with my front lawn makes my blood c
    via floph512
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - elgnub63 HOA - Hostile Overbearing Arseholes.
    via elgnub63
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - Korazair Keep reporting every single violation and as the board gets upset just let them know that the amount of HOA rule is ridiculous, we could probably remove a lot of these and put it up for a vote.
    via Korazair
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - I_AM_AWESOME-O_ Joan can go pound sand. I would tell her it's because of Marcus though, if she's not aware. Make it crystal clear - and let the other HOA officers know as well. After all, as a college professor told me once, "peer pressure can come in handy".
    via I_AM_AWESOME-O_
  • Typical_Bar_9544 https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/1oqrtco/hoa_said_every_violation_gets_reported_okay_every/ - PartyOrdinary1733 So why can't the HOA get with the times and rewrite some of the rules? A lot are just petty baby bullshit. The security camera thing stood out because everyone has one these days in the form of a ring doorbell or Nest camera. Makes me glad we have no HOA. I couldn't deal with stupid rules over the most inane things.
    via PartyOrdinary1733

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