A MAN has entered a feud with his homeowner’s association after his nosy neighbors complained about his “concerning” celebration – but he can’t find a problem with the cause of their issues.
The HOA sent an email to the resident just days after his birthday party, which brought multiple friends and the cars over to his house.
The homeowner posted a screenshot of the HOA’s email on Reddit in a post that has accumulated over 45,000 votes and over 9,000 comments.
The HOA expressed concern over the party guests’ vehicles, which had tinted windows, in an email titled, “concerning event during your recent birthday party.”
“A few of us in the community couldn’t help but notice the arrival of three blacked-out SUVs, which quite frankly, startled and unsettled several of your neighbors,” the HOA vice president said in the email.
“It’s really concerning to see such vehicles showing up in our otherwise peaceful, family-oriented neighborhood, especially without any prior notice.
“As you can imagine, the sight of them raised a lot of questions and caused quite a bit of anxiety. Some residents even thought something more serious was happening.”
The HOA went on to say the situation was “alarming” and asked the homeowner to notify them in the future about any “unusual activity.”
“It would certainly help ease the collective nerves of your neighbors, who were left feeling quite uncomfortable by the presence of those vehicles,” the email advised.
‘JUST WEIRD’
The Reddit user shared his annoyance with the email in his post.
“The people in the SUV were regular people who were my friends,” he explained.
“This is just weird. Am I supposed to tell those people to rent a Prius the next time around?”
The poster added that his birthday celebration was a “very tame party” with no loud music and no illegal parking from six vehicles in the driveway and two on the street.
REDDIT ADVICE
Thousands of Redditors shared their advice for the homeowner in the comments, with most encouraging the original poster to tell off the HOA or play a prank on them.
“I’m furious and this affects me in absolutely zero ways,” one comment said.
“This is where you invite your friends over multiple times per day and call these people to give notice 3-5 times per day that their SUVs are coming until they realize how ridiculous their request was,” another jokingly advised.
What is an HOA?
One in five Americans live in an area with a Homeowners’ Association – or HOA. But what exactly is it that they do?
- An HOA is a homeowner’s association – an organization that aims to maintain a clean and cohesive place to live for its residents.
- Entire neighborhoods, subdivisions, condominiums, family homes, or townhouses within “a planned development” will often make up an HOA.
- They also act as a governing body for tenants, who run and fund the HOA through monthly fees.
- Their principal aims are to keep the community functioning and visually appealing and to maintain property values.
- They primarily focus on common areas of a neighborhood, such as roads, parks, and pools – but may also stipulate what residents can do with their properties, such as yards and driveways.
- Often these restrictions enforce uniformity on properties, for example, ensuring most houses look the same and all driveways are clear of weeds.
- An HOA rulebook of covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&R) is distributed to all residents, and an elected volunteer board of directors enforces these regulations.
- Breaking these rules can result in penalties such as fines and even litigation – as most HOAs are incorporated and subject to state law.
- HOAs are often the subject of controversy, with some members feeling that the rules are too punitive and restricting, or that the leadership has too much power.
- But others like that HOAs give communities the power of self-governance, and can ensure a degree of harmony between residents.
However, the story took a turn when the HOA saw the viral Reddit post – and the organization apologized to the homeowner in an email shared in an update.
HOA APOLOGIZES
“After reviewing the post and seeing the overwhelming response, I can completely understand why my original message was seen as alarmist, demeaning, and offensive,” the HOA VP said.
“I want to publicly apologize to you and anyone else who felt the same. That was never the intention, and I deeply regret how the email was worded.”
The HOA said, “Our community strives to be inclusive and welcoming, and I recognize that my message did not reflect those values.”
RESIDENT FIGHTS BACK
The homeowner said he fired back at the apologetic email.
“It’s hard to believe you’d be this cooperative and apologetic without the 6,000 Redditors who weighed in,” the resident said he responded.
“Let this serve as a clear message to you and any other HOA ‘leaders’ stop with the nonsense.”
He said he signed the email, “Sincerely, a friend of the black SUV owners.”
It’s unclear what the neighbors thought the black SUVs meant, but tinted car windows are typically legal, depending on the state.
