Dealing with homeowner's associations can be frustrating, but there is a right and wrong way to handle it. One homeowner may have taken their frustrations too far, affecting their neighbors.
A Redditor posted on the subreddit r/HOA seeking advice about how to deal with their neighbor's activities damaging several neighbors' properties. The post is getting attention because the HOA doesn't seem to be doing much about the damaged property.
The original poster said: "A neighbor, previously upset with our HOA, took their frustration out on their lawn last year by using weed killer to spell out an offensive message against the HOA and killed most of their lawn with Roundup."
The OP explained that things escalated when three neighbors' trees died because the homeowner had poisoned their entire yard. The removal of the trees is costing the residents about $2,000.
While the Redditor said the HOA is sympathetic and is working with a lawyer, nothing has been resolved.
The damage to the neighbors' properties is causing an unfair financial burden to remove the dead trees, but it's taking away a carbon-removing resource as welll — and killing the trees also releases the carbon they contain.
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Pesticides can also contaminate local water sources and harm wildlife. So while the homeowner thinks they are getting back at the HOA, they are actually harming their community.
While this HOA isn't acting quickly enough to limit the environmental damage, other HOAs are blocking homeowners from making eco-friendly home improvements.
In Ohio, a law is supposed to prevent HOAs from blocking homeowners from installing solar panels, but HOAs are still getting away with it.
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An HOA in California also made it difficult for a condo owner to install an electric vehicle charger for their EV. The HOA told them they had to purchase a $1 million insurance policy.
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One commenter advised the OP: "Look up to see if your city, county, or state has laws about applying herbicide, and also about killing trees without a permit, and report them that way."
Another commenter wrote: "Destruction of property is a crime."
Navigating your HOA may be challenging, but our Homeowners Association Guide can help you manage it and make eco-friendly investments.
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