HOA cites resident for violating "aesthetic standards" by having a chair and a plant on his balcony: 'Maintain visual consistency!'

One has to wonder why HOA board members don't go out of their way to seek more allies than enemies, and yet, they cannot seem to help themselves from generating more of the latter. It's almost as if these folks are genetically incapable of making anyone else who lives their neighborhood happy.

The purpose of a homeowner's association should be about protecting the residents, reflecting their values, and fighting on their behalf to ensure that those values are preserved. Unfortunately, as is the case with many institutions with amorphous and vague reasons for existing, far too many people manipulate the system in order to grab onto power, boost their egos, or push their own hidden agendas.

Furthermore, many residents of HOA neighborhoods like this author can likely attest to the fact that the so-called "core values" the association is promoting are, more often than not, problematic to say the least. For instance, HOAs that pride themselves on establishing a sense of aesthetic cohesion ought to consider the meaning behind that concept. To me, it sounds like some Stepford Wives messiness. After all, what is the purpose of promoting the idea that everything needs to look virtually the same if not to actively resist change and variety?

For this author, he found himself repeatedly bothered by his HOA over the aesthetics of his private balcony…

Now, before we let the author speak for himself, it's worth acknowledging that there was nothing particularly out of the ordinary about this man's balcony. All it has is a chair and a plant! These are standard objects you might see on anyone's balcony, and yet some bored and power-hungry HOA member decided that he could not rest until he had picked on this guy's balcony enough.
Thankfully, the author was not to be messed with. Once he realized that there was not much he could do to properly satisfy the board, he chose to mess with them a little. So far, he has yet to pay the price for his hijinks. Keep scrolling below for the full story and for the best reactions from several members of this online community. Feel free to follow up with your advice. Alternatively, if there are any mildly infuriating HOA stories of your own, share them with us! Let's all commiserate about these pointless associations together.
"HOA [detests] my balcony chair and plant"

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