Where have all the good neighbors gone?

What are you to do when you purchase something only to have the terms of sale retroactively changed by a governing association? Oh, and that governing association is controlled by the organization that sold you the thing in the first place. Well, lawyer up and hit them with a strongly worded email letting them know just angry you are. After a three-year hiatus, this landowner returned to share the grippingly realistic tale of how they managed to defeat a land developer and HOA who had changed t…

There's nothing like having to work with your enemy!

Everyone is the hero of their own story: Where we see this neighborhood Karen as just that, she sees herself as a vigilante hero fighting for justice—a silent guardian, a watchful protector... a dark knight. Sometimes you die the hero; sometimes, you live to see yourself become the villain—sometimes still, you never were actually the hero in the first place. This Karen took offense to the fact that the neighborhood was throwing a Valentine's Day event for adults only, no kids invited. The Reddi…

Conflict emerged when this neighbor's kid demanded that he receive "half the money" from a bake sale when he decided he was bored and wanted to go home early. He wasn't even willing to stay the full duration and put in the work in order to earn his part of the cash. The other kid responded that this wasn't fair and that they should split the money earned for the duration that the neighbor's kid had worked. This prompted the neighbor to march over to this family's house, complaining that it wasn…

Some housing communities have something called a homeowner association, and oftentimes, its purpose is to act as a little parasite, bugging people to no end with ridiculous notions such as 'Making sure your lawn is green enough' — in February , no less. This man was fined for exactly that, as well as for the fact that his trash cans were 1 foot away from where they were 'supposed to be', and he found it utterly ludicrous. He refused to accept this reality, so he came up with a plan. What ensued…

Maybe have some responsibility for your own children?

This HOA Karen going on a social media rant sounds like a literal nightmare!

An excellent sign of an obliviously entitled person is someone who refuses to control their pet. Fido might be your best friend, but that doesn't mean you should be letting it roam endlessly onto other people's property or taking off the leash at an explicitly leashed park. It's not often that people actually return to take accountability for their actions on the internet. We're so set in our ways, polarized in our beliefs, and utterly convinced we're right that we tend to struggle to take othe…

There's an old saying that's continually relevant to customer service: The squeaky wheel gets the grease; it's true, more often than not, following up consistently with a service provider (and being generally bothersome) will net you a faster result than those who wait silently. Most people choose to do this by obnoxiously demanding service but obnoxious or not, it's always important to be polite. Being polite, maybe firm, when necessary, will always net you a better result than being a bellend…

There's a whole lotta left leaves going on in this thread, and we're left wondering why a company whose entire existence and sole purpose is collecting leaves is so bad at doing so. You wouldn't expect a leaf collection company to operate like city parking enforcement agencies — which are, without exception, the most useless organizations on the planet. Well, expectations aside, this leaf collection cartel is hilariously particular about what leaves they will collect and where. Any leaves that…

Whatever belief, culture, lifestyle, or background you come from or follow, there's a unifying ideal that we should all abide by: Treat others with respect. You never know what someone else has had to endure, what they've managed to make it through, or what trials and tribulations they face or have faced. This is why that whole “not judging” thing is so prevalent and important in belief structures ("Do not judge, or you too will be judged") — who are you to think yourself worthy of passing judg…

Ah, the entitlement never ends!

The existence of other people can be — well — kind of a downer. Nothing spoils the enjoyment of the pleasant dawning sun, with a hot cup of coffee in hand and pleasant birdsong in the air, like being reminded that other people exist. Barking dogs, honking cars, or yelling neighbors puncture tranquil morning thoughts and pull you right back into a bleak and bitter reality of continuance. But a barking dog, honking car, or occasional dispute is far from the worst thing one can experience when liv…

It's often said that you should never make a deal with the devil — and the same goes for HOAs. If an HOA ever comes knocking, asking if you want to participate in a duel for a golden fiddle, you would do well to politely decline… before closing — and locking — your front door.

All's well that ends well, I suppose. But is this really going to be the end of the dispute?