After facing multiple fines from their homeowners association for a solitary plant, one Redditor was getting ready to go to war with their nosy neighbor, whom they suspected of trespassing.
Ranting about their "neighborhood Karen" on Reddit, the homeowner described being repeatedly reported for a vine plant growing between their home's two air conditioning condensers.
Even though the vine plant was in their yard and not visible from the nearby street or alley, someone kept taking offense to it — to the tune of $250 per fine.
The irate homeowner vowed to install a security camera system to see whether their neighbor was trespassing on their property in order to report the plant. If that turned out to be the case, they would take a complaint of their own to the police.
"The property value decreases by $250 each time they decide to walk out there and report something they can't even see from any public right-of-way," they vented in the post. "I'm tired of it."
Watch now: Alex Honnold test drives his new Rivian
This wasn't the first time an HOA was accused of excessive stipulations. In 2022, one homeowner reported that they had been fined for a low-maintenance and cost-saving clover lawn, which the HOA had mistaken for weeds.
Another received a $350 fine and lost their right to garden for a year after their HOA found they had mismeasured a garden plot by four inches.
HOAs have been known to police other sustainability upgrades, including one person's backyard clothesline.
But some homeowners have managed to take action against such stringent restrictions by appealing via existing state laws or campaigning to change local bylaws.
"Ask for evidence, if they provide photos taken from your property, then ask who took them and report them for trespassing," one user wrote.
"Get yourself some 'No Trespassing' signs," another suggested. "It's not legally trespassing until someone is notified to stay off the property."
"Some HOAs try to do these enforcements with flying drones," someone else wrote. "There have been a few posts here of people getting their HOA presidents in trouble for violating drone laws."
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more, waste less, and help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
