Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

BoredPanda Add post form topAdd Post
Tooltip close

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

Elderly Folks’ Lie Crashes Down As Neighborhood Finds Out The HOA They Ran Was A Farce
21

Elderly Folks’ Lie Crashes Down As Neighborhood Finds Out The HOA They Ran Was A Farce

ADVERTISEMENT

You know what – the creators of comics probably knew something, because in our culture there are so many villain organizations whose names are an abbreviation where the first letter is H. Organizations whose goal is to harm ordinary people as much as possible. Don’t believe me? Let’s list them: HYDRA, HAVOC, HIVE, and HOA, after all…

And it’s damn true – no HYDRA has caused as much harm to people as all these entitled HOAs across the whole world. At least we know quite a few neighborhood drama stories having an HOA as antagonist. So here’s one more for your attention!

More info: TikTok

The author of the post recently got an ‘official’ letter from their HOA claiming that its president is going to retire

Image credits: Ed Kohler (not the actual photo)

“Okay, do you want to hear about some neighborhood drama going on right now?”

“So we got a letter taped to our mailbox. And the letter was from Claire and Mike. Claire apparently has been the HOA president for the past 25 years. And Mike has been the treasurer, she appointed him two years ago.

Well, they would both like to step down from the HOA at this point. You know, it’s really tough holding an office, especially when it’s been for 25 years. So honestly, I get it. This is actually it. So long story short, they’re saying, ‘Hey, we don’t want to do this anymore. She’s like, I’m 96. I cannot mend fences. And we don’t want to do this. So can somebody else step up and be president?'”

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: NotAlisonThanks

“So first off, I call my husband. He would make a great HOA president, honestly”

“So I call him: ‘Babe, listen to this letter we got in the mail.’ He’s like, ‘We don’t have an HOA.’ I’m like, okay, well, I have a piece of paper right here that says that we do have an HOA legally, and that they want you to be their president.”

Image credits: NotAlisonThanks

“And he says: ‘No, I’ve never paid an HOA fee since we moved here'”

“‘And I’m not about to start now.’ I’m like, oh? So I got my friend Caitlyn. She also lives in the neighborhood. She’s a mom friend. ‘Caitlyn, did you get this letter?’ She’s like, ‘Oh, my God, me and my husband were just talking about that.’ She said he is pissed. He’s about to write an email to all these people. We don’t have an HOA, we’re not paying no fee.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: NotAlisonThanks

“And she says: ‘I talked to other neighbors in the neighborhood and we’re all mad because she’s been collecting this money and keeping it for herself for 25 years'”

“She’s never done anything for our neighborhood besides paint this sign green. And that doesn’t cost $60 from each resident that was paying in the whole neighborhood. For 25 years.”

Image credits: NotAlisonThanks

“So here’s where we start to throw down”

“Okay, so he posts in the private Facebook group, and it has 1000 members, but he pretty much says: ‘Hey, I’ve got a lawyer. This HOA is not real. It hasn’t been real since 2009. Pay no attention to these solicitations for your money’ And I am dead. He just posted this.”

“And I cannot wait to see what Claire and Mike and the other 1000 people… do we have 1000 homeowners in our neighborhood? I feel like some of these people do not live here. I cannot wait for the response. So I will update you as soon as it starts popping off. I cannot wait. Okay, and one more thing. There is a neighborhood town hall meeting in Claire’s driveway. March 23. If it rains, rain check March 24. Be there or be literal f**king nowhere.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Watch the full original video here

@notalisonthanks March 23 square up #neighbors #hoadrama #knuckifyoubuck ♬ original sound – NotAlisonThanks

The investigation made by neighbors showed that there has actually been no HOA there since at least 2009

The story from the TikToker @NotAlisonThanks starts a few days ago, when she and her husband received an official-looking letter from some random Claire, who, in her own words, has been serving as the president of the local HOA for over a quarter of a century. Well, at least she’s been collecting fees quite regularly.

And Claire finally decided to step down from her position, as she announced in the letter. The original poster (OP) decided that her husband would be the perfect candidate for the vacant job – however, the man surprised his wife by stating that they do not have an HOA, and have not – at least for as long as he can remember themselves living in this area.

An amateur investigation between neighbors began, and the following emerged:

1. HOA has been officially absent since at least 2009.
2. However, Claire kept on collecting fees in the amount of $60 per household.
3. If one of Claire’s ‘wards’ did not pay, she didn’t take any action.
4. However, Claire also did not take any actions that the very existence of any HOA implies. Unless you count painting a sign green.
5. In addition to Claire, the HOA board also included treasurer Mike, whom the “president” appointed a couple of years ago.

ADVERTISEMENT

Through simple arithmetic, the investigators found out that over the past 15 years, at least (and at most 25 years), Claire had collected a hefty amount of cash, but, of course, none of the residents had seen any reports. The husband of one of OP’s neighbors, outraged by the discovered situation, wrote an angry post in the residents’ group on Facebook, so now the author and her husband are stocking up on popcorn in anticipation of the outcome.

Image credits: Deborah Fitchett (not the actual photo)

Well, as it turns out from the comments on the video, such cases are far from uncommon. For example, as one commenter said, when they were buying their own house, the real estate lawyer specifically noted that there was no HOA in the local area – and guess who sent the new homeowners a letter demanding money about six months later?

No, it’s one matter when one of the neighbors takes the initiative into their own hands, starting to clean up the territory on their own, planting flowers and mowing the lawns – and collects donations in order to buy some necessary equipment. But it’s a completely different matter to set up a fake HOA, or continue to collect “mandatory” fees long after the association has been dissolved. “OMG this is wild! I want to know how much she got,” someone wrote in the comments.

ADVERTISEMENT

Well, some HOAs do actually act like medieval conquerors, trying to extend their “power” to surrounding houses that definitely don’t belong to them. The proof is, for instance, this post of ours. In the meantime, while we are waiting for March 23 when the meeting is scheduled, and for updates from the original poster, please feel free to share similar HOA stories in case you have some too.

People in the comments said that such a situation is, alas, far from uncommon, and praised the author for making this investigation

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Ic_polls

Poll Question

Thanks! Check out the results:

Share on Facebook
Oleg Tarasenko

Oleg Tarasenko

Author, BoredPanda staff

Read more »

After many years of working as sports journalist and trivia game author and host in Ukraine I joined Bored Panda as a content creator. I do love writing stories and I sincerely believe - there's no dull plots at all. Like a great Italian composer Joaquino Rossini once told: "Give me a police protocol - and I'll make an opera out of it!"

Read less »
Oleg Tarasenko

Oleg Tarasenko

Author, BoredPanda staff

After many years of working as sports journalist and trivia game author and host in Ukraine I joined Bored Panda as a content creator. I do love writing stories and I sincerely believe - there's no dull plots at all. Like a great Italian composer Joaquino Rossini once told: "Give me a police protocol - and I'll make an opera out of it!"

What do you think ?
Add photo comments
POST
Anony Mouse
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Please put "tiktok" in the article title so we know that it's going to be boring and low quality, and will save us from clicking on it accidentally.

Binky Melnik
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Please preface your comments with your name so we know it’s going to be whining and low quality; that’ll save us from reading it accidentally.

Load More Replies...
Taibhse Sealgair
Community Member
8 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I saw the Georgia SecOfState mentioned, I had to look up this neighborhood. Turns out it's about 5 miles away. So a comment, In the state of Georgia there are two kinds of HOAs. Active and Passive. Active are what most people think of when they think of HOAs. Dues, committees, fines, rules, etc. Passive is more like an informal club. They can't force anyone to do anything. They generally form up to manage common areas. Yes that includes collecting dues, but again, paying dues is 100% optional. In the article it mentions people who didn't pay dues never heard anything. That's why. (FWIW, my neighborhood has a passive HOA, which is why I know about them.) It sounds more like the TikToker simply doesn't understand the difference.

Load More Comments
Anony Mouse
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Please put "tiktok" in the article title so we know that it's going to be boring and low quality, and will save us from clicking on it accidentally.

Binky Melnik
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Please preface your comments with your name so we know it’s going to be whining and low quality; that’ll save us from reading it accidentally.

Load More Replies...
Taibhse Sealgair
Community Member
8 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I saw the Georgia SecOfState mentioned, I had to look up this neighborhood. Turns out it's about 5 miles away. So a comment, In the state of Georgia there are two kinds of HOAs. Active and Passive. Active are what most people think of when they think of HOAs. Dues, committees, fines, rules, etc. Passive is more like an informal club. They can't force anyone to do anything. They generally form up to manage common areas. Yes that includes collecting dues, but again, paying dues is 100% optional. In the article it mentions people who didn't pay dues never heard anything. That's why. (FWIW, my neighborhood has a passive HOA, which is why I know about them.) It sounds more like the TikToker simply doesn't understand the difference.

Load More Comments
Related on Bored Panda
Related on Bored Panda
Trending on Bored Panda
Also on Bored Panda