Hey buddy, mind your own business! These residents share the time they were reported to the homeowner’s association by their sneaky, scheming, neighbors. These stories will make you glad you don’t live in an HOA neighborhood! Content has been edited for clarity.
“She Was The Ultimate Definition Of A Karen”
“My neighbor reported me to the homeowner’s association one time. Afterward, I made it my life’s mission to make her miserable.
I was a volunteer firefighter and paramedic. I was signed up to cover a shift, but instead of waiting at the fire station, I brought the paramedic fly vehicle home with me. You know, so I could selfishly be home, in my own house, with my family, while I did what would otherwise be a fifty thousand dollar a year job for free.
The fly vehicle was a fire-engine-red SUV. The vehicle had the fire department’s name on the side, as well as the phrase, ‘paramedic advanced life support.’ Emergency phone numbers were also painted on the side of the vehicle, and there were government-exempt license plates. It was clear to see the fly vehicle was not a commercial car.
My stupid neighbor, who was the ultimate definition of a ‘Karen,’ called the HOA and police because the fly vehicle was in my driveway. According to Karen, I wasn’t allowed to have a commercial vehicle with lettering in my driveway after six in the evening. Little did Karen know, the fly vehicle wasn’t a commercial vehicle. Anyone who could read the side of the car could easily tell it was a government vehicle.
The HOA leader arrived, and I explained, ‘This is not a commercial vehicle, this is a government vehicle. It can be anywhere it needs to be. Until eight tomorrow morning, it will stay at my house unless there is an emergency.’
Then, I showed the HOA leader the government-exempt license plates, and then the police officer told the neighbor and leader I was allowed to have the vehicle.
The neighbor continued pushing and pushing. She called the police chief, fire chief, and the captain of emergency services. Eventually, the fire district lawyer firmly put his foot down and made it clear that anyone authorized to have a district vehicle can take them anywhere in the district, for any purpose, at any time. Anything other than quiet acceptance of the rule constituted as, ‘interference with governmental administration,’ or, ‘obstruction of a public safety official.’
The neighbor fumed, complained, and passed around petitions. It was hilarious because the other neighbors around us appreciated the idea of a paramedic only being a minute away. She just didn’t seem to get it.
The neighbor cried, ‘What is he? Above the law?’
Yes, I was, actually.
She screamed, ‘So what you’re saying is, the law doesn’t apply to him?’
Wow, you finally got it, Karen!
When I figured out the vehicle bothered Karen so much, I decided to step it up. I would sign out the fly car whenever it was not otherwise covered. I also enacted an ‘open house,’ policy for any other emergency personnel.
Any time, day or night, if the lighted Dalmation was on my porch, emergency personnel could come on in for coffee and a snack. They could park whatever they were driving whether it was a fire truck or ambulance in my driveway, directly in Karen’s view.
She was so mad at me, and she never forgave me. However, my buddies and I sure had a great time parking the vehicles in my driveway.”
“Neighborhoods Without An HOA Are Much Nicer”
“My neighbors called the homeowner’s association on my family regularly.
My daughter was a competitive equestrian. The sport was wickedly expensive, so I saved money wherever I possibly could. I quickly realized a camper with a small monthly payment was cheaper than getting hotels when my daughter traveled to compete. Plus, we would have a kitchen to cook meals and not rely on expensive takeout. I was retired and my husband could work remotely, so a camper seemed like the perfect option. We bought the camper but realized shortly after that it would be a major issue with our HOA.
My husband and I lived in a neighborhood with an HOA. Campers and recreational vehicles were not allowed for a twenty-four-hour stay.
My husband and I traveled for our daughter’s equestrian competitions two or three times per month. The night before we would leave, my husband would back the camper into the driveway. We would stock the food, drinks, and bedding into the camper. My husband and I would usually leave for competitions at four the next morning.
After we would return from the competition, usually at night, we would remove the bedding, clean the refrigerator, and leave it. We kept the camper hitched to the truck until the next morning. In the morning, we always hauled the camper back to its storage area, so it was never parked for more than twelve hours on our property. We stored the camper at a lot a couple of miles away.
I couldn’t tell you how many times in two years my husband and I received threatening letters from the HOA about the camper. We were one hundred percent within neighborhood rules, but ‘people’ were complaining. I didn’t care who they were, it was so annoying! Besides, it was one of those neighborhoods where nobody knew anyone else.
My husband, daughter, and I eventually moved. My daughter was graduating and we were selling the horse, so we downsized our house in size, but upscaled the house and neighborhood. Without an HOA.
Not because of this, we moved. My daughter was graduating and we were selling the horse, so we downsized our house in size, but upscaled the house and neighborhood. without an HOA.
When we moved into the new neighborhood, almost every new neighbor came by to say hello. It was a small neighborhood, only fourteen houses, but everyone was lovely.
We asked the neighbors, ‘Do you mind if we keep the camper parked in the back by the garage?’ and nobody had an issue.
Fast forward to the first hurricane my family experienced in the new home, and the entire neighborhood was without electricity for over one week. We had the camper’s generator running, and we put power strips and a coffee pot outside. We told everyone the microwave and refrigerator were theirs to use. We had an elderly couple across the street, and they got to sleep in the master bedroom in the camper with the air conditioner running.
The neighborhood was an absolute delight. If anything happened, neighbors always stepped in to help.
I am sure there were probably some lovely HOA communities, but in my experience, the ones without an HOA are much nicer.”
“My Neighbor Was Livid”
“I have been reported to the homeowner’s association by my neighbor multiple times.
The first time, the neighbor was disturbed at night by loud music. Fair enough. However, I wasn’t the house responsible for the music, my neighbor on the other side was. I was supposed to magically create some form of sound insulation for my neighbor. They called the HOA because I couldn’t control the other neighbors’ desire to play loud music.
Another time, the HOA required me to water my lawn. At this point, the area I lived in was going through a drought. My neighbors called the HOA because I refrained from watering my lawn, even when authorities asked people to cut down their water use.
I had a pool in my backyard, and it was supposed to be kept clear of leaves. I didn’t think the trees on my property were a problem, as they weren’t near the pool. However, my neighbor’s trees were close to the fence line, and the leaves from her trees constantly fell into the pool. The reason my neighbor called the HOA? She did not want her kids swimming in a leafy pool. The pool wasn’t even hers!
I used the garage at my house for non-vehicular storage. I didn’t have a car at the time because I worked from home. When I needed to get around, I walked or used a taxi. My neighbor called the HOA simply because I didn’t use my garage for the ‘correct’ storage purposes.
The neighbor called the HOA on me several times for the appearance of my home. My front door was the wrong color and didn’t match the rest of the houses in the neighborhood. HOA call. The neighbor didn’t approve of the hedge around my front lawn. HOA call. I also didn’t put up holiday decorations on my home, which warranted yet another HOA call from my neighbor.
I didn’t put my garbage can by the road every week. I wasn’t home all of the time, and I arranged my shopping and packaging to minimize the amount of waste I threw out. I rarely had any garbage to be collected. What I did have, I disposed of without relying on garbage collection. My neighbor didn’t understand this and called the HOA once more.
Best of all, I failed to pay my HOA dues.
My response?
The house I lived in predated the building of the estate on which the HOA was incorporated. There was no record of me or any previous owner joining the HOA.
That’s right, I was getting regular reprimands from an HOA I wasn’t a part of. The HOA boundary ended at the line between my property and my problematic neighbor’s.
My neighbor was livid. I, for one, will never be living on an HOA property again any time soon.”
“I Received A Different Excuse From The Neighbor Every Time”
“When my neighbor reported me to the homeowner’s association, it was the best example of karma I have experienced to date.
I had a family friend who was a contractor. He was great at his job and was aware of all regulations when constructing things. This included the shed he built at my house.
My shed complied with all neighborhood regulations, and there was no possible way for the shed to cause an inconvenience to any of my neighbors. However, one neighbor of eight years complained about two bolts at the bottom of the fence between our garden and their garden. They claimed the bolts poked out into their side of the garden.
I apologized profusely, and I offered to cut the bolt from their side of the garden, as the bolt was already under the floor of the shed.
The neighbor replied, ‘You can’t cut it now, my garden gate is blocked. You are welcome to come over any other time to cut it, though.’
The next day, I went over to the neighbor’s and asked, ‘Can I cut the bolt yet?’ but I received the same response.
This went on for about a month, and I received a different excuse from the neighbor every time. Eventually, two HOA leaders arrived at my house.
The leaders explained, ‘Your neighbors believe your shed is dangerous and unstable. They are also claiming multiple bolts from the shed have crossed over into their yard, and are endangering their pets.’
‘What a comical exaggeration,’ I told the HOA leaders, ‘Come over for yourselves and look at the shed.’
The HOA leaders then informed me I would have to make an appointment to book a scheduled time to meet with them. Fine. I booked my appointment exactly two weeks later.
When the HOA leaders came over two weeks later, I presented the ‘dangerous,’ shed to them. When they looked at the shed, they couldn’t figure out how exactly it was bothering the neighbor.
One of the HOA leaders explained, ‘You and your neighbor just need to agree about the bolts. Your shed is fine to stay, however, your neighbor will need to take hers down.’
I just thought it was a pure example of karma, how my neighbor tried to snitch on me and remove my shed over a minor inconvenience. I hope she had fun trying to figure out how to take apart her shed.”
Trailer Troubles
“A couple of years ago, I borrowed a utility trailer from a friend to haul my dirt bikes. I parked the trailer in my driveway, in preparation for the trip we were taking over the weekend.
The following day, I received a notice on my door from the homeowner’s association reading, ‘The trailer is not allowed to be visible in the driveway. The trailer needs to be removed, or else you will be fined.’
I quickly moved the trailer to the street in front of my house instead. The next morning, I received another notice from the HOA in my mailbox. As far as I was concerned, the HOA didn’t have authority over public streets. I let the trailer sit in the street.
The following morning, a police officer showed up at my door.
The officer questioned, ‘Were you told to move the trailer from the street?’
I explained the situation to the officer, and he let me know the HOA called to complain.
I asked the officer, ‘Are there any specific rules against trailers being parked on the street?’
‘No,’ the officer replied, ‘Trailers can be parked on the street, but they must be parked fifteen feet from the property line and moved every three days.’
Rather than returning the trailer to my buddy after the weekend, I kept it for the next couple of months. My kids marked the curb fifteen feet away from the property line, and they became very good at pushing the trailer back and forth every few days.
Oh, my children also took pictures of the trailer for verification, which they would show the police officer once or twice a week.
It took some effort to keep up with the charade, but it was worth every single minute. I received immense joy irritating my neighbor and the HOA.”
“I Won’t Take Advice From The HOA Again”
“I had a home built in a subdivision with a homeowner’s association. When I was in the purchase process, I requested a separate garage in addition to the one attached to the house. My request was rejected, and I decided to look elsewhere for a home.
One of the developers then decided a separate garage wouldn’t be too bad, as long as it matched the house. So, the HOA approved my request. I had the approved request copied into my purchase agreement, and I moved into the home shortly after.
After moving in, I started building the garage. Only days later, I received a cease and desist letter from another developer threatening to have the garage removed. After some legal wrangling and verifying the written purchase agreement, my request for the garage was again approved by the other developer. I also had to prove the garage was matching the architecture of the other homes in the subdivision.
Eighteen months after the house was built, the wood window frames in the front of the house rotted. There was a restriction by the HOA about how the windows in the front of the house had to be wooden. Instead, I replaced the windows with high-end PVC. I wasn’t going to pay for new windows every year!
In about a year, the subdivision appeared on the news because all of the houses were experiencing rotten windows. Lo and behold, the developer had to replace all of the wood windows.
I won’t ever take advice from a developer or the HOA again. They made a costly mistake, and managed to upset an entire neighborhood.”
“I Was Glad I Didn’t Have To Deal With Them Anymore”
“I lived in a homeowner’s association community after I first got married. Most of the residents in the community were older, retired, or snowbirds who came to Arizona for the winter.
The trouble with the HOA first started when my neighbors claimed I was too young to live in the neighborhood. However, my wife owned the home before we were married, and there were no age restrictions in the HOA bylaws.
Then, the neighbors claimed I could not park my truck in the driveway. Allegedly, my truck had to be in the garage. Well, my truck didn’t fit in the garage, therefore, the bylaws allowed it to be in the driveway.
Afterward, the neighbor claimed my truck was a commercial vehicle and not allowed in the community at all. My truck was a 2000 Ford Ranger, and it had a toolbox in the bed. The neighbors tried to claim the toolbox caused the truck to be a commercial vehicle.
The neighbors lost everything they tried to throw at me, and they made a lot of little complaints, too. Fortunately, I got my sweet revenge on my neighbors in the end.
When my family moved out, we totally redid our old home with top-of-the-line everything, then sold it for seventy-five thousand more than any other home in the community. This forced my neighbors to have to renovate their homes before they sold theirs.
I was glad I moved away from my neighbors and didn’t have to deal with them anymore. They were snitches, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could deal with them, anyway.”
“The HOA Never Responded”
“I had neighbors call the homeowner’s association on my family two times during the thirty years we lived in our Florida home.
The first time, the HOA emailed me about commercial vehicles being parked in our driveway. Apparently, vehicles with visible lettering or markings weren’t allowed in the driveway.
I politely responded to the HOA, ‘My family doesn’t own a commercial vehicle, but our next-door neighbor does. Try to make a better effort to be more accurate when you are taking complaints and writing down addresses.’
The second time, the HOA again emailed me. They wrote, ‘Cutting down trees without prior permission from the HOA board is not allowed. This is a friendly warning, but next time, you will be subject to an appreciable fine.’
I responded, ‘How strange! I did not cut the tree down, though it has been leaning at an angle for many years. It appears the recent storm we had blown it over. Plus, the tree isn’t in my yard. The tree actually belongs to my neighbor’s yard, and it fell onto my property. I strongly suggest that whoever investigates HOA violations should be replaced by someone who knows how to tell addresses apart.’
The HOA didn’t respond, and they never emailed me again. If they would have done their job better, they wouldn’t have gotten a snide response from me. Nothing was my fault in the situation.”
“My Opinion Of Them Went Down A Few Notches”
“My neighbors reported me to the homeowner’s association for the pettiest reason.
One day, I got a letter from the HOA about how I needed to fix the rust on my family’s basketball goal. Before reading the letter, I didn’t even know the basketball goal was rusty.
I went outside to check out the goal, and it was only a small area of rust on the backside of the goal. It could only be seen from my neighbor’s driveway if you were close to their garage doors. Someone driving by with binoculars probably couldn’t have seen it because of the angle it was at. It was ridiculous!
It was obvious my neighbor reported the rust instead of just coming over and asking me to fix the goal. I discovered the wonders of Rustoleum spray paint, and I was able to paint the goal without scraping off all of the rust or old paint. The basketball goal just needed a little cleaning, was all.
I never said anything to my neighbor about how they reported me, but my opinion of them went down quite a few notches. It would have been nice if they just talked to me first. Instead, they had to go behind my back and talk to the HOA. Because of this, I didn’t think I would be able to trust my neighbors ever again.”
Dinner And A Show
“Other than a couple of neighbors complaining about why I don’t play, ‘lovely jazz music you used to play at night,’ on my patio, I haven’t had neighbors upset with me. I used to sit on my balcony in the evening with my guitar and play whatever came to mind. I tried to keep it at a very low volume, and evidently, I succeeded too well.
One day, a fellow HOA board member came to me and expressed, ‘A couple of people have come to me with comments about you playing guitar on the balcony.’
‘Uh oh,’ I thought.
I thought I was going to have to explain myself about how I try to keep the volume way down and try not to play anything anymore might object to.
But the HOA leader sensed where I was about to go and said, ‘No, they were just wondering if someone else complained about you playing guitar. They noticed you have stopped playing. People love eating dinner and listening to you play every night. It’s like being at a supper club, the residents here miss your music. In fact, you could play music louder if you would like.’
I thought it was funny people complained to the HOA about me, only because they wanted me to do something more. I haven’t had any real issues with my neighbors or the HOA since this incident. It made me happy to know they appreciated my music.”
Storm Drain Struggles
“I previously owned a cattle ranch. There was a homeowner’s association, which wasn’t all too great.
Decades ago, I had a neighbor who made a false report about how I clogged the water runoff storm drain. It was almost funny, but the fine the HOA tried to charge me made it extremely difficult to find light in the situation. Come to find out, the builder never placed a pipe anywhere in the storm drain, which was on the road, not my property. The county inspector signed off on approval. In short, nothing about the situation was remotely my fault. My neighbor just wanted to be petty!
I hired an attorney which filed on the HOA for a long legal list of my complaints. In the end, the HOA lost, and the board members were extremely embarrassed.”
