HOA rules can make simple home improvements needlessly complicated.

One homeowner installed an approved fence that looked exactly like every other fence.

Unfortunately, its paperwork used the wrong name for white.

She found a very literal solution.

Read on for the full story.

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 had fences.

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.

She followed the rules…

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) and has the fence put in.

Cue the HOA.

Doh!

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 every day the fence stood.

Come on…

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.

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.

Let’s try that again!

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.”

Reddit users shared their thoughts.

This person had a lot to say.

Another individual weighed in.

This person asked a question.

Another Reddit user just doesn’t get it.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a neighbor who takes advantage of an inexhaustive HOA-approved plant list.

And this reader didn’t hold back.

This homeowner removed her rejected fence, then had the exact same fence reinstalled one day later.

The only real change was new paperwork listing its color as the HOA-approved shade of white.