A New HOA Board Turned Their Friendly Neighborhood Into Constant Surveillance — Now Longtime Residents Are Looking for a Way Out
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A neighborhood can go from feeling like home to feeling like a surveillance state faster than most people.
When one homeowner first moved in seven years ago, the community felt genuinely close-knit. Neighbors waved, kids played in the street, and porch conversations were common.
Everything shifted once the HOA board changed. Suddenly the board issued excessive citations to some homeowners, all while seemingly overlooking identical behavior from other households entirely.
The final straw came when he received a lawn maintenance violation despite having mowed the day before.
Now he’s questioning whether to cut his losses and find a whole new neighborhood to live in.
You’ll want to keep reading for this one.
HOA favoritism is destroying our community
I used to love my neighborhood.
Basically when we moved in like 7 years ago, it felt like a real community.
Neighbors waved to each other, kids played in the street, and people actually hung out on their porches and chatted.
But soon everything changed.
But it became different when the board of the HOA changed. I feel like I am under surveillance all the time.
I receive notifications for stuff that I have never been told about.
Leaving garbage bins just an hour late. A fence panel which is not aligned properly. Even about parking my truck in my garage.
These draconian rules aren’t applied evenly.
What gets me is the favoritism. Some houses get cited immediately. Others do the exact same thing and nobody says a word.
Last month, I got a violation for not maintaining my lawn. I’d literally mowed it the day before. I took a picture and sent it to them. They didn’t even respond.
Now the homeowner is questioning how much more they can take.
I still love my house. I’ve put years into making it mine and feel like home.
But I’m starting to wonder if I should just cut my losses. A couple of neighbors have already left.
They mentioned something like Cleveland cash offers as a way to get out fast. I never thought I’d consider it. But lately, I catch myself looking at those listings online.
Has anyone else had an HOA ruin a good neighborhood?
It’s a real shame what this HOA has done.
Redditors chime in with their thoughts.
Maybe some people just aren’t meant to be in charge.
This user suggests maybe a court of law could help this homeowner out.
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This reader is actually going through a very similar ordeal.
Some states offer homeowners a lot more protection from their HOAs.
If you enjoyed this post, check out this story about neighbors who intentionally tank an open house sale because they want to buy the property themselves.
Judging by this homeowner’s account, it’s pretty obvious this HOA doesn’t value accountability at all.
The only thing worse than a draconian HOA board is a draconian HOA board that plays favorites.
This neighborhood went from having it all to losing it all in seconds flat — and that’s a hard pill to swallow.
This homeowner can’t continue like this forever, so maybe it’s time to find a new place to live.
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