When you move into a new neighborhood or building, there’s always a chance that you won’t get along well with your fellow neighbors. What if they blast music all night long? Will any of their pets wreak havoc on your plants? It’s a risk we all have to be willing to take, and unfortunately, there can be an even higher chance of conflict if you move into an area with a homeowners association. 

One woman who knows the struggle of dealing with a frustrating HOA all too well recently posted on Reddit detailing how she got petty revenge on the organization that was the bane of her existence. Below, you’ll find the full story, as well as some of the replies amused readers shared.

Many residents are not fans of their neighborhood’s homeowners association

Image credits:  Samuel Peter / pexels (not the actual photo)

So one woman decided to finally get revenge on the HOA she loathed after moving out of her building

Image credits: Richard Bell / unsplash (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Bench Accounting / unsplash (not the actual photo)

Image credits: BigJSunshine

Nearly a third of homes in the United States are in neighborhoods with homeowners associations

If you’re not from the United States, you might not be familiar with the idea of a homeowners association. Essentially, this is a group of people in a neighborhood or building who create and enforce rules among residents. They often charge annual fees to pay for events in the neighborhood or take care of shared facilities, such as a gym or a pool that all residents can use, and they keep an eye on the community to ensure everything is in tip-top shape. 

But HOAs are notorious for creating petty rules, such as limits on how tall grass can grow before it needs to be mowed and what colors residents are allowed to paint their homes. And if you don’t abide by the law of the HOA, you might get hit with a hefty fine.

According to the National Association of Realtors, there are currently about 75.5 million residents in the United States living in communities with HOAs. And about a third of the homes in the States fall under HOA jurisdiction. In fact, it’s estimated that over 3,000 new HOAs will form this year, meaning that many more residents will be subjected to strict rules and expensive fees in their neighborhoods.

HOAs are notorious for enforcing petty rules and squeezing as much money as they can out of residents

But it’s not just the rules that cause frustrations with HOAs; the costs are also a major factor. A recent study from Rocket Mortgage found that 57% of residents dislike living in an area with an HOA, and only two thirds believe that their HOA actually handles finances honestly. 37% of HOA board members don’t even like the fact that their neighborhood has an HOA. 

Meanwhile, the average monthly fee for HOAs across the U.S. is $259, which can be a huge financial burden on homeowners. HOA homes also tend to cost at least 4% more than homes built in non-HOA areas. 

So one in ten homeowners are considering selling their homes and moving somewhere else where they don’t have to deal with the stress of a homeowners association. After all, 40% of residents believe that their HOA board is incompetent, so it’s understandable that they would be bitter about forking over money and abiding by their rules.

When it comes to what residents actually don’t mind HOAs monitoring, a survey from YouGov found that the majority of residents wouldn’t mind them creating rules about noise levels. Half of homeowners also think it would be fair for them to police trash and recycling bins, and 46% think it would be fair to have rules about parking. 

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The majority of homeowners believe that their HOA should have less power

But the majority believe that HOAs should keep their opinions to themselves about yard signs, fences, landscaping, pet ownership, exterior paint colors, home renovations and holiday decorations.

At the end of the day, HOAs essentially act as small governments within neighborhoods who get to handle finances and decide what the community is allowed to look like. But because they’re not actually part of the government, there are often no checks and balances happening behind the scenes to ensure that funds aren’t misappropriated. 

If residents want to fight their neighborhood HOA, there aren’t many options aside from taking them to small claims court. And that can quickly become a costly and frustrating nightmare as well. Perhaps it’s better to simply take petty revenge into your own hands!

We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Have you ever had to deal with an equally infuriating HOA? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda piece discussing HOA drama, look no further than right here!

Amused readers shared their reactions to the story, and the author joined in to provide more details

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