19 HOAs That Have Clearly Let The Power Go To Their Heads

For those who don't know (or don't live in America), HOAs — or Homeowners Associations — are groups run by homeowners in a community that tend to govern things like funding for communal spaces or enforcing rules about the appearance of the neighborhood. Which is great until the people running the HOA become drunk with power and start making ridiculous rules and restrictions.

1.This homeowner got an email from their HOA about three vewwy scawwy black SUVS in front of their house:

2.This homeowner had a lovely little tree until the HOA decided it "looked dead" and cut it down:

u/Cool-Arachnid-4749 / Via reddit.com

3.This homeowner got a window AC unit to deal with the Texas heat, until their HOA sent them a "friendly reminder" that they're not allowed:

4.This homeowner — who isn't even in the HOA! — got a letter from the nearby HOA about how unfair it was that they had a gas generator during a power outage:

5.This homeowner was told by the HOA that they had left their skeleton decoration up for too long. So the homeowner decided to incorporate it into year-round festivities. Here it is dressed up for the Olympics:

And here's ol' Skelly dressed up for Labor Day:

6.This homeowner was told the same thing, so they just made their Halloween decoration into a Christmas decoration:

7.This HOA made sure kids weren't allowed to play in the grassy common area:

8.This homeowner, thankfully, is not in an HOA, or else they definitely would've gotten an annoying letter about painting their house — gasp! — purple:

9.This homeowner found a very literal workaround to an HOA rule:

10.This homeowner received a notice that the HOA's proposed budget passed even though it was outvoted, because it requires 600 "no" votes to reject it (only 400-ish people voted):

11.This homeowner got not one, but TWO $200 fines for having weeds and/or bushes in their yard:

12.This homeowner now has to pay $50 to their HOA to "register" their pet turtle. And they'd better not even THINK about getting a second turtle to keep it company:

13.This homeowner was told to remove their political sign, two months before the election:

14.This homeowner spotted HOA members looking into a neighbor's windows:

15.This homeowner received a notice about what kinds of garage door windows are allowed. Watch out for the radius of those curves:

16.This homeowner was forced by the HOA to remove their tire swing, so they got in the Halloween spirit:

17.This homeowner was told they needed to make a fence to block the view of the boat in their driveway. So they complied...but painted a mural on the fence:

18.This HOA really has a thing against birds:

19.And finally, this homeowner decided on a theme for their Halloween decorations this year:

Do you have an HOA that has done something outlandish? Have you ever gotten "revenge" on an overzealous HOA? Let us know in the comments or using this anonymous form and your story may be featured in a future BuzzFeed Community post!