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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/firakti on 2024-11-09 20:21:59+00:00.
Attenzione attenzione Karen & HOA combo alert…
So, I live in a pretty standard suburban neighborhood, and like a lot of places, it’s run by an HOA. A few months ago, I decided to buy an RV. It wasn’t anything fancy—just a used one—but I was really looking forward to taking weekend road trips and having the freedom to get away whenever I felt like it.
I parked it in my driveway, thinking nothing of it. But within a week, I received a letter from the HOA. Apparently, RVs aren’t allowed to be parked in the driveway or on the street for more than 72 hours at a time. The letter warned that if I didn’t move it, I’d start getting fined $50 a day. I wasn’t thrilled, but I wasn’t just going to give up my RV either.
So, I read through the rules carefully. The HOA guidelines said that RVs “must not be visible from the street or common areas.” That was it—no specifics on where or how the RV had to be parked, just that it couldn’t be seen. Well, if that’s what they wanted, that’s exactly what I was going to give them.
I called up a contractor and had a solid 8-foot privacy fence installed around my front yard. It was a simple wooden fence, tall enough to completely block the view of my driveway from the street. I made sure it was solid—no gaps, no chance of anyone being able to see through it. I parked the RV right up against the fence, hidden from view. Technically, I was following the rules perfectly, and I knew it.
But of course, things didn’t stay quiet for long.
One of my neighbors, Karen (yes, the classic “Karen”), had already been vocal about not liking the RV in my driveway. She was the first one to send me a complaint about it, calling it an “eyesore” and saying it was “ruining the neighborhood’s charm.” She even knocked on my door, demanding I move it. When I told her I was following the rules and had made sure the RV wasn’t visible, she left in a huff, muttering something about how the HOA would take care of it.
Well, the HOA did respond—but not in the way Karen expected. A few days later, I got a letter from the HOA saying they had “reviewed the situation” and found no violations. They acknowledged that I was in compliance. But Karen wasn’t having it.
Over the next few weeks, she went around the neighborhood, complaining to other neighbors about how the RV was still “ruining the community’s aesthetic.” She was convinced the HOA just hadn’t caught on yet, and she started rallying people to get the rules changed. She even went as far as knocking on doors and asking neighbors to send complaints to the HOA about my RV.
I started getting passive-aggressive comments when I ran into neighbors. One said, “I’m sure the HOA is going to change the rules soon enough.” Another just sighed and said, “This isn’t what this neighborhood is supposed to be about.” But every time they complained, I just smiled and said, “I’m in compliance with the HOA’s rules. I’m not doing anything wrong.”
But Karen wasn’t done. A month later, she went straight to the HOA board, trying to rally a group of neighbors to push for a rule change to make sure no RV could be parked anywhere in the neighborhood. She got a couple of others on board, and they started sending in complaints about how my RV was “ruining the neighborhood’s curb appeal.”
So, the HOA called me in for a meeting. I was a little nervous, but I knew I wasn’t doing anything wrong. When the HOA arrived, they started walking around my yard, looking for the RV. After a few minutes of confusion, one of them finally said, “So, you’re still parking the RV here?” I nodded and pointed toward my driveway, where the RV was hidden behind the fence.
I told them, “Yes, it’s still here, but as you can see, it’s not visible from the street. I’m following the rules exactly.”
The HOA reps stood there for a moment, looking frustrated, because there was no way they could argue with that. After a long silence, one of them sighed and said, “Well, I guess we can’t do anything about it if it’s not visible.”
That was the end of it. The HOA couldn’t do anything more, and Karen and the other neighbors had no legal ground to stand on. But Karen wasn’t ready to fully give up.
A few days later, Karen sent me a message. “I guess you win this round,” she wrote. “But I’m watching you. I’ll be keeping an eye out for any mistake or violation, and when I find one, I’ll be right on it.”
I smiled to myself. She could keep watching all she wanted—my RV was hidden, and I was in full compliance. After that, things quieted down. No more complaints, no more passive-aggressive comments. Karen may have been eyeing me, but there was nothing left for her to do.
TL;DR: HOA told me I couldn’t park my RV where it was visible, so I built an 8-foot privacy fence to hide it. Neighbors complained, but after the HOA confirmed I was following the rules, they gave up. Karen sent me a message saying, “I guess you win this round, but I’m watching you,” but that was the last I heard. Now, my RV is still parked, hidden from view, and no one can do anything about it.