Homeowner stunned after HOA demands removal of 'beautiful' feature on their property: 'I'm obviously really upset by this news'

A homeowner expressed distaste for their local HOA after being ordered to remove a tree they had become fond of from their yard. 

When the homeowners association sent a landscaping service to tend to another tree in the neighborhood, a worker reported to a board member that it was dead and a risk. The tree was under the HOA's jurisdiction, so they recommended it be removed within six months.

"I'm obviously really upset by this news as I love this tree and the look it brings to my house," the homeowner said in the post, calling the maple "beautiful." 

Since the tree was producing leaves and they did not want to waste money on an arborist's evaluation if there was no real risk, they went to the r/arborists subreddit to get some answers. 

Conveniently, one of the commenters — an arborist — gave them the advice they sought for free. They expressed that the HOA was not doing a great job of maintaining the tree — the homeowner agreed — and concluded that it looked fine for the near term. 

"If you like the tree and can afford it, having a TRAQ arborist doing one would give you first of all an exhaustive report on the state of the tree and the limit of tolerability and secondly a certificate that you can use to shut up people that want to kill other people's trees without properly evaluating them first," another commenter advised.

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for HOAs to force homeowners to make drastic changes to their yards without expert evaluation. 

One homeowner xeriscaped their property using stone, gravel, and drought-resistant plants, and then their HOA ordered them to remove supposedly dead plants. 

Someone else had a particular and insistent HOA, which first ordered them to remove weeds from their yard, then plant new grass, and finally send pictures of the growth within six weeks.

This TCD guide can help educate you on how HOAs operate, how to make change in your community — for the good of your neighbors and the environment — and how to protect your yard from an HOA that thinks its word is the only word. 

Should homeowners associations be able to determine what you grow in your garden? Yes 💯 Only if it impacts your neighbors 🏘️ Depends on what you're growing 🌼 Heck no 🙅 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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