Dad leaves a scathing letter to neighbor who had HOA force him to tear down his kids' treehouse

The pandemic forced parents to find innovative ways to keep their kids busy. One father decided to build a treehouse in the backyard for his sons to play in and have some time outdoors for a change. But his thoughtful gesture was brought to a devastating end when an anonymous passerby was unhappy with the treehouse. That person filed a complaint with the Homeowners Association (HOA) to make sure it was removed. The father, only recognized as Dave, had to comply. He took the treehouse down as instructed but not before he decided to leave a scathing letter to the anonymous killjoy who would inevitably walk past his house again.

A picture of the letter was posted on Reddit and was described as "Karen decides that children’s fun isn’t enough of a reason to have a treehouse." The letter was addressed to the anonymous passerby. “Don’t worry, you’re safe now!” it read. “Your act of casual cruelty was successful.” It went on to say: “No longer will its presence offend your walk past my house," referring to the treehouse. “Please enjoy your stroll free from the sound of my children’s play and laughter. They are safely back inside now, watching television I’m sure.” Dave concluded it by saying, “Enjoy the unobstructed view of my backyard. I will try to keep it up to code.”

The disappointment and underlying frustration can be felt through the tone of the letter. Redditors could not help but empathize with the father. One user wrote offering some advice to fight back: So, this is the ultimate in petty, but if you’re cited by your HOA, check your state’s (assuming US) laws regarding HOAs. My state has a law where if they enforce one violation, they have to enforce all. I had an issue with my HOA, so I went around and took photos of a bunch of HOA violations I could see from the street (I tried to keep out identifying info). I asked them if they would show me where they had enforced these. I haven’t heard back in over a year. The user also added a disclaimer stating: This is entirely anecdotal advice, not legal advice, and please keep in mind I’m generally a dummy. But it worked for me, so it might be an option if they’re complaining about something small.

Another user hoped the dad would put up a fight. They had a revolutionary message for him: Dave, Fight back. Don’t let the Karen win. Take over the HOA and change the rules. Work from inside the system if you must. Don’t let the children down. I really really need to know you didn’t let this idiot have her way. Let me know if you need help. Dave’s of the world UNITE! 

Redditor Dog_man_star1517 had an observation and wrote: HOAs and housing plans like this are the natural breeding ground of Karens. It is interesting that American society is so shallow that a treehouse or unapproved color or non-standard decoration can get you in hot water, but your neighbor being a homophobic, misogynistic, adulterer, and all-around a****** is no big deal.

While there were those who wanted to help Dave in a way they could, there were also those who did not lose an opportunity to be humorous. Borderingzero wrote: Now they well report them for not getting a permit to place that note on the tree. But Dave seemed to know what he was doing as pointed out by another user who wrote: I know we’re all joking here but the beauty of this is that it’s preserved in a plastic sleeve so it’s not “garbage” and it’s just a paper sign so it’s also not some kind of new “structure” so likely the HOA can’t say shit about this unless they write some new rules. Dave even hung it with the sleeve upside down so water can’t drop into it from the top.