Neighbor Gives HOA an Entire Presentation About Redditor’s Halloween Decorations
For Redditors who frequent certain subreddits, reading about neighborhood drama isn’t anything new. In fact, some groups, like r/NeighborsFromHell, are all about the different issues that can come up when you’re living so close to the people around you.
However, one Reddit user is sharing an unusual story on r/LivingAlone about the time that their neighbor gave a presentation to the local homeowners association (HOA) board. The topic? The Redditor’s Halloween decorations.
User u/soupsipaficionado shared their story, writing about how their neighbor was upset about the 12-foot inflatable skeleton and smaller waving ghost that had been put out in the OP’s yard for the upcoming holiday. “I thought this was normal,” they wrote in the post.
They quickly learned that their neighbor disagreed with the scale of the decor. However, it’s what happened next that left the Redditor scratching their head in confusion.
Neighbor Creates Slideshow About Redditor’s Halloween Display
My neighbor gave an entire presentation at the HOA meeting about my Halloween decorations
by
u/soupsipaficionado in
LivingAlone
According to the Redditor, it all went down when their neighbor showed up to the monthly HOA meeting with her laptop, putting on an organized presentation for the board and everyone else in attendance. “Her first slide was a photo of my yard taken from above, so she had flown a drone over my house at some point,” the OP wrote. “Her next slide was a chart showing how loud the ghost’s fan is from her bedroom window. It was 41 decibels. She pointed out that a library is 40.”
The OP said that the neighbor proposed a new rule for the HOA where decorations displayed in the front yard would be limited to six feet in height. “My skeleton is 12, her last slide was titled neighbors who have expressed concern, and it listed her and her husband,” they wrote.
Things Got Weird Around the Neighborhood
Nothing was decided that night, and the OP said the board simply said “thank you” before moving on to the next item on the agenda. However, immediately following the meeting, the board sent a copy of the slideshow to all of the residents, which has led to some awkward encounters.
Now, the OP says that their neighbors are constantly giving them “the look” whenever they are out and about in the neighborhood.
Redditors Suggested Ways the OP Could Get Revenge
Most of the people in the comments were on the OP’s side and said that this is why they could never live in an HOA. One highly upvoted commenter suggested a way for the OP to turn the tables on their neighbor without getting in trouble, and it involved the drone footage that was collected of their property.
“Propose that all members be prohibited from flying drones on or over other members’ properties, with a minimum fine of $1,500 and escalating for repeat offenses,” they wrote, suggesting that the OP also provide a slideshow. “Cite privacy and note that drone flying enables perverts to record minors sunbathing in their own backyards. Casually mention that it recently came to your attention that you had been a victim of a neighbor’s ‘drone attack and stealth recording’ and you want everyone to be safe.”
The OP seemed to like that idea and said they would start working on a presentation. And their approach may actually have some legal precedent behind it, depending on where they live. That’s because the UAV Coach website says that the rules regarding flying drones over private property vary by state. Not only that, but local municipalities (and yes, even HOAs) could have additional rules and regulations about drones that need to be followed as well.
Of course, that would do little to change the fact that the neighbors had already captured footage of the house with the drone, which was already forwarded to all of the OP’s neighbors anyway.
