HOA fined him $50 a day for a 'dirty' car but his comeback wiped the HOA clean off their high horse

A homeowner (u/patient-umpire-9257) received multiple complaints from the HOA, saying that their dusty vehicle makes the neighborhood look "bad." The HOA even threatened to impose a fine of $50 daily if they didn't move their car from the driveway or clean it. The frustrated owner stood their ground and neither shifted their vehicle into the garage nor cleaned it. In fact, their one-line response left the HOA red-faced. The homeowner shared the story on Reddit on November 10.

The homeowner was a resident of a townhouse community in Scottsdale. There, the HOA had rules for vehicles: they must be registered, insured, operational, and have no commercial lettering. The owner owned a 2019 white Toyota 4Runner, but drove it very occasionally, such as for weekend camping and hiking trips. "It gets dusty. It's Arizona; everything gets dusty," they said. Upset by the vehicle's condition, the HOA sent a violation notice to the owner, mentioning that their car was "excessively dirty and creates an eyesore that diminishes community aesthetic standards." The notice also asked them to either keep their car extremely clean or park it in their garage instead of the driveway. The owner had literally no space in their garage since it was loaded with camping gear and bikes, and they used it as a home gym. They didn't want to remove their car from the driveway, so they cleaned it, but it got dusty again. "Three days later, it's dusty again because we're in the middle of dust storm season, and I drove to Sedona for the weekend," they recalled. The HOA sent another violation notice accusing the owner of being "non-compliant," and if they didn't clean their car or move it to the garage within 24 days, they would enforce a $50 daily fine.

The homeowner asked the HOA to show the rules specifying how often vehicles should be washed. "They cited the 'general aesthetic standards' clause that says properties must be 'well-maintained and visually appealing.' I pointed out that a dusty car isn't unmaintained; it's literally just dusty from existing in Arizona," they wrote. The HOA further argued that other residents have apparently complained that their car looks neglected. "They suggested I either wash it twice a week or 'invest in a car cover' for when it's parked. I'm not covering my car like it's a damn classic Corvette. It's a 4Runner I use for camping," the homeowner announced. Moving on, they shared that the HOA president owned a spotless black Mercedes that he parked in the garage and possibly washed daily. "[I am] pretty sure this is just him imposing his car standards on everyone else. I'm not rehoming my car, and I'm not washing it twice a week to appease someone's obsession with shiny vehicles," they concluded. More than half of homeowners who own a house in HOA-controlled regions regret buying a property there. This isn't a random observation, but findings from a study conducted by Rocket Mortgage in 2024. In fact, the survey of over 1,000 American homeowners found that 57% of all homeowners living in HOA communities dislike having an HOA. The HOA-related problems are huge, and nearly 1 in 10 homeowners would consider selling their homes because of it.

Meanwhile, reacting to the Reddit story, u/excellent_squirrel86 commented, "Where in your rules does it say that your car must be in pristine condition? Ask them to show you. And then drive around the neighborhood, taking pictures of other dusty cars and demanding they be fined. It's guaranteed to cause a neighborhood revolt." Similarly, u/moist_county6062 said, "Having a rule about general aesthetic standards leaves a lot open. I’m sure you can find some ugly things about his house that violate the rule. Find those things and start filing complaints."

u/professionalbread176 said, "This is a textbook example of why HOAs can be bad for your soul. Washing your car in response to the Dust Bowl atmosphere is insane.  Force them to define EXACTLY what the rules mean. And you may want to engage with an attorney to see if this can be slapped back with a response that tells them they can't change the meaning of their terms after putting them into the legal docs." 

More on Scoop Upworthy

HOA kept complaining that woman's lawn was not green enough — so she complied maliciously

HOA tried to ban wheelchair ramp husband built for his wife — and got taken to court

Homeowner gets malicious HOA complaint for doing rooftop yoga. She made them regret it