Buying a house gets you a yard and the right to complain about it. What it doesn't get you is a say in who lives next door. Most neighbors wave and mind their own business, but a few treat a property line like a border dispute between two nations.
People shared the HOA and next-door feuds that went far beyond a strongly worded note. Fences were built out of spite, and complaints were filed over the shade of a front door. Somewhere out there, a man with a clipboard is measuring a hedge, so while he is busy, pour a drink and be grateful you only have to read about it and not deal with it.
#21 Downstairs Neighbor Called The Cops On Me At 2am
We have been having issues with this woman for over a year. She thinks we’re too loud and bangs on her ceiling / our floor for any little thing even in the middle of the day.
We have tried to go speak with her but she just threatens to hit me, spit on my partner, and told us slurs. So. We avoid her.
Yesterday we found out she called around to all the local police stations to report on my partner. He has a sticker on his car from when it was his father’s, a cop, car. She told them he was toxic and violent towards her and of course made herself out to be the victim. We found this out because they then called us yesterday to seek an explanation.
Last night I’m in bed, my partner is at work. I’m snuggled up with our cat, sound asleep and suddenly I get a knock on the door. Our next door neighbors have guests that sometimes go to the wrong door so I just kind of waited, half asleep and wasn’t going to answer it. There was another knock, louder, more aggressive.
I got out of bed and looked through my peephole and there are two cops outside. I’m convinced they’re at the wrong door because what? I open the door and they say they got a disturbance report from my downstairs neighbor for stomping around. I informed them that I was literally asleep? They told me to keep it down (???) and they leave.
She’s getting more and more unhinged and I’m kind of at a loss. We tried ignoring. We tried talking. She talked to management. She tried to get my partner fired from his job (that he doesn’t have) and called the cops on me for sleeping. I cannot wait to move.
We have tried to go speak with her but she just threatens to hit me, spit on my partner, and told us slurs. So. We avoid her.
Yesterday we found out she called around to all the local police stations to report on my partner. He has a sticker on his car from when it was his father’s, a cop, car. She told them he was toxic and violent towards her and of course made herself out to be the victim. We found this out because they then called us yesterday to seek an explanation.
Last night I’m in bed, my partner is at work. I’m snuggled up with our cat, sound asleep and suddenly I get a knock on the door. Our next door neighbors have guests that sometimes go to the wrong door so I just kind of waited, half asleep and wasn’t going to answer it. There was another knock, louder, more aggressive.
I got out of bed and looked through my peephole and there are two cops outside. I’m convinced they’re at the wrong door because what? I open the door and they say they got a disturbance report from my downstairs neighbor for stomping around. I informed them that I was literally asleep? They told me to keep it down (???) and they leave.
She’s getting more and more unhinged and I’m kind of at a loss. We tried ignoring. We tried talking. She talked to management. She tried to get my partner fired from his job (that he doesn’t have) and called the cops on me for sleeping. I cannot wait to move.
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3points
Homeowners associations took neighbor disputes and added a rulebook. The first planned community with binding covenants is often traced to Gramercy Park in New York, where developer Samuel Ruggles required lot buyers in 1831 to help pay for the upkeep of the private park. The idea took off after World War II, and by 1970 the US had roughly 10,000 community associations.
#22 Neighbors Opened My Mail
So my neighbor had received a letter of mine and took it upon herself to open it then send photos of what was inside. Thankfully it was just a baby shower invite with a diaper raffle ticket. I asked if she would just put it in my mailbox and she informed me that she threw it away. I needed the diaper raffle ticket??? I asked her if this happened again in the future if she would not open my mail and just return it to me instead and she blocked me. What the heck do I do? This isn’t the only thing that has raised some red flags from her. Is this not illegal?
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3points
#23 The Day Has Arrived!
Got called out by our neighborhood busybody a while back. For having the audacity to screen in my porch without consulting him.
We were told "we really need to let the neighborhood know before we start doing anything" bear in mind, the assoc is still under developer control, and they've been pretty hands off and unresponsive. So I've been wanting to put lattice around the posts of our four season porch so I could use it for off season storage. So I shot off an email to the unresponsive developer asking for approval. The declaration says that if you're not denied within thirty days, you have approval. And the thirty days is up.
We were told "we really need to let the neighborhood know before we start doing anything" bear in mind, the assoc is still under developer control, and they've been pretty hands off and unresponsive. So I've been wanting to put lattice around the posts of our four season porch so I could use it for off season storage. So I shot off an email to the unresponsive developer asking for approval. The declaration says that if you're not denied within thirty days, you have approval. And the thirty days is up.
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2points
#24 Get Rid Of My Lady Lair That Came With The House? Sorry, HOA, You Approved The Sale
When we bought our house, the largest in the hood and the original showcase home for the development, there was a shed in the back yard. My Lady Lair, if you will. The home sale was approved by the HOA and a letter of “no violations” was issued. All good, right? The home unfortunately came with scads of “abandoned property.” Within 24 hours of taking possession of our home the former owners broke back in to remove what was now legally ours (a suitable story for entitled people.) I stopped at the security guard shack to inquire about ensuring that the former owner’s gate codes were inactivated and to keep an eye out for any attempt at continued entry into the gated hood. The guard assured me he would handle it and I went on my way. That evening the guard came to my home to give me additional info I might need and offered security cam footage for the police. I thanked him for taking the time to make me feel safe in my new home but before he left he said “Just to warn you, the HOA will go after you for your shed-they want it gone.” After a bit more discussion he informed the former owners were not only crazy but had gone toe to toe with the HOA over the shed. Three years and lawyers all around the HOA finally said eff it, this is costing us too much money and their lawyer is better than ours, and dropped the whole thing. Within two weeks I had two different neighbors tell me the HOA would give me problems over the shed. Fun! At the three week mark an inspector from the county showed up to tell me he was investigating an anonymous complaint about code violations and the shed, visible only if you stood on my property, was in violation with the county as there was no permit for it. I was livid and already considering what avenues I had to keep my shed or “win” compensation for the loss of property when the code enforcer smiled a devious smile at me, handed me a printout, and said “all you need to do is fill this out, pay $50 to the county, and you will be in code compliance.” He then said that “Mr. Little Man Syndrome...*oops coughcough...I mean the ‘anonymous complainant’ cannot touch your shed after that.” The key here is that 4y ago when they were battling the former residents the county did not permit sheds and the bylaws say all additional property structures require permits. If there is no permit the HOA can order the removal and fine the resident until it is gone. Two years ago the county started permitting sheds and HOA was unaware of the change. I paid my $50 and got the permit, making my lady lair code compliant and untouchable by the HOA. I also made a new friend in Code Enforcement and all is well in my 150 sq ft slice of heaven.
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2points
Today, the Foundation for Community Association Research counts over 350,000, with more than 70 million Americans living in them. Boards can fine residents, and in many states they can foreclose over unpaid dues. The power has sometimes been stretched. In 2006, Congress passed the Freedom to Display the American Flag Act after homeowners across the country had been fined or threatened for flying the flag.
#25 You Formed An HOA, Huh? We'll See About That
I'm not sure if this should be in this section or Petty Revenge. I live in a small neighborhood. There were original rules, bylaws and very loose HOA that was run by the developer. When the developer left, the HOA fell by the wayside. There are only a few of us that have the original rules. A few years ago, there were a couple of pissed off old boomers (I'm a boomer, but relatively mellow), and some new residents that knew better than everyone else, how we should live, care for our yards, paint our houses, park our cars, etc - you know the standard HOA horse squeeze - One of the ringleaders of this group is a county planner, who (according to him) is so much smarter than everyone else - you know the type. He knows all the rules, yada, yada so they decide we need an HOA. I got wind of it and as he's talking to my neighbor one day, I say: "Tom (that's his real name), I hear you guys are forming an HOA. I'm not sure that will go over so well." He looked at me and arrogantly, says: "too late, we've already drawn it up and here's our lawyer" (pointing to my neighbor that he'd stopped to talk to). I looked at both of them and said: "Dave (that's his real name), how is such a staunch Republican who was talking to me last week about the government being too big and not representative of the people, in favor of creating another layer of government with taxing authority? That doesn't make sense" He stammered and stuttered, and walked inside, Tom rode off. I realized that I knew all of the original owners some of who were still here, or others that still owned homes, but moved away. So, I quietly contacted all of them, told them that an HOA was being formed - they were, to a person, like - "OH HELL NO THEY AREN'T! They all were like, "these idiots can't find their bottom with both hands - why do we need another group of people telling us what to do?" I told them that Tom was going to be reaching out and talking to them about the HOA, and that we had to remain united, because we have a majority. To a person, they all told Tom to go kick rocks, the HOA idea went down in flames, Tom moved away and we've never heard another word about it.
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2points
#26 My HOA Tried To Fine Me $750 For A Satellite Dish. I Got It Thrown Out In 4 Days
got a letter in january saying i owed $750 for "unauthorized exterior modification" — it was a directv dish. like a normal satellite dish on my back patio. been there since i moved in 2 years ago and nobody said anything until now
my first instinct was to just pay it because fighting your HOA sounds exhausting. but $750??? for a satellite dish??? so i started digging
turns out there's an FCC rule called OTARD (47 CFR 1.4000) that literally makes it illegal for HOAs to ban satellite dishes under 1 meter. like it doesn't matter what your CC&Rs say. federal law overrides it. i had no idea this existed
but here's the thing that actually won it — i didn't just cite the federal law. i pulled my CC&Rs and found that they require 30 days written notice via certified mail before any fine. they sent me a regular letter dated 12 days before the fine hit my account. so even IF the dish was a legit violation (it wasn't), the fine was procedurally defective because they didn't follow their own rules
sent a one page letter citing both things. got a call 4 days later saying the fine was "removed as a courtesy." lol sure. courtesy.
the biggest thing i learned: it's almost never about whether you actually violated something. it's about whether your HOA followed their own process. most of them don't. they skip notice requirements, they don't offer hearings, they charge amounts that aren't in the fine schedule. every one of those is a procedural defect you can use
check your CC&Rs people. actually read the enforcement section. i know it's boring as hell but that's where the ammo is
my first instinct was to just pay it because fighting your HOA sounds exhausting. but $750??? for a satellite dish??? so i started digging
turns out there's an FCC rule called OTARD (47 CFR 1.4000) that literally makes it illegal for HOAs to ban satellite dishes under 1 meter. like it doesn't matter what your CC&Rs say. federal law overrides it. i had no idea this existed
but here's the thing that actually won it — i didn't just cite the federal law. i pulled my CC&Rs and found that they require 30 days written notice via certified mail before any fine. they sent me a regular letter dated 12 days before the fine hit my account. so even IF the dish was a legit violation (it wasn't), the fine was procedurally defective because they didn't follow their own rules
sent a one page letter citing both things. got a call 4 days later saying the fine was "removed as a courtesy." lol sure. courtesy.
the biggest thing i learned: it's almost never about whether you actually violated something. it's about whether your HOA followed their own process. most of them don't. they skip notice requirements, they don't offer hearings, they charge amounts that aren't in the fine schedule. every one of those is a procedural defect you can use
check your CC&Rs people. actually read the enforcement section. i know it's boring as hell but that's where the ammo is
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2points
#27 My Neighbors Called The Cops On Me And Then Got Arrested For It
Context: I, 26f, my husband 32m, and our daughter, 5f, live in an apartment complex on the ground floor. We live in a mountain area so our breeze way is closed off on one side leaving us to share it with only one other neighbor.
A week ago I called the cops to file a report because I had $100-$200 worth of car supplies stolen from by my front door within a 3 hour period of time.
When they asked me who I suspected I did tell them my neighbors due to the fact I had our cop neighbor check his cameras and no one was seen coming or going from our breezeway.
I also pointed out to the officer that they get the cops called and at least one of them will get arrested regularly.
Turns out there was a protective order put in place 2 weeks prior against the boyfriend when he got arrested. The cops put 2 and 2 together and sent a patrol car to catch him there.
Needless to say it started a war. Small things here and there have been done such as screming at us, blaring their security system every time I open my front door, nothing but small inconveniences.
Up until yesterday that is. I left to go pick my daughter up from school and was gone for about an hour to an hour and a half.
When I pulled into the apartments I noticed a patrol car parked near the entrance and the boyfriend was there with his dogs talking to the cops and violently started pointing at my car.
I pulled up next to the officer and rolled down my window asking if I could help with anything. He instructed me to park near his partner.
His partner informed me that they had called the cops saying they heard gunshots through their security camera and gave my description.
Crazy thing is, I don't even own a gun. I told the officer this along with the fact I've been gone for the last hour and half.
He asked why I thought they would call and say such things and I told him I believed it was retaliation for last week.
He ended up being detained and his dogs were taken by animal control.
Now his girlfriend is going around to our neighbors saying I got him arrested and got their dogs taken away.
Funny thing is I don't remember calling the police yesterday but i guess i got him arrested guys🤷🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️😂
There was so much more before all this but I wanted to keep the post as direct and to the point as I could
A week ago I called the cops to file a report because I had $100-$200 worth of car supplies stolen from by my front door within a 3 hour period of time.
When they asked me who I suspected I did tell them my neighbors due to the fact I had our cop neighbor check his cameras and no one was seen coming or going from our breezeway.
I also pointed out to the officer that they get the cops called and at least one of them will get arrested regularly.
Turns out there was a protective order put in place 2 weeks prior against the boyfriend when he got arrested. The cops put 2 and 2 together and sent a patrol car to catch him there.
Needless to say it started a war. Small things here and there have been done such as screming at us, blaring their security system every time I open my front door, nothing but small inconveniences.
Up until yesterday that is. I left to go pick my daughter up from school and was gone for about an hour to an hour and a half.
When I pulled into the apartments I noticed a patrol car parked near the entrance and the boyfriend was there with his dogs talking to the cops and violently started pointing at my car.
I pulled up next to the officer and rolled down my window asking if I could help with anything. He instructed me to park near his partner.
His partner informed me that they had called the cops saying they heard gunshots through their security camera and gave my description.
Crazy thing is, I don't even own a gun. I told the officer this along with the fact I've been gone for the last hour and half.
He asked why I thought they would call and say such things and I told him I believed it was retaliation for last week.
He ended up being detained and his dogs were taken by animal control.
Now his girlfriend is going around to our neighbors saying I got him arrested and got their dogs taken away.
Funny thing is I don't remember calling the police yesterday but i guess i got him arrested guys🤷🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️😂
There was so much more before all this but I wanted to keep the post as direct and to the point as I could
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2points
The petty feuds even reach children. After several lemonade stands were shut down for operating without a permit, Country Time began paying the fines for kids' stands in 2011. Texas followed in 2017 with a law that stops cities and counties from regulating them. If you get a letter from the HOA about your child's lemonade stand, the legislature is on your side. In the meantime, the only reliable cure for a feud is the one the neighbor in Frost's poem never tried: knock on the door before the fence goes up. A plate of cookies has solved more disputes than any lawyer.
Do you have a wild HOA or neighbor story to tell? Share it with us in the comments!
#28 Next Door Neighbour Slagged My House Off To My Face.. Because She Didn’t Realise I Lived There
More funny than anything. My next door neighbours are elderly. Their parcel was delivered to our house by mistake, so I went over to give it to them. The older lady greeted me super kindly and thanked me for the parcel.
At some point she pointed at our house, her face turned snide and she asked me “do you know them?” I played dumb and was like no, haven’t met them. She then went on a tirade about my partner smoking substances (he doesn’t, there’s a path that runs between our house that youths regularly go to to smoke). She mentioned she sees him a lot with children (our kids) but never sees the woman (ME) and laughed saying she (I) must not get out a lot. Mentioned she’d reported us for the substance smoking but got nowhere with it. All the while I was just smiling and agreeing like oh, that’s not good. Her husband (who DOES know I live there and the partner of the ‘smoker’ then came over and said thanks, and I took that as my cue to get the hell out of there and run back to my house before she noticed who I was. Told my partner and he laughed his head off. Me, on the other hand, am absolutely mortified! We’re moving in a couple weeks, thank god. Had to share!
At some point she pointed at our house, her face turned snide and she asked me “do you know them?” I played dumb and was like no, haven’t met them. She then went on a tirade about my partner smoking substances (he doesn’t, there’s a path that runs between our house that youths regularly go to to smoke). She mentioned she sees him a lot with children (our kids) but never sees the woman (ME) and laughed saying she (I) must not get out a lot. Mentioned she’d reported us for the substance smoking but got nowhere with it. All the while I was just smiling and agreeing like oh, that’s not good. Her husband (who DOES know I live there and the partner of the ‘smoker’ then came over and said thanks, and I took that as my cue to get the hell out of there and run back to my house before she noticed who I was. Told my partner and he laughed his head off. Me, on the other hand, am absolutely mortified! We’re moving in a couple weeks, thank god. Had to share!
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2points
#29 Neighbours Had A Visit From Police Last Night
Our neighbour likes to spy on us. She has always stared through our gates or fences and even kitchen door. She was caught last month recording my husband while he was in the shower. Literally was standing with her camera aimed at the washroom. Cops told her to stop doing that. So then they put up security cameras. One of them is angled so it can actually sees the bathroom window. I asked her nicely to move it as it was invading our privacy. She told me I was delusional and refused to let me see the view. Cops came back last night and they saw the view for themselves and confirmed you can see our bathroom in the view so was warned to move it or face spying charges. We feel so vindicated! She’s been pushing her boundaries for years after she realized she couldn’t control us like she controls everyone else in her world.
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2points
#30 She Called The Cops On Me Because She Got My Mail
We moved into our house a couple years ago and we love our neighborhood. We’ve made some really good friends here and it’s a nice place to live.
Our neighbor across the street, Wendy, hates us. I don’t know when it started. When we moved in, my husband backed up the moving truck a little too close to her mailbox, I guess. She sent a message to the previous residents that the new guy living across the street is ‘an idiot’ - which we know because the previous resident sent that to a different neighbor, whom we befriended.
She made a post on our HOA app with tons of screenshots from her door cam of people walking their dogs saying it’s illegal for dogs to walk on her lawn. The HOA president commented for her to knock it off.
About a year or two ago, my credit card expired and they sent me a new one. Apparently, I put her address instead of mine. There’s one number different. 1213 instead of 1212. [EDIT: for clarity, I updated my address on my credit card when we moved here about 2.5 years ago. When the card expired, they sent the new one to her address, because that’s what they had on file. If you think this story is fake, that’s fine. That’s not an issue for me to deal with.]
Instead of seeing my name on the card and bringing it to me, she called 911 and told them I was trying to steal her identity. The cop knocks on my door and explains, says he told her that’s not how it works but she’s a ‘bored old woman with nothing better to do’ and she won’t give my card back. I send him back over there to get it - and instead, she shreds it in front of him.
There are a lot more stories about her. She’s delusional and paranoid and has made problems for everyone on our street, but we mostly all ignore her.
ETA: Yes, messing with my mail was illegal. No, I’m not going to report this crazy old lady. She’s miserable enough and I’m not out for revenge.
Our neighbor across the street, Wendy, hates us. I don’t know when it started. When we moved in, my husband backed up the moving truck a little too close to her mailbox, I guess. She sent a message to the previous residents that the new guy living across the street is ‘an idiot’ - which we know because the previous resident sent that to a different neighbor, whom we befriended.
She made a post on our HOA app with tons of screenshots from her door cam of people walking their dogs saying it’s illegal for dogs to walk on her lawn. The HOA president commented for her to knock it off.
About a year or two ago, my credit card expired and they sent me a new one. Apparently, I put her address instead of mine. There’s one number different. 1213 instead of 1212. [EDIT: for clarity, I updated my address on my credit card when we moved here about 2.5 years ago. When the card expired, they sent the new one to her address, because that’s what they had on file. If you think this story is fake, that’s fine. That’s not an issue for me to deal with.]
Instead of seeing my name on the card and bringing it to me, she called 911 and told them I was trying to steal her identity. The cop knocks on my door and explains, says he told her that’s not how it works but she’s a ‘bored old woman with nothing better to do’ and she won’t give my card back. I send him back over there to get it - and instead, she shreds it in front of him.
There are a lot more stories about her. She’s delusional and paranoid and has made problems for everyone on our street, but we mostly all ignore her.
ETA: Yes, messing with my mail was illegal. No, I’m not going to report this crazy old lady. She’s miserable enough and I’m not out for revenge.
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2points
