Residents Cheered For How They Dealt With Pushy New HOA: ‘Conceded Defeat’

A group of residents has been praised online for how they handled a dispute with their Home Owner’s Association (HOA), taking creative measures to prove a point.

A Reddit post has gone viral, explaining how residents argued with their HOA over a ban on work vehicles being parked in driveways overnight.

“One of the original residents worked for cable company and had to bring his cable company bucket truck home every night,” said u/twinmom2298 in the post, titled ‘HOA is sorry they pushed’.

The poster explained that the resident with the work van received a warning from a new management company saying that he was no longer allowed to park his work vehicle in his driveway overnight.

“Being a smart man he pulls out the rules and he realizes that the rules say it can’t be in driveway overnight it doesn’t say it can’t be parked on street,” they said in the post. “So he starts parking in front of his house. We live in a township where overnight parking on street is permitted and many people park cars overnight on road.”

The post goes on to explain that the man received another violation warning, saying that he isn’t allowed to park on the street overnight. After going to the township, he was told that the HOA could not enforce this and informed neighbors on social media.

In a show of solidarity, a truck driver began parking in front of his house after leaving his vehicle in storage for some time. “Another person pulls their RV from storage and parks it on road by their house,” the post read. “Someone else pulls their boat out of storage and parks it on its hauling thing on road.”

The HOA “rapidly conceded defeat” and suggested that the rule be changed, allowing the man to once again park his van in his driveway overnight.

Luke Carlson, owner of LS Luke Carlson Law, a firm that specializes in real estate disputes, told Newsweek: “When facing a parking dispute, homeowners have several practical options.

“First and foremost, document everything – keep records of all communications, take photos, and save every notice.”

He added: “Creative solutions often work best in these situations. If the HOA’s concern is about appearance, simple fixes like keeping the vehicle especially clean, finding a less visible parking spot, or using an approved vehicle cover can go a long way toward resolving the dispute.

“It can also be helpful to connect with neighbors facing similar challenges. When multiple homeowners raise concerns about outdated or impractical rules, boards are often more willing to consider updates that better accommodate working vehicles.

“If these initial steps don’t resolve the issue, homeowners should consider seeking legal counsel before the situation escalates to fines or enforcement actions. Many HOA disputes can be effectively resolved through mediation, which is typically less expensive and confrontational than litigation.”

Carlson explained that HOAs have “the legal authority to regulate parking within their communities” but that these restrictions “need to be reasonable”.

“A blanket ban on all work vehicles, for example, could be problematic – especially in today’s economy where many professionals rely on work vehicles for their livelihood.”

Reddit users took to the comments of the viral post to share their thoughts. “I had a dispute with my HOA a few years ago. I read up on all the rules and covenants. I set out on a little crusade to make sure that THEY followed every last of their own rules in the matter, right down to the letter. Things settled quickly after that, and they tend to leave me alone now,” u/SpiritualAmoeba84 shared.

“Why do people care about cars being in driveways anyways?” asked u/jabberwockxeno.

“Love this! And I love the neighbor solidarity!” u/TriGurl commented.

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