My big win: I got my HOA to force my neighbor to remove an offensive lawn ornament 🐸

Fascist lawn ornament Nazi.

This must not have been in the South because it didn't end in a gun battle.

The woman sounds like a real piece of work BUT if the lawn ornament is in violation of HOA bylaws, then that's that. Down it goes.

I wonder if she’d find my lawn jockey offensive?

We take action against lawn ornaments that incite violence, hate, bigotry, or violate obscenity laws. In the name of eccentricity and free expression, we live and let live about everything else. Unless we are a Petty Booghie Babbitt like the OP and the vile HOA in this Subdivision of the Damned.

Someone learned the word "statuette" and decided to make an EST around it.

I'm a lonely frog

I ain't got a home

Ooo-ooo ooo-ooo ooo-ooo ooo-ooo ooo

I don’t understand the purpose of HOAs. Well, I do. But they seem overly invested in stupid things.

The frog statue wasn't that bad - not the greatest, but ignorable at best. Much ado about nothing.

They ought to take down "AM I THE ASSHOLE" and replace it with a page reading "IF YOU HAVE TO ASK, YOU'RE THE ASSHOLE".

The little bugger is cute. The neighbor could have moved it to another part of the lawn where it wouldn’t have been as visible to avoid the hassle.

The bigger problem is the kid’s reaction. If she can’t handle this, good luck with the rest of her life.

Our HOA violations also come with a $500 fine or more and a trip to the Board for a spanking. Security usually stops by first for a simple violation with an informal, verbal notification. 24 hours later, if not corrected, BAM...open your wallets kiddies!!!

Many years ago the neighbor across the street from my grandmother installed a giant plastic wishing well on their front lawn. My very snobbish grandmother was horrified and, as it was directly in view of her large front window, she couldn’t avoid it. She asked her sons to sneak over and steal it during the night but they refused. In fact, we all enjoyed teasing her about it. She eventually got over it and learned to live in peace with the plastic wishing well. I hadn’t thought about this in years, but on the rare occasions I’m in my home town and drive past both houses, both owners long dead, it’s kind of a sweet memory.

There are better ways to handle these types of disputes.

R9 must not have children.

Eat crack addict ass OP/FRAU CUNT.

People who live in HOAs are the most uptight, annoying assholes on the planet.

If it's against HOA it has to go. Fine but don't give me that scarring the children bullshit, just own up to your own intolerance.

If I was the neighbor I'd plant skunk cabbage and cactus and poison ivy along the walkway or do something else annoying that wasn't covered by HOA.

I hate people who use their kids as shields (Ted Cruz). Imagine that Karen saw the frog and got excited and talked about how cute it was. would little Tifknee still be so scared? No. Mommy is a bitch with too much time on her hands plus she knows her husband is cheating on her.

^scaring them OR scarring them

Anyone who buys into a neighborhood with an HOA needs to read the rules before making their purchase. If there's anything in the rules you don't agree with DON'T BUY. You will not be able to change or bend the rules later. Just move along and find a less restrictive place to live

Far be it from me to live in a stalag housing development with an HOA.

Did it ever occur to you to explain to little Madisen that she doesn't have to be afraid of inanimate concrete lawn statues? No, probably not. Did you really win? Probably not. The child will be insufferable, just like you, OP.

What's the point of HOAs anyway, other than to collect fees?

HOAs are meant to "keep the riffraff out." Which is hilarious, since HOAs are located in areas that are 99% affluent anyway.

What is the frog holding in its hands? It looks like a popper bottle but bigger. What’s in the bottle? It looks like a stem from a bunch of grapes.

That’s the weirdest part of all of this.

What’s in the bottle?

The little girls veins.

Do other countries have HOA? They seem like such a mindless flyover thing. Living in one of these neighborhoods is incredibly tacky. McMansions and patio homes as far as the eye can see.

I thought this was an EST...

[quote]What is the frog holding in its hands? It looks like a popper bottle but bigger. What’s in the bottle? It looks like a stem from a bunch of grapes.

I wish there was a clearer shot of the whole contents, because I think that might be the "scary" part. My hunch is it's some kind of insect (not real, though), like a praying mantis. Sort of a take off on the way little boys would always catch bugs in a bottle; the gag here being that the frog is basically carrying his lunch. I'm sure this little snowflake sees worse on TV every day.

The mom sounds like a real cunt.

What a good rule follower you are, R3 and R20!

The levels this would have escalated were I the neighbor with the frog is making me cackle.

R27 I can't speak for the whole UK, but if someone told me to remove a frog on my front lawn, I'd tell them to get to fuck.

I’d gather a lot of these neighborhoods are inhabited by God-fearing Christian Republicans. Which, given these are the people who cry about individual freedoms, is odd. They don’t want rules imposed unless they’re the ones imposing them.

I would have made a Halloween costume exact replica of the frog. One for me, my spouse, my kids, my bowling team, my grandma's bingo group, the hobos 2 streets over.

Yes it's most odd that in the land of the free, there's a committee deciding these things.

Smells a bit socialist to me.

I would be totally in favor of waging a psychological campaign against this breeder cunt.

I'd remove the statuette.

But I'd make myself a costume like the statuette, sit by the sidewalk, and l, when the complaining family came by, I'd suddenly chase the entire family down the street, traumatizing that little brat who's afraid of a little statuary.

Where the hell’s a picture of this atrocity?

r39, attached

[quote]Do other countries have HOA? They seem like such a mindless flyover thing. Living in one of these neighborhoods is incredibly tacky. McMansions and patio homes as far as the eye can see.

[quote]I’d gather a lot of these neighborhoods are inhabited by God-fearing Christian Republicans. Which, given these are the people who cry about individual freedoms, is odd. They don’t want rules imposed unless they’re the ones imposing them.

You all really make me laugh.

Flyover thing? There are wealthy "liberal" communities all over the Coasts with the most restrictive rules concerning aesthetics. Don't you dare decide to change your door color to something that is not approved. Or put a ceramic frog on your lawn.

And there are draconian landmark laws for historic homes and neighborhoods.

Not to mention the wealthy gated communities.

Europe? Again: there are rules governing aesthetics , what you can and cannot do.

I work in a library and (pre-Covid) our meeting rooms were used extensively by HOAs. They were always such pains in the ass. They would claim that they're "non-profit" -- the library's rule was you had to be a non-profit to book space. They are 504s (trade association?) or something like that, though the person who booked it was from the for-profit management company and they met to discuss increasing unit prices. They would always need last minute help and decide they'd need a laptop and projector after all, could they bring snacks, etc. When I read about HOAs and enforcement of technical little rules I always laugh as they are so blatantly, blithely, and arrogantly contemptuous of our rules and policies.

The fights we've witnessed are amazing and I can imagine some of them centering on something like a garden gnome.

@r31, "What a good rule follower you are, [R3] and [R20]! "

No, I'm not a "good rule follower" that's why I wouldn't live anyplace with a strict HOA. My advice was if you can't follow the rules DON'T BUY. Why did you have such a hard time understanding that?

These kinds of rules even got Joan Rivers to turn into a humorless dictator.

You sound insufferable too, R39. Where do you come off being so demanding?

R40 was kind enough to post it for you, but it was posted at R11 had you bothered to read the thread.

^ You're President of your HOA, aren't you?

Ha you’re offended???? I’m offended that you are offended!!! No it’s okay, you’re fine!!! 🤡

Entitled yoga mommy cunt who has never worked a day in her life. Can you imagine what a raging bitch her cunt dropping will grow into. Stay at home moms are mostly worthless leeches.

@r47, Who are you talking to?

Was it the 4chan frog? Looked creepy to me. You did right, OP.

My Aunt's HOA had to have an emergency meeting to debate costumes on Mailbox Manatees. Ultimately they agreed to national holidays only and Halloween. Sadly, Carmen Miranda's birthday didn't make the cut.

I have filed a complaint with my condo board after trying all other methods to get help with a complaint. Before filing a complaint, I tried all other ways to resolve the issue. (No, don't ask, I won't describe the problem, but I have no doubt that people on the board would have done as I did.) I finally filed a written complaint. The other person spoke to the board on their own defense. The board sided with me.

But, let's take another type of complaint: wind chimes.

Suppose your neighbor puts up big and loud wind chimes whose noise you are forced to hear whenever you use your yard or open your windows. They refuse to remove it or place it in a different location. Would you complain to your HOA (if you had one). Or do you love wind chimes. Or worse, do you hang wind chimes all over your house.

r52...

It's because I'm green, isn't it?

Nosey frau Karen neighbor needs to mind her own business.

^ No, it's because you're "Q"

Troublemaking neighbor that complained as annonymous.

Where's Rand Paul's neighbor when you need him?

This neighborhood beef over Christmas decorations came up on my YouTube feed. Crazy!

That frog statue has seen better days. It's missing a lot of paint. What's in the jar is most likely a string of solar-powered lights that glow at night.

I have no time for HOAs but I can understand the desire to make some neighbor's obnoxious tat disappear. The drug addicts living next door to me put out one of those stupid plastic kid statues by their mailbox, so their dealers making late-night deliveries know which house to stop at. It looks like shit.

R44, thanks for posting that NYT article about Joan Rivers being the president of her condo board. I was surprised that, while alive, she had listed her apartment 3X. I wonder what she had planned to do, where she had planned to move to.

She was an old, Jewish New Yorker. Where do you think she was going to move, Alaska?

[quote] BUT if the lawn ornament is in violation of HOA bylaws

There's more than one way to skin a cat

Then you buy 20 of them and put them on top of your car when you get home from work. Or get magnetic stickers of the frog and put them on your car when you are home

Or put a bookcase up at the edge of the front of the garage and put 20 of the statues on them and keep the garage door open every day that you are home

You probably can’t leave your garage door open, R62.

[quote] They would always need last minute help and decide they'd need a laptop and projector after all, could they bring snacks, etc

I hate people who have to have "snacks"

damn, can't you last a few hours without feeding your fat faces? We have this kind of bullshit at my job. I'm so glad to be working from home. I worked in a call center. No one should be eating, while they are on the phone. And all the bitches pronounced it "snaaaacks"

It's just so trashy for an adult to have to have snacks in a public place (that doesn't serve food)

[quote] [R9] must not have children.

Imagine... a poster on a gay website not having children, or giving a shit about the child's perspective! What is the world coming to???

What you really need is a tanuki statue with gigantic balls.

[quote] I hate people who have to have "snacks" damn, can't you last a few hours without feeding your fat faces?

I used to go to meetings on a regular basis at an office that always served snacks. Pretty good snacks, too, like candy and trail mix (nuts & dried fruit). One day, I was there for a ~ 10:00 a.m. meeting. One of the regular participants (rude, sneaky, and worst-dressed) put a styrofoam clamshell down on the meeting table, opened it up, put her head down, and began shoveling food into her face.

[quote]Then you buy 20 of them and put them on top of your car when you get home from work. Or get magnetic stickers of the frog and put them on your car when you are home Or put a bookcase up at the edge of the front of the garage and put 20 of the statues on them and keep the garage door open every day that you are home

Yeah, I'm sure that'll make your life easier.

[quote]What is the frog holding in its hands? It looks like a popper bottle but bigger. What’s in the bottle? It looks like a stem from a bunch of grapes.

R25/Tony, I think that R59 is correct; the jar is supposed to have a solar-charged light reminiscent of a lightning bug.

Here's one like it:

HOA laws, like heritage precincts, protect people who wish to live in an area with a particular aesthetic against the tasteless, the stupid, and the selfish. Like morons who put aluminium windows in heritage homes. If you don’t like the restrictions buy elsewhere! Classic case was an historic street with a pastoral feel that was created by a famous gardener. New homeowner came in and wanted its unpaved road bitumented. They lost.

HOAs are stupid. But they’re also not a surprise. They are fully disclosed.

[quote]I’d gather a lot of these neighborhoods are inhabited by God-fearing Christian Republicans. Which, given these are the people who cry about individual freedoms, is odd. They don’t want rules imposed unless they’re the ones imposing them.

Some are, some aren't depending on the region. It's more of a grasping class thing than a Democrat/Republican thing.

There's an HOA near me where the residents can't even leave their garage doors open. Not gatherings on the front lawn, either. If you have a party it has to be in the backyard and (pre-Covid) only a certain number of people are allowed to attend.

The garage door rule is probably a good rule. My neighbor's garage (inside) looks like shit. It's kind of an eyesore.

Hear, hear r64! People who can't make it through a 90-minute meeting without stuffing their faces with snacks. And there has to be a variety of snacks, too. Fucking hell. You'd think they would starve to death in those 90 minutes without an array of snacks to gorge on. I hate people like this.

That was dumb, OP. Because you now have the pleasure of waiting and waiting until your neighbor finally decides the time is right to exact his revenge. Just hope he doesn't have mob connections.

Hmm. The story reminds me of when I was three years old or so, and my mom used to take me on a walk to a local small grocery store some six blocks to the west of us. That street, a main traffic road, had a row of houses facing it, and one of these had a garden tiki next to its sidewalk, near the front door. The day I spotted that, I completely lost my goddamned mind, screaming inconsolably, and had to be picked up and carried away. On the return trip, same business. Once I knew where it was, I would always look for it when we passed; even riding in a car past it, I freaked out. I called it 'the 𝑢𝑔𝑙𝑦' (adjective as a noun). One day it was just gone. My family never made any effort to have it removed; I think the owner just moved away, and took his/her lawn decor with them. The new owner cut back all the trees and bushes which had over-shadowed the place where the 𝑢𝑔𝑙𝑦 had stood.

Even at this distance, I still remember the fits I threw, and what it looked like, sans the fear I felt; that is gone. I am very opposed to the idea of trying to make homeowners get rid of something like that. I remember it now somewhat fondly.

IMO, kids should face these fears and acclimate to them; it can be overcome.

It looked somewhat like this, but with a darker wood stain:

[quote]It's more of a grasping class thing

You think old money neighborhoods don't have these kinds of laws?

And the most exclusive buildings are rife with all sorts of rules governing aesthetics. Try putting up a cutesy wreath on your door and you'll see.

[quote]You think old money neighborhoods don't have these kinds of laws?

God love you for thinking there are still "old money neighborhoods" in 2021.

Yahoo News reports an AITA EST as news. DL falls for it and then doubles down by believing OP to be the author.

I apologize OP, I didn't quite get the context that you were posting a story and you weren't the original complainant.

"[R9] must not have children. "

This is a gay website most of us do not have children. Get the fuck out of here FREAK!

There are two kinds of parents, those who help their children adjust to the world, and those with Twitter.

[quote]"[[R9]] must not have children. "

No we don't because we're FAGS.

Fucking hell gay men can never have shit to ourselves. It's always invaded by finger-wagging cunts rolling on in on their snail trails. Fuck.

I have those all over my route to and from my home. They are also accompanied by signs that say, Twenty is Plenty and Drive Like Your Children Live Here.

I always wanted to put a sign next those that says, Parent So Your Children Don’t Play in the Street.

It’s a road for cars—go to a park or play in the backyard!

[QUOTE]God love you for thinking there are still "old money neighborhoods" in 2021.

God love you for thinking there aren't.

Not really anymore r86. And in any event, those neighborhoods aren't HOAs.

Are there really still neighborhoods in the US that are exclusively WASP and the residents carry on as if they were CZ Guest circa 1956?

r86 name them.

There needs to be a law mandating that after a certain amount of time, stay at home mothers either (a) get back to work or (b) start volunteering in their community.

My comment was directed to r59.

R88 It's not 1958 but places like Bar Harbor come pretty close. And of course there are buildings on the Upper East Side that are still reserved for a certain set of people.

Gypsies are afraid of frogs. Are you a dirty gypsy?

[quote] And of course there are buildings on the Upper East Side that are still reserved for a certain set of people.

Those are buildings, not neighborhoods. And even those buildings have been forced to relax their standards because the demand is not as high as it used to be, as people move to new construction and downtown has become more desirable than Park or 5th.

If Karen had any sense she'd have told the kid "There's going to be a lot of frogs and a lot of tears so you better get used to it"

"Hubbie?"

I was sad to read the story. What a horrible neighbor. And what in gods name is she been telling her child that she’s scared of a frog?

[quote]Are there really still neighborhoods in the US that are exclusively WASP and the residents carry on as if they were CZ Guest circa 1956?

Of course there are. You saw that with those idiotic black marchers that invaded the gated street of that couple who got upset.

For R88 who apparently never ventures outside their slum.

After the cunts I just dealt with, especially a fat gay male one, I will never live in a condo or neighborhood with an HOA. There are plenty that don't have them and I found a great one with huge lots and friendly neighbors who wave and say hi but otherwise leave each other alone,

....

And some women wonder why they end up under the crawlspace at their neighbors house.

Here's Star Island, Miami. If you only have a few million, and want an apartment, you'd choose Fisher Island.

r95 I like your style of parenting lol!

[quote]Of course there are. You saw that with those idiotic black marchers that invaded the gated street of that couple who got upset.

Those are affluent white neighborhoods, not "WASP" in the classic sense. Those types of neighborhoods don't really exist anymore.

r99 gated communities are not WASP neighborhoods. They're just for affluent people who are mostly white. From your article:

[quote]If you’re looking to be neighbors with people like Justin Bieber, Jennifer Lopez, Kourtney Kardashian, and the Jacksons to name a few, then you’ll have to shell out to move into The Estates outside of LA. Homes can go for over $30 million in this stunning community, and living with celebrities means security and access are strictly controlled.

I really wouldn't call any of those people WASPS.

I think some DLers are confused and think WASPS are just "rich white people." That is completely incorrect.

R105 Nonsense.

r107 the Highlands are a rich neighborhood. Lots of tech $$$. Not WASP. And Carl Sagan was a Jew.

R108 The token Jew or two doesn't change the basic character of the place.

But r109 it's still not a WASP neighborhood. Just a rich white neighborhood. You think all those tech bros who live there are WASPs? lol!

This is why I live in a condo. The level of nosiness and twitching curtains in single family home neighborhoods seems obnoxious. I see my neighbors in the hallway, we nod politely and say hello, how are you? and go about our business.

Wait until you get one bad one. That's all it takes, trust me.

All these people are are nosey busy bodies. Give them a little power and it goes to their heads.

It just baffles me that in the land of the free, you can't put an ornamental frog on your own front lawn.

Sure, I understand the point about preserving the historic nature of historic buildings, but in the States, anything before 1950 is deemed historic!

My village was documented in the Doomsday Book of 1086 and parts of my local church date from 1168. No one would bat an eyelid if the vicar stuck a frog on the law of the Vicarage though.

R113 It's sort of a theme in American culture. Obsess over stupid and petty nonsense while ignoring major systemic problems. The irony is that the neighborhood is probably full of hideous tacky mcmansions anyway.

HOAs are the refuges of busybody pissants. So somebody has a frog ornament? Jesus, get a grip.

The skank that forced the removal of the frog is a cunt who will receive karma in many forms, but most deliciously from the retard of a daughter she is ruining. Lol…smfh

What is the daughters name? MARY?

You are a monster, a MONSTER I tell you!

A few years of Purging wouldn't hurt in these situations.

Je suis Froggy!

R27 here - laughing at the pretentious cunts who compare their ticky tacky developments with historic districts. Entirely different beasts.

[quote]My village was documented in the Doomsday Book of 1086 and parts of my local church date from 1168. No one would bat an eyelid if the vicar stuck a frog on the law of the Vicarage though.

Try doing that in Italy.

If a neighborhood or building has such laws then don't choose to live there. It's as simple as that.

There are so many other places to choose from in the US. Places where you can park your boat in the driveway. Set your car up on cinderblocks. Have your inflatable Santa, reindeers and elves at Christmas time. A light show projection on your home. Plastic pumpkins and an inflatable witch at Halloween. A kiddie pool on you front lawn. The whole works!

If he can have his ceramic frog, then I can have my Snow White.

And all seven dwarfs.

Hey, it's a free country isn't it?

1/3 of any HOA inevitably ends up as a slush fund to cover directors' BevMo deliveries.

Breaking news!

The frog belonged to Clit Dad's wife.

*Domesday, R113.

Do you realize what a loser you are? Imagine finding a fucking frog offensive. I'd cover my lawn in 6-foot phalli, just to spite you.

[quote]Imagine finding a fucking frog offensive.

You said it, R127!

I would never survive in an HOA. I would probably be screaming the word "CUNT" at all the neighbors within a week.

So a lawn ornament is offensive because of your retarded daughter?

It starts with a frog ornament. Then a neighbor sees it’s OK to put a frog ornament on their lawn and decides to put up one of these :

HOA!

A frog, is a frog is a frog.

I would bet $$$ that this woman is the biggest cunt in the HOA and everybody else hates her and is always talking shit about her.

Are burning crosses on the lawn allowed?

Today it’s a frog statue and tomorrow they are moving in a trailer in the front yard.

HOA neighborhoods are not for everyone. They all sign up and know the rules and then pull this victim crap.

If you are trashy and inconsiderate then you should never move into an HOA. It is not for you. It is for tidy and respectful people.

[quote]It starts with a frog ornament. Then a neighbor sees it’s OK to put a frog ornament on their lawn and decides to put up one of these :

Or one of these.

And when it comes time to sell your home and show it to prospective buyers, it's much nicer not to be next to neighbors with tasteless crap all over the place,

R137 I think that would be considered a high class lawn ornament in certain areas of the country! It’s all fancy with growing flowers n’ stuff!

I think the woman would have a heart attack if she saw one of these on a lawn!

Put one of these ornaments on the ladies lawn!

All great examples of why HOAs are a good thing.

HOAs exist for people with absolutely zero power in their careers, relationships, whatever, They look for ways to flex the puny muscles they have been given. Total cunts, male and female.

True, r143

R143 at Christmas time.

Nope, not my thing -- but it would take a lot for me to complain about something like that, especially just at Christmas. I have plenty of power elsewhere.

I live in a 55+ community, with HOA, in NJ. This place is populated with live and let live types, and a smaller group of real nuts. We have a community FB page, and I look forward each day to reading posts and replies of these wackos. Either they are complaining and defying HOA guidelines, or bitching about the board/management or finding something to create a controversy about. These posts and the resulting replies and challenges have provide me much amusement during the pandemic.

1. In warm weather, grass is supposed to be cut every two weeks, or when it reaches 2 1/2 inches high. We have a group of nuts who post pics of rulers propped up in the grass. If it is a hair above 2 1/2 " the incensed posters call for the firing of management and ousting the elected Board.

2. Regular posts about finding dog poop. Admittedly, it is annoying when people do not pick up their dog's mess. However, the threats and consequences of ever finding out who the offender is are hilarious.

3. Our clubhouse and pool have been closed due to Covid since last March. The state has not issued guidelines for our type of communities, tho there are state guidelines for public gyms and pools. The moaning and groanings over this are endless. You can easily tell the Trumpers because their complaints are all about our freedoms being taken.

4. Homeowners are limited to no more than 6 items in the garden beds (meaning statuettes, potted plants. There are size and height limits as well) at the front of the house and along driveways. Likely a good rule, since some of the homeowners put up kitschy garden gnomes and statuettes, and might go hog wild if not limited.

I moved here because I was tired of the responsibility for maintenance, snow removal, etc. I accept the HOA rules as a trade off. Many neighbors seem not to have read the guidelines provided.

[quote] I have plenty of power elsewhere.

LOL. I'm sure you do.

All this over a fucking frog statue? Great lesson you taught your daughter: her every emotion must be catered to. Tell her that she will encounter thousands of things over her life that she might not like. Teach her to “man up” and pick her battles wisely. Teach yourself this too.

But r149 she is UNIQUE AND SPECIAL. How dare you!

Have that little bitch watch this and it will teach her a real life lesson.

Bless your heart, OP. You're a little Gladys Kravitz.

Some of the most controlling county people I have known, have been on HOA boards. Probably not a coincidence.

I don't mind my condo association HOA. We've had people use blankets and beach towels as drapes. I don't decorate my deck but we have rules about when holiday lights and decorations must be removed.

When I first moved here (been here 23 years), the main door was kept open to allow trick or treaters to get candy. I should explain that we have about 20 buildings, each with 7 units in them. Someone complained about safety so we no longer do that. Consequently, no ToTrs in at least 20 years.

Our HOA were a bunch of grifting assholes. Some of us had to take back the board and get rid of the security and manager the grifters had hired. Everything improved 100% and we were able to sell our condo for a competitive price instead of looking like we lived in a chaotic slum.

We get it, R148, you're a cunt. Good luck with that.

R14....That made me laugh. It's tragic and horrible what happened.. "Jimmmmy!"

Luckily, my HOA hasn't been too strict with some outdoor decor. I know there are worse HOAs.

[quote]That made me laugh.

You fucker, you!

Wasn’t one of the reasons Chris Watts killed his whole family was because they owned so much money in back payments to the HOA?

[italic] I don't mind my condo association HOA. We've had people use blankets and beach towels as drapes.[/italic]

I’m clutching my pearls! There is tacky and then there’s super tacky! Who in their right mind would do that?

R161, I want to think it was new owners who hadn't had a chance to put up new drapes/blinds/whatever. Some owners don't live in their condos year round and rent them out. Some are owned but used as rental properties.

I do remember an incident where an owner was fined/disciplined. They had rented a 3-bedroom condo to a bunch of girls (not sure how many but more than 3 girls). They had wild parties where the neighbors were constantly calling the cops. The HOA told the owner the renters had to go. There was some damage to the common areas and the condo owner was held responsible and forced to pay up.

I had purchased a new construction home on 3 acres in a development with only 2 other homes built and occupied. 3 acres was the minimum lot size. We had HOA then and it was not an issue. 2 years later a couple built a house and purchased a lot next to me with the intent to not build and have more land. The husband became the enforcer for HOA rules. People would receive violation notices in their mailboxes from front porch light left on after daybreak to allowing someone other than the homeowner plow a driveway after a snowstorm. He apparently did not consider his 3 acre parcel part of the HOA umbrella. He did not mow or maintain this parcel of land. He was fined multiple times for his violations but he never paid or acknowledged these notices. So when his wife divorced him after he was caught with the gentleman who was the builder in our development, she got the house. He got the parcel of land with $18,000 in violations that had to be paid before he could build or sell the lot. We all had a chuckle.