A Redditor went viral recently when she explained the story of her battle against her local Homeowners Association. It’s a crazy tale – one not to be missed!
A Camera Issue
The Original Poster (OP) shares an interesting story from several years ago, regarding the installation of security cameras in the front of their home.
The Homeowners Association
OP lives in a neighborhood with a Homeowner’s Association (HOA), and her story is one of the many battles homeowners have with HOAs.
The fight was over the installation of cameras in front of her home that looked at her vehicles, but it also covered two neighboring properties as well.
They Were Advanced Cameras
The cameras were battery-operated and had a function where the user could “gray out” areas they didn’t want to film.
She grayed out the neighbor’s properties as well as several bushes on OP’s property, but this didn’t stop the HOA from trying to stop her from having the cameras installed.
A Neighbor Wasn’t Pleased About the Cameras
One of the neighbors was a friend who didn’t have an issue with the cameras, but the other neighbor, who was on the HOA board, did not share the same sentiment.
This neighbor, who OP calls Kit, told OP to take the cameras down immediately or face the consequences.
The HOA Lashes Out
The HOA then sent a notice to OP stating that she was violating the bylaws because the cameras were deemed a “nuisance to your neighbors.”
Despite OP’s attempts to defend herself by saying she wasn’t violating any bylaws or laws in general, the HOA continued to push back.
Villainous
Their response was typical from a board that thinks they have all the power: “The HOA has the right to enforce these bylaws.
Try to stop us if you think you can.” This is the sort of response you’d expect from a movie villain!
So Begins Her Revenge
However, she didn’t take this lying down – she saw it as more of a challenge. She had one goal in mind: to cost the HOA as much money and time as possible.
The HOA hired a lawyer to fight OP, and over the following four months, she ended up costing the HOA over $4,000 in lawyers’ fees!
For reference, their entire income was $25,000 a year – a sizable portion had already gone on this!
A Smart Way to Cost Them Money
OP was a genius when it came to wasting their money. She had successfully postponed the hearing three times thanks to an attorney friend. There were over 100 back-and-forth emails between the HOA attorney and OP.
Each of those emails was a 15-minute expense for the HOA.
And she was happy to reply to a follow-up question with another question if it meant the HOA attorney was going to keep billing them!
This Is How She Avoided the Fines
In the end, she removed the cameras on the day of the hearing to avoid being fined, even if the fine wouldn’t have been held up in court.
The HOA decided in the hearing that OP was guilty of violating the bylaw, but they couldn’t fine her because she’d already removed the cameras!
The punishment was a sternly worded letter stating she and her husband were not allowed to place a camera on their home that could invade a neighbor’s privacy.
Bad Wording on Their Part
The letter specifically stated the camera could not be placed “on our home,” and OP found a way to utilize this to their advantage!
It’s Time to Unleash Chaos
She left the cameras switched off for about four months until the annual HOA meeting.
The HOA board was in for a surprise when OP asked them to explain the $4,000 line item for attorney’s fees that simply stated, “Title searches – Attorney fees.”
They Were Corrupt!
The board tried to hide that they spent $4,000 trying to fight her over a couple of cameras by putting the fees in as “Title searches.”
Needless to say, the meeting did not go well for them, and about half of them lost their positions on the board.
She Won in the End!
However, K and the other half of the board remained on the board, which didn’t sit well with OP.
About a week after the annual meeting, she installed new cameras facing the same direction as the previous cameras, but this time, she installed a post in the ground and mounted the cameras to that post.
They Were Scared of Her
The admonishment she received after the hearing specifically stated that she was not allowed to install cameras “on our home” and said nothing about putting them on a post.
The HOA sent a letter to try to tell her to remove the cameras, but a sternly worded response indicating that she would fight them again worked this time around.
And She’s Reaped the Benefits!
Despite the HOA’s attempts to punish her for having cameras on her property, the cameras remain installed to this day! She won the battle and made the HOA pay for their attempts to bully her.
Redditors loved this woman’s tale of malicious compliance. One user said: “It’s unfortunate that their stubbornness & hubris cost the rest of the HOA $4,000. And another thing I’ve noticed about such Karens: They don’t think the rules apply to them, but they are wonderfully happy to use the rules as a cudgel against others.”
What do you think about this story? She managed to take on the HOA and win! Have you ever had issues with your local HOA?
More From Mama Say What?!
A mother, known as Lynalice on TikTok, has made serious allegations against her separating husband, accusing him of “inattentive parenting” due to his failure to clean the house while she was at work. Woman Files for Divorce After Secretly Recording Husband at Home
His Girlfriend’s Prank Went Way Too Far, and After He Was Left Exposed in Front of Everyone, He Left Their Vacation Early!
Have you ever been pranked by someone you trusted? This young man certainly has! He took to Reddit the other day to ask if he’d been wrong for leaving a trip early because his girlfriend “pranked” him in front of all her friends and family. His Girlfriend’s Prank Went Way Too Far and After He Was Left Exposed in Front of Everyone He Left Their Vacation Early!
When Her Students Told Her to Back Off, She Did Just That! Now They’ve Missed Their Deadline and Are Blaming Her for Their Failure!
She’s an expert in her field and decided to give back to the community by sharing her knowledge. But when a group of kids challenged her authority, she let them fail. When Her Students Told to Her Back Off, She Did Just That! Now They’ve Missed Their Deadline and Are Blaming Her for Their Failure!
She Refused to Give Her Future In-Laws Her Son’s Wedding Fund, Which They Wanted to Use for Themselves
This mother sought advice from the Reddit community after her son’s future in-laws asked her for the money she was going to use for the wedding – instead of paying for the wedding! She Refused to Give Her Future In-Laws Her Son’s Wedding Fund, Which They Wanted to Use for Themselves
She Was Abandoned After They Discovered Her Mom’s Affair, Now They Want to Stop Her From Reaching Out to Her Biological Dad
Today’s tragic tale comes to us from a subreddit. A 15-year-old wanted to know if she was wrong for seeking out her biological father after learning she was a child of infidelity. She Was Abandoned After They Discovered Her Mom’s Affair, Now They Want to Stop Her From Reaching Out to Her Biological Dad
This article She Took on Her Homeowner’s Association and Won! It’s All in the Details! first appeared on Mama Say What?!
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Roman Samborsky. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story
Source: Reddit