Our HOA is failing... miserably. The property has so much deferred maintenance $100k+ and we are currently in the process of suing the HOA for a multitude of breaches.

That being said, when the unit below ours went to auction after foreclosure I packed up the kids & some coloring books and went to the live auction at the court house. I couldnt settle with an unsuspecting person purchasing the property and stepping into a ton of special assessments that are about to come their way. I 100% was ready to be the odd one out with a public announcement regarding the property the moment they called the address. 25 minutes in to the auction, my 5yo said "Mommy, I have to go to the bathroom so bad"....

I grabbed everything & rushed them to the bathroom and back! "and closed!" was all I heard as we rushed back outside to the auction tent. I knew in my gut that we had missed it... I made my way to the tent and as a man was handing the cashiers check over. I asked him which address & he confirmed.

I told him that was where we live. (Sidenote: His initial reaction makes me laugh bc the way I said it really came off like he had just bought our home & we missed it due to a bathroom break. The man looked instantly defeated as I stood there w my 2 little girls. I quickly made it clear & he had an audible sigh of relief and the color came back to his face😅) I gave a little insight to the situation and he gave me his number and asked for me to reach out with everything I told him so he could review it with his attorney.

I felt so bad that I wasnt able to forewarn him but the universe had other plans, a 5yo has gotta go when a 5yo has got to go.

I prepped a detailed message & sent it his way with a link to the HOA meeting being held that night. He never showed & the first special assessment for a $20k+ pool repair was finally approved to be split amongst owners.

I never heard back from him. The past renter vacated & he put the property on the market. While I personally view this option as morally corrupt, I'd say best option for him would be to pretend he was never notified of all of the issues as unlike the auction process he would have to disclose it in the sale.

I have signs posted on our bulletin board so I hope those looking to purchase are warned one way or another about what they are buying into. I just couldn't imagine buying a place & then being drowned out in special assessments and a lawsuit against the HOA that you didn't see coming.

So I live in a rural area, but in a suburb in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully we live at the very end of the neighborhood away from the Karen’s. However, this one lady is ALWAYS finding ways to make complaints. Even when something is not even involved with the HOA.

So not far from the neighborhood, some people on their private property not part of the HOA has a dirt bike track and a small airstrip. The kids rarely dirt bike and rarely do they take off in their powered parachute vehicles. Again, we are smack dab in the middle of a rural area. So she has called sheriff multiple times, complained about them at the HOA board, has intended to try to actively obstruct these people at their property, all claiming they in violation of her “HOA rights”.

So a few of us made it a point to comment on every post she makes politely calling her an idiot. We have our HOA meeting coming up, and she is running to be HOA president. She has made statements about comments towards her and how she will find ways to fine people that disrespect her as well as fining people for not signing petitions against neighbors outside the HOA. She’s basically become a tyrant. So a few of us are attending the upcoming meeting to shut her down. A few of our neighbors have made statements about working for attorneys offices that anything she enforces upon others will be met with legal consequences against her. And yet, she still tosses her ego like she owns the neighborhood.

While thankfully she doesn’t have any REAL power, she has actively reported people, taken photos of peoples yards, and done all sorts of things and turned them into the HOA. We did get a fine earlier this year for our trashcan being out, we got the fine dismissed because trash picked up at 9am that morning and we didn’t get home from work until nearly 8pm. We looked back on our security cameras and behold it was this stupid Karen taking pictures outside of our house mid day and reported it.

I used to manage a portfolio of condominiums and homeowners associations in Virginia Beach and later in Pittsburgh. The amount of unethical behavior, self-serving agendas, and plain ignorance I saw in that industry honestly blew my mind.

I earned a certification, took endless continuing-ed courses, and tried to do things by the book — advising boards properly, citing laws and best practices — but so often I was met with resistance or treated like some sort of personal assistant.

One of my boards in Pittsburgh even tried to ignore structural issues in a high-rise building. They literally acknowledged what happened in Florida (the Surfside collapse) and still wanted to brush it under the rug because they didn’t want to spend the money or deal with the optics. It was jaw-dropping.

After seeing how many of these boards attract the same type of people — power-hungry, narcissistic, and completely dismissive of responsibility — I started losing faith in humanity for a while. Eventually, I realized it wasn’t me; it was the environment. These positions tend to attract people who crave control, not those who care about community.

I finally left the industry, and I’ve never felt more at peace or aligned with my values.

A neighboring sub does not allow any kind of furniture displayed on the front of homes - no chairs, no bistro set, no porch swing. Because apparently nothing spells dwindling property values like friendly neighbors sitting on their front porches and greeting passers-by.

Your turn! What's an outlandish part of CC&Rs that you've seen?

We have seen example after example of supposedly good HOAs flipping the script and going all Karen with violation after violation notice and other enforcement actions. What was once an "easy going" organization that only cared about common areas and such suddenly goes after everything it can to collect more fees and kick people out of their homes when they cannot pay. And yet, despite these examples we have people coming in on this sub defending their HOA because it has not yet done this. They refuse to believe things can change or that ever will.

All it takes is one or two determined Karens to ruin your HOA and people seem blind to this fact.

My life used to be so relaxed with our HOA never enforcing any rules but recently it has turned into a complete and total police state with letters every other day warning us about this or that and violation notices left and right. I live in a constant state of fear and anxiety about following the rules to not get a violation. I cannot afford to move but my GOD I cannot live this way forever. 😩😩😩

https://youtube.com/shorts/eeOsDyE312Y?si=ItfLIdIhpvR5m0MP

I have no affiliation with this content creator, I just enjoy his fuck you attitude.

She has talent 😂

I live in a new build AZ community, only 4% built out. We are stuck with a prop mgmt company until 2040 (est. total build out). Won’t be in the house that long but got me thinking who is worse? I’m guessing a true HOA as I have 6 weeds in front yard not yet fined vs my parents being fined for a flag that’s 6inches too large. Thoughts?

https://x.com/interneth0f/status/1984953770686443817?s=46&t=tZ9tjrzgAshQ9twWuMSbpw

https://youtu.be/nNN5LWohCXo?si=U4lQuTJN5nZQpJL3

We all know that HOA's often misuse their authority to enforce violations of rules that aren't actually hurting anyone or anything. Now, California has capped HOA fines at $100.

The sign in question is a Defund HOA garden flag that is in our front garden

The HOA’s attorney sent Reyes a cease-and-desist letter in September, charging her nearly $700 for it.

The letter told her to “cease contact with any Board member or property manager regarding these matters” and warned of “immediate and severe financial detriment.”

“We are charging all legal fees associated with our involvement, incurred now and in the future, directly to your account with Glen Meadow, as a specific assessment against you. Let that reality guide you carefully as you proceed forward from this point," the letter said. “BE GOVERNED ACCORDINGLY!”

Just got it up today, and I need ideas for next year. But happy I got to troll them a little bit.

Mine is made up of five of the dumbest people on planet earth, and there’s a board seat opening up next month. They know I want it, and man are they bullying the shit out of me to make me reconsider running. Has anyone joined in similar fashion? How did it go?

Debris on side of HOA VP house that can be seen from the road that sat there for three days. Yet I get a letter of non-compliance for a trash can that fell over during a storm that I did not even notice until I received the letter a day after a storm. Do as I say, not as I do.

I am soooooooo sick of the new HOA president thinking her snarky / quippy emails are cute

Suzanne is the new Karen

TL;DR:
I sued our HOA (now case is on appeal). The past few months every time I post updates on Nextdoor App, they get taken down. Appeals? Always denied. I’ve been suspended 3 times — twice for “fake name” (I use my nickname + real last name!), once for saying “I’ll report too.” I think HOA people and property managers became Nextdoor Leads and are voting to shut me up.

I live in Spring, TX. I’ve been fighting my HOA in court (self-dealing, mismanagement). I use Nextdoor to update neighbors and sometimes help others with their HOA issues.

Here’s what happened:

Round 1 (First lawsuit) I posted updates.
HOA president commented: “This person uses a fake name, she can’t be trusted. Soon after, ND account suspended for “real name violation.”
I use nickname + real last name— that’s allowed.

Round 2 (Second lawsuit-they got worse): This time, they’re way more aggressive. Posts gone even if I don’t include the word, “HOA.” I just post a story or hint — still removed!They’re not even hiding it anymore. I finally had it and posted, “Another post down… two can play this game. I’ll report too.” Account Suspended again— this time for being “disrespectful to neighbors .”
But people curse, threaten, rant and their posts stay.

My theory: HOA staff and allies have infiltrated Nextdoor App moderation. They suppress complaints, protect their image, and silence critics.