One homeowner was absolutely flabbergasted when their homeowners association made a totally nonsensical complaint about a feature of their yard.
They posted about their experience on Reddit. "HOA said the rocks in my yard are too old," said the baffled homeowner. "They...are...rocks."
After getting more information, the original poster updated their post. "So painting rocks is against the bylaws," they explained. "Rocks are meant to be natural earth tones...which...is kind of the definition of whatever color a rock is, no? I don't want to ask them to age the rocks, they might bill me for that. BUT I might go to the next meeting with the complaint, and then feign very genuine concern and encourage everyone in attendance to make sure to properly date their rocks so nobody is accidentally breaking this 'rule,' and damaging our fine neighborhood's reputation."
The original poster's exasperation is understandable. The request from the HOA makes no sense. But that isn't unusual for HOAs, which are much more concerned with keeping the appearance of the neighborhood consistent than they are with the well-being, finances, or experience of the homeowners. Many of the bylaws meant to keep homes uniform prevent homeowners from making money-saving, eco-friendly upgrades, such as planting native plants and food-producing gardens or installing solar panels.
If you find yourself facing down an unreasonable HOA, one winning move could be to change the bylaws. This is usually possible with support from your neighbors and understanding of your association's procedures.
One commenter recommended highlighting the ridiculousness of the situation at a future meeting. "I'd ask them how old the rocks need to be. Get full on stupid questions with it. Because the only way to beat stupid sometimes is to play stupid," they said.
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Another user thought the situation was too ridiculous to be treated with anything except jokes. "Is this rule written in stone? Sounds like the HOA has you between a rock and a hard place. Don't take their word for granite about the violation though. Probably just some jealous slag causing problems," they said.
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