Homeowner decides to sell after HOA leadership restricts kids from playing in front yards and starts fining residents $20 for having guests over: ‘An actual fee. For having visitors.’

Author image for Etai Eshet
Etai Eshet • Editor
Jul 5, 2026 8:00 PM EDT

Like way way way too many people and Orgs, HOAs love to start small and reasonable, then slowly turn into something nobody signed up for. That's basically what happened here.

It started with the usual stuff: no visible sheds, keep the yard tidy. Reasonable enough. Then things escalated fast. Mature trees got removed for "aesthetic reasons," and now the whole street bakes in direct sunlight for half the year, because apparently shade wasn't part of the vision.

From there, it spiraled into full micromanagement mode.

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  • We just had a leadership change in our HOA, and since then, living in this neighborhood has been an absolute circus. Every other week, there's some warning, notice, or fine taped to our doors
    via Express-Week-8312

  • I'm done with my HOA. They charged me for having guests

    Man rubbing his neck outdoors with a frustrated, worn-down look, like a minor rule has become a major headache, as shown by a model.
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    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • At first, it was annoying but somewhat understandable like no ugly sheds visible from the
    via Express-Week-8312
  • street, keep front yards clean. Fine. I get wanting the neighborhood to look nice
    via Express-Week-8312
  • Then they decided some of the older trees were ruining the aesthetic and had them removed. Now the whole street feels like a frying pan half the year because there's barely any shade left
    via Express-Week-8312
  • Then it all went downhill from there. Now we have new regulations such as no outdoor wandering for cats and no
    via Express-Week-8312
  • barking for dogs. It is even worse than that since children cannot play in their front yards. The
    via Express-Week-8312
  • neighbors have received warning letters because of drawing with chalk on sidewalks
    via Express-Week-8312
  • The rule that finally broke me? If your guests park in front of your house and even on the street for more than an hour, there's a $20 fee. An actual fee. For having visitors.
    via Express-Week-8312
  • Man pressing his temples with a fed-up look, like petty rules have finally pushed him past patience,
    via Zmaster

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

  • At this point, it feels less like a neighborhood and more like a suburban dictatorship run by people with too much free time.
    via Express-Week-8312
  • I'm done. We listed the property for sale, but the second buyers hear strict HOA, they mentally check out. It doesn't help that the
    via Express-Week-8312
  • HOA staff is always outside making scenes with residents over random violations
    via Express-Week-8312
  • Man touching his cheek with a pinched, fed-up expression, like one more neighborhood rule has become too much
    via Zmaster

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

  • Some_Cartographer478 Here is what to do: 1. Join up with some neighbors who are also having problems with the HOA.
    via Some_Cartographer478
  • 2. Run a slate of candidates for the HOA board in the next 3. Promise to eliminate everything the HOA does except maintain common areas.
    via Some_Cartographer478
  • 4. Win the 5. Take over the board and follow through.
    via Some_Cartographer478
  • Cakeriel Were these rules properly implemented according to CC&R and bylaws or just some stuff they claim are rules?
    via Cakeriel
  • perfectstorm75 How can they prove they were at your house? I would go park my car in front of the board members houses
    via perfectstorm75
  • Myte342 We always hear people say "But MY HOA is one of the good ones! I have never experienced any of those things in those stories!" All it for takes is one single tyranny to take control.
    via Myte342
  • mr_nobody398457 Sadly you're not really "done" until you move out or elect reasonable people to the board. But I feel your pain
    via mr_nobody398457
  • 20Factorial If they are public streets, they cannot fine you if the municipality allows street parking.
    via 20Factorial
  • HinkDaddyDeluxe No kids playing in the front yard? There reaches a point, deep in your soul, where you just refuse to go along anymore. Sometimes low-level mutinies are healthy.
    via HinkDaddyDeluxe
  • They've extended their reach beyond maintaining the neighborhood, to locking it down. There's no way the entire HOA community agrees with the kids and visitor rule. So rebel together.
    via HinkDaddyDeluxe

  • Cats can’t wander outside. Dogs can’t bark. Kids can’t play in their own front yards. Someone got a warning letter over sidewalk chalk, which is the kind of detail that makes you wonder if the HOA board has ever actually met a child.

    But the fee for guests parking on the street for more than an hour is where this stops being mildly annoying and starts feeling like satire. Having visitors is now a taxable event. Friends and family can’t stop by without someone eyeing the clock and calculating a fine.

    At some point, a neighborhood stops being a community and starts feeling like a compliance test you can fail just by living a normal life. And the frustrating part is that this kind of overreach rarely improves things, it just drives people out. Trying to sell the house now comes with its own problem, because the moment potential buyers hear “strict HOA,” they lose interest before even seeing the place.

    It’s a strange kind of irony. An HOA meant to protect property values ends up scaring away buyers entirely, all while enforcing rules that feel more like a control experiment than actual community standards. Sometimes the biggest threat to a neighborhood isn’t bad behavior, it’s an HOA with too much power and even more free time.

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