HOA tried to take his home, so he built a shop they couldn’t touch—then played his trump card

Dealing with unprofessional and careless HOA heads is becoming a hassle for many, and what they need is a good response that highlights their negligence. A security researcher who goes by u/CunningLogic on Reddit shared a post on January 22, 2026, about how his HOA was incompetent and violated a lot of rules. Despite trying to uncover the issue and raise it to the board, he was shut off, and so he decided to get his lot off the HOA when he learned that he couldn’t do so without majority approval. The man used his intelligence and skills as a security researcher, and after a 2-year fight, was successful in the best possible way. 

In an updated, detailed post shared on January 24, 2026, the man mentioned that when he got the house in 2021, he was still recovering from an emergency surgery and missed a few red flags. When he initially spoke to the HOA president, he realized they were negligent and “lazy.” He went out of his way to fix a few things up for the entire area and eventually earned a position on the board. That’s when the researcher dived into other records of the HOA to figure out how they were managing things. “There were a lot of things that screamed ‘we are going to get f**king sued’ to me,” he remarked. Since he was used to dealing with data, he understood well how badly things needed change. 

Taking responsibility, the man brought up the issues with the board, only to be neglected and pushed off until later. Eventually, after being shut off multiple times, he resigned. To ensure he wasn’t a threat, the board took advantage of his hearing impairment and refused to send transcripts of meetings so he could stay informed. “I immediately filed fair housing complaints for discrimination with the federal and state governments,” he wrote. When he took the matter to court, the HOA fell under investigation. They pleaded with him to take back the complaint. He agreed on one condition — his lot be removed from the association. Though the board agreed, an 80% amendment was required to pass the decision, which they knew they could tamper with. 

The man skilfully checked the data and realized that one of the votes, “lot 14,” seemed sketchy. “Lot 14 is a vacant lot owned by the man who owned the original development firm; his home was on a non-association lot next to it. He used it to maintain control over his neighbors,” the researcher noted. It was confirmed that the vote from lot 14 was given based on the preference of the board. That’s when the man found something more helpful that led to his win. “Lot 14 was added by amendment just as the developer turned over control to the association. He never completed all the steps required to add it as a member,” the post revealed. The man raised the issue and “disputed his status as a member.” 

Seems like way too much hard work but it paid off brilliantly. Lot 14’s vote was no longer considered, and it worked all the magic. “I had 11 votes for the amendment. 11 of 14 members would be 78.5% … 11 of 13 members is 84.6%.” Since it was over 80% as required, he was successfully able to get his lot off. “Now, excuse me while I go to look for a quote on having a new shop built, rather than the tiny shed I was previously limited to,” he concluded. 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty recently conducted a survey on over 1,000 Americans to record their experiences with HOAs. 85% of Americans live in an HOA but only 60% reported positive experiences. On the contrary, 70% of residents said they preferred living in an area without an HOA. 

The top reasons cited were expensive fees for HOA (63%), enforcement of way too many rules on residents (53%), and poor communication. (40%). 55% of homeowners noted that the HOAs often introduce rules that are unnecessary and disagree with them. From this, 34%  find that the regulations are not even fair. Not having honest and just HOAs is often a recipe for disaster, just like this homeowner. Luckily, he didn’t stand down. u/mamajamala said, “I hope you thoroughly enjoy standing on your non-HOA property while smiling and waving at your neighbors.” u/Striking_Physics1894 added, “It's nice to see the good guy win once in a while!” 

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