Changing even the smallest detail can become a problem when you’re dealing with strict HOAs.

So, what do you do when you follow all the guidelines for installing a new privacy fence but still get told you’re in the wrong for a minor technicality?

Do you follow their directions?

Or do you find a cheaper way?

In the following story, one homeowner finds herself in this very predicament.

Here’s how she handled it.

The fence is whiter on the other side

This story is something my mother did when they moved into the home they live in now.

Where they moved to was a commercial apartment/ condo place with an HOA.

To paint the picture, this place has large 6-house condo buildings that are all the same and are standard 8-home apartment buildings.

All the rent-to-own condos have a porch area in the back that leads to a parking lot.

Some of which my mother noticed have fences.

My mother mainly handled all of the getting the house ready and dealing with the HOA.

She learned pretty quickly that you had to get permission to do just about anything here.

After getting her own fence installed, it was the wrong shade of white.

So, after we moved in, she sent in a request to put in a privacy fence, like many of the others in the area.

With the HOA’s approval and guidelines, she finds a contractor (which she discovered was an old childhood friend, Surprise!) and has the fence put in. Que HOA.

My mom submitted the contractor’s document stating the kind of fence, color, and specs, only for her to receive a letter stating her fence needs to be removed due to not meeting HOA standards.

Their reasoning is that the technical term for the color white of the fence doesn’t match what they allow.

The best example would be they allowed “paper white,” but it was labeled eggshell.

The HOA was upset and threatened to fine her.

They stated they would fine my mother for every day the fence stood.

My mother attempted to explain that the specific brand only used that white.

To get the other white, you had to use a different, more expensive fence brand.

My mother was peeved to say the least, she went as far to take pictures of all the fences hers included and demanded the HOA distinguish which was hers at a monthly meeting.

They couldn’t but still didn’t care; the paperwork didn’t match.

Thankfully, she had a friend in the contractor.

She called him back and spoke with him about what the HOA said, and they hatched their plan.

She got to keep her fence and never paid the fines.

My mother and the contractor pulled up the fence, and the HOA watched as it was taken away in a day.

The next day the SAME fence comes back and gets put in again, this time the paperwork says “paper white.”

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It’s been years, and my mother still has the same fence; the HOA never said anything further.

Those fees where never paid but it’s fine my mom doesn’t use the pool anyway.

That was a smart way to handle it!

Let’s see how the folks over at Reddit relate to this story.

This person won’t even look at homes with an HOA.

Here’s another person who purposely didn’t buy a home with an HOA.

Great point – that would’ve been much easier.

This was a great solution.

Excellent way to save money!

She was lucky the HOA didn’t notice what was going on or press her to pay the fines.

If you liked that post, check out this post about a woman who tracked down a contractor who tried to vanish without a trace.