Imagine moving into an HOA community and deciding that you want to put up a fence. If you got the HOA’s approval to install the fence, would you be willing to remove it over a technicality, or would you insist that you had done everything to their specifications?

In this story, one woman is in this situation. She wants a fence, gets approval from the HOA and finds someone to install the fence. Yet, after the fence is installed, she’s told she has to remove it.

Keep reading to see how she handles this really frustrating situation.

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 were all the same and standard 8 home apartment buildings.

All the rent to own condos have a porch area in the back that lead to a parking lot. Some of which my mother noticed has fences.

It sounds like OP’s mom did everything right.

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

She learned pretty quick that you had to get permission to do just about anything here. 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 guildlines she finds a contractor (which she discovered was an old childhood friend, Suprise!) and has the fence put in.

Que HOA.

There was a small problem that the HOA considered a big problem.

My mom submits the contractor’s document stating the kind of fence and 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, the technical term for the color white of the fence doesn’t match what they allow. Best example would be they allow “paper white” but it was labeled eggshell.

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

My mother attempted to explain that the specific brand only used that white. To get the other white you had use a different, more expensive fence brand.

She even called the HOA out on how ridiculous they were being.

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.

This was a creative solution.

My mother and the contractor pull up the fence and the HOA watch as it’s 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”.

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

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

I’m surprised they pulled up the fence. I expected them to just modify the paperwork and resubmit it claiming the contractor made a mistake the first time.

Let’s see how Reddit responded to this story.

This would’ve been a lot easier.

Here’s another idea that probably would’ve worked.

This would’ve been funny.

It’s true. Eggshell is a texture, but I’m sure it could also be a color.

The HOA was way too picky.

If you liked that post, check out this post about a rude customer who got exactly what they wanted in their pizza.