When you live in an HOA neighborhood, there are certain rules in place, and if you are the president of the HOA, it is your job to enforce them.

What would you do if your HOA stated that no yard signs were allowed, but some of the neighbors were putting them up anyway?

That is what was happening to the HOA president in this story, so he sent out a notice to everyone saying they weren’t allowed, but now some neighbors are complaining.

AITA for asking my neighbors not to put signs in their yards?

I am the president of my small homeowners’ association (nobody else wanted to do it after the last president moved away).

I can see why a neighborhood would want that rule in place.

Our deed states that no signs are allowed in public view on any lot in the neighborhood, except signs for selling or renting a house.

In the past few days some neighbors have emailed me asking whether signs are allowed, because it is an important election year (we are in the USA).

These are the last signs I would want put up.

Several neighbors are starting to put up political signs, and several other houses have signs advertising the people who painted them or remodeled them or whatever, and one neighbor stated that this rule was one reason they moved here.

I decided, instead of emailing each person individually who has a sign up, just to write a reminder email to everyone saying that yard signs are not allowed, except for things that are only up for a day or two like “happy birthday” signs, or, as the deed says, signs to sell or rent a house.

This seems like a reasonable first step.

I quoted the text of the deed and asked our neighbors to abide by the restrictions that we agreed upon when we bought our houses.

One person emailed me back twice, clearly upset, saying that people put up hundreds of signs in our neighborhood each year, and after they put up their own sign, they have to take it down.

You can’t make exceptions to rules based on personal preferences.

He says that all signs must come down, which, in general, I agree with, although my reason for allowing things to stay up for a day or two was about the spirit of the rule in light of the rest of the deed (prohibiting things that could become a nuisance to others).

And expediency (no one has time to write requests for removal for something that will be down tomorrow anyway). And it just seemed extra unreasonable to prohibit signs during someone’s birthday party.

I think the wife is right, though I don’t see what his race has to do with it.

My wife thinks I shouldn’t have written anything, because I made this neighbor feel targeted, since he is a person of color and has an anti-racism sign in his yard.

I am thinking it would have been better to write this message a couple months ago, before the election season began in earnest (although nothing is really normal this year).

AITA?

I think he should have sent something out that just reiterated the rules and not listed any exceptions.

Let’s take a look at what some of the top commenters have to say about it.

He should have enforced the rules all along.

HOAs are the worst.

I don’t agree with this commenter.

I wouldn’t want this job.

This commenter says he is just doing his job.

The rules are there for a reason, he is there to enforce them.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.