Article Courtesy of  Yahoo News

By Lauren Smith

Published August 24, 2016

Listen, the entire purpose of a Homeowners' Association is to keep neighborhoods clean, safe and welcoming. But sometimes the people running these organizations can get a little out of control. Need proof? This Reddit thread breaks down the worst experiences people have ever had with a HOA - and the stories are nothing short of horrible.

1. The Credit Card Fraud
Talk about going to extreme measures: A HOA illegally applied for and received credit cards for homeowners in the neighborhood, then used those cards to hire contractors to fix "outstanding issues," like washing windows and cleaning chalk off of sidewalks - all without homeowners' consent.
     

2. The Grass Watering Order When there was a drought in California, the state put a ban on watering lawns. But one HOA wasn't having it and insisted homeowners still water their lawns. So those lucky homeowners got to choose between getting fined by the city or their HOA. Choices, choices. 3. The Mailbox Color War When one HOA asked a homeowner to repaint their mailbox, they checked to see what the regulations were on color choices. There weren't any, they painted it electric purple. Of course, the next month another letter came. So they switched it up to bright orange and then neon pink -just to spite the HOA.

4. The Christmas Day Notices
Even holidays aren't off limits. On particularly Scrooge-like HOA put "will be towed" letters on cars parked on the street on December 25th. Happy holidays?

5. The Horrifying Hurricane Fine
After a hurricane tore through one homeowner's subdivision, she got a $400 fine (!) for having tree limbs and other debris in her yard one day after the storm. And they fined another person in the neighborhood, because their roof was blown off.

6. The Basketball Hoop Hoopla
One family with young boys owned a portable basketball hoop for their kids to play with and were subject to many orders to remove it. After they refused, someone from the HOA stole it from their yard - so the homeowners decided to cement a permanent one in their driveway.

7. The Parking Lot Ban
Cars are necessary to getting around town, but one HOA thought it would "look nicer" if everyone parked on the road instead of in the lot - and they proceeded to tow any cars that broke their rules and used the lot.

8. The Roof Repair Rule
When one woman's roof started leaking, she purchased new tiles to patch the hole. But since the clay designs weren't the same color as the rest of her roof, the HOA said she couldn't use them. The kicker? Those original tiles aren't made anymore so her roof turned into a wet, moldy mess.

9. The Bush Height Drama
Do you measure the height of your bushes? Probably not. But one HOA made it clear that their residents weren't allowed to let their shrubbery grow higher than three feet by walking around with a ruler and handing out letters for any rule breakers.

10. The Two Pets Rule
According to one HOA, you should only own two pets maximum. As a result, many neighbors hide their pets and are only walking one at a time.