Homeowner outraged as HOA ignores hazardous issue in neighborhood: 'Not sure how many times I have to complain'

In a rare turn of events, a homeowner has been struggling with inaction by their homeowners association in addressing a potential environmental hazard in the neighborhood.

In the Neighbors from Hell subreddit, a poster recently explained that they've had no real issues with their HOA to date. But a problem arose when their neighbor began parking a work truck on the street, a violation of HOA rules. The truck then began leaking oil.

The HOA sent notices in response, but the neighbor appeared to start power-washing the oil down the street as a solution. This caused the oil to pool in front of the original poster's house and run into an overflow drainage area in a nearby park.

The OP tried speaking with the neighbor directly and reporting the ongoing issue to the HOA, but nothing changed.

"Not sure how many times I have to complain and agree to the HOA that complaints are not anonymous, but I will keep going till this person cleans the oil from in front of my house," the OP wrote in the subreddit.

The oil and other runoff being washed toward the park could seep into the soil and contribute to groundwater pollution, potentially contaminating drinking water supplies. But it's unfortunately not uncommon for HOAs to allow things to fall through the cracks, as was the case in California, where a broken sprinkler system went unrepaired, leading to serious water damage.

Redditors in the comments offered some suggestions.

"First, I would call the city because this is likely an environmental issue if they're spray washing oils and other things," one wrote.

Another suggested not only contacting the company that owns the work truck, but also forcing the HOA to act with photo evidence: "Every time. Post it on Nextdoor too."

What's the most you'd pay per month to put solar panels on your roof if there was no down payment?

$200 or more 💰

$100 💸

$30 💵

I'd only do it if someone else paid for it 😎

Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips to save more, waste less, and make smarter choices — and earn up to $5,000 toward clean upgrades in TCD's exclusive Rewards Club.