HOA Changes Leadership, Starts Charging $20 for Guests Parking in Front of Neighbors' Houses

Author image for Ally Perry
Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Jul 6, 2026 9:15 AM EDT

What is the point of a homeowner association that actively makes the lives of its residents worse?

For all that these kinds of organizations are supposed to protect the interests of a neighborhood and make it a pleasant place to live, it really seems like a lot of them are set on doing the exact opposite. Put some power-hungry curtain-twitchers in charge of running a place, and living under their rule quickly becomes a painful experience.

Some people like the reassurance that they believe comes from living in a neighborhood that has an HOA, but that opinion quickly changes when they end up on the wrong side of it. The reality is that having the right kind of front yard and never dealing with unwanted noise are only a part of what makes somewhere a nice place to call home.

What many who run HOAs conveniently forget is that existence is sometimes messy and not good at conforming to strict rules. Obviously, it is important for neighbors to respect one another, but dragging out the rulebook for every minor infraction is not likely to help with that. Instead, it is going to build up resentment against the people who are trying to enforce the law.

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  • A representation of two younger men and an older woman joke in front of their house, with a car parked behind them
    via Ramsés Cervantes (Unsplash+)

    A representation of two younger men and an older woman joke in front of their house, with a car parked behind them

  • A resident of an HOA neighborhood had been getting steadily more annoyed with all the new rules that their HOA had been implementing since they changed leadership. They began by requesting that front yards be kept clean, and escalated to removing trees from the street and banning the barking of dogs.

    What finally pushed them over the edge was that having guests park in front of a house or on the street now came with a $20 fee. They felt like this was infringing on peoples' right to do what they wanted in their own homes without having to pay a price for it.

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

    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
  • At first, it was annoying but somewhat understandable like no ugly sheds visible from the 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 barking for dogs. It is even worse than that since children cannot play in their front yards. The 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. 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 HOA staff is always outside making scenes with residents over random violations
    via Express-Week-8312
  • A man smiles as he opens the front door to a house, as another man puts his arm around the shoulder of a woman beside him
    via Ramsés Cervantes (Unsplash+)

    A man smiles as he opens the front door to a house, as another man puts his arm around the shoulder of a woman beside him

  • Some_Cartographer478 Here is what to do: 1. Join up with some neighbors who are also having problems with the HOA. 2. Run a slate of candidates for the HOA board in the next
    via Some_Cartographer478
  • 3. Promise to eliminate everything the HOA does except maintain common areas. 4. Win the 5. Take over the board and follow through.
    via Some_Cartographer478
  • TheConvergence_ Educate yourself on the bylaws. They can't just add rules as they see fit (usually). They can try to, but they're unenforceable if you push back. It only works if no one sticks up for themselves. I second getting on the board and becoming involved.
    via TheConvergence_
  • 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 takes is one single tyranny to take control. for
    via Myte342
  • 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. They've extended their reach beyond maintaining the neighborhood, to locking it down.
    via HinkDaddyDeluxe
  • There's no way the entire HOA community agrees with the kids and visitor rule. So rebel together.
    via HinkDaddyDeluxe
  • 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
  • jerrybeck Usually amendments require voting by the membership, so I would check and see if they are following the actual rules or making them up
    via jerrybeck

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