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Imagine agreeing to cat sit for your friend while she’s out of town. If your friend later got fined by her HOA because of where you parked your car (her driveway), would you be willing to pay the fine, or would you figure that’s the homeowner’s responsibility?

In this story, one person is in that exact situation, and she’s not willing to pay the fine.

This HOA fine is tearing this friendship apart because neither person seems willing to back down.

Let’s read all about it.

AITA for refusing to pay an HOA “ticket” while cat sitting

A friend asked me to watch her cat for her while she was on vacation.

When I went over to feed the cat, I parked in the driveway, fed the cat, and left.

One day, I went to feed the cat and there was a $25 “ticket” on my car for parking in the driveway. It was from the HOA not the police or parking enforcement.

But the HOA wants their money.

There was nothing illegal about where I parked nor have I ever been told not to park in a driveway by anyone.

So, I ignored it.

The HOA is now pursuing her for the ticket since their authority only extends to their members.

She sent them my info and I flat out told them to take a hike, I’m not paying a fine and if they don’t like it, sue me.

She doesn’t want to pay.

She is upset with me and demanding I pay since she will have to pay the fine.

If she had told me her HOA does stuff like that and that I need to park on a guest spot instead, I would have. But, I don’t feel obliged to pay a fine for made up rules I was never told about.

The law in my state is pretty clear, the HOA has no right to fine me, but their members can be held responsible for the violations of guests.

It doesn’t seem fair to get fined $25 to cat sit. I think the friend should be grateful that she was willing to cat sit and pay the $25 since it’s her house, her HOA, and she has to follow the rules. OP shouldn’t have to pay even though she broke the rule because she didn’t know the rule existed.

Let’s see if Reddit agrees.

This person thinks the friend should pay the fine.

Another person thinks the friend is the one who messed up.

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Here’s a good way of thinking about it.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a woman who is upset that her neighbor’s aggressive dogs are ruining her enjoyment of her outdoor space.

Another person would give the friend two choices.

Nobody thinks OP should pay the fine. Everybody thinks the friend should pay since she didn’t tell her about the parking rules.

I’m still wondering why she would get fined for parking in her friend’s driveway. Where else is she supposed to park?

It’s too bad if this friendship ends over $25.

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Author

Jayne Elliott

Jayne Elliott | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Jayne Elliott is a contributing writer and editor for TwistedSifter specializing in human interest stories, internet culture, and family dynamics. With over 12 years of editorial experience in digital publishing, Jayne excels at analyzing complex online communities and transforming viral social debates into thoughtful, highly engaging narratives.

Rather than simply aggregating internet drama, Jayne brings a sharp, empathetic editorial eye to everyday dilemmas. She has a unique talent for unpacking the nuances of pop culture and online conflicts, providing readers with relatable, well-researched commentary.

Based in California, Jayne spends her free time outside the newsroom exploring theme parks with her family or beach-combing along the coast.

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