Homeowner's associations, or HOAs, can be extremely frustrating groups to be a part of.
A Redditor recently posted a rant they attached to a tree after their HOA nixed a treehouse they were building with their kids.
Needless to say, it gave way to a discussion about the many ways that HOAs can make life more difficult.
Don't worry, you're safe now! Your act of casual cruelty was successful. The complaint you lodged with the HOA was heard. They had me take down the small treefort that I built on this location with my sons during the pandemic. No longer will its presence offend your walk past my house. Please enjoy your stroll free from the sound of my children's play and laugher. They are safely back inside now, watching television I'm sure. Enjoy the unobstructed view of my backyard. I will try to keep it up to code.
Best,
Dave
The letter sparked heated discussions about HOAs in a couple of different threads.
The top comment on the post points out that if the HOA was petty enough to take the treehouse down, they just might be petty enough to take the note down.
This comment on another subreddit demonstrates how kids can get caught in the middle of these things.
"On the plus side, you were very responsible to take out an insurance policy at that age," a commenter jokingly replied.
This comment notes one of the more common complaints about HOAs.
"They used to take pictures of our backyards over our fence," another commenter complains. "No tents, gazebos, RV campers, garden shed or any type of temporary structure."
"Poor guy is probably [going to] catch more HOA hell for nailing the tree," a commenter wrote.
It's not hard to understand the frustration the homeowner must have been feeling.
"What I would do is use speakers," another Redditor deviously suggests. "Now, obviously no one minds the view of a treehouse, what they mind is the sounds of playing children. So congrats neighbor, you have won round the clock playing of noises one decibel under the limit of children playing."
Reddit commenter ragnar201 feels it's best not to put up with HOAs, at all. They write, "Never, ever buy a home with a HOA. What is the point of home ownership if someone else tells you what to do?"
TurtleRanAway, explains their HOA horror story, writing, "My dad built a shed in his fenced in backyard. Our Karen neighbor (haircut and attitude and all) reported it to the HOA, and it was apparently like 2 feet too close to the fence and 1 foot too tall, so they had him tear it down. After that, he had some piles of lumber and scrap in his backyard, and the HOA inspector came and said something like 'he can't have 10 small piles (like, 3 feet across each) of scrap or lumber because reasons' and had him have to rush to clean it all out before he came back again."
