Oh, the good old HOA. The organization that makes you pay fees to have it stick its nose into your business. Who doesn’t love that? Okay, sure, there are upsides to living in gated communities, but some of its aspects have folks reconsidering their choices.
If you’re wondering what type of thing a Homeowners Association could pull to make someone want to leave, just ask Dystanee Brooks. On May 11, this nursing student uploaded a video to her TikTok account (@dystaneeb), telling the story of how she got out of her home on a random day to find her car missing. What Brooks thought would be a good, uneventful time walking her dog soon turned into a nightmare, as she tearfully called 9-1-1 to report the supposed theft. Only, the one responsible for the vehicle’s disappearance wasn’t an ordinary thief.
After giving the emergency responder her address, Brooks was told that the HOA was behind it all. Apparently, parking her car crookedly in her own driveway was reason enough for it to be towed by the association. Who would’ve guessed? Common sense tells us that what one does on their property is their business (as long as it’s not harming anyone), but the HOA seems to think differently.
The marks left on the ground were enough to indicate that the towing process wasn’t exactly pretty, but there’s more to this story. Not only did the HOA have Brooks’ car towed, but it also got the vehicle damaged. As a response to a comment saying the “HOA should be illegal,” the woman posted a follow-up TikTok, in which she agrees with the statement and showcases the damage.
The comment sections of both posts are filled with people expressing their bewilderment toward the situation and sharing similar stories. “There should never be any world in which the HOA is entitled to tow a car from someone else’s property, that’s actually so insane,” one TikTok user wrote, while another said: “They act like your car was illegally parked in a handicap space or something!” To commenters advising Brooks to “send them the bill” for the damages, she guaranteed that is exactly what she would do.
Unfortunately, HOA horror stories aren’t new and there is no shortage of them. Per Fox 13 News, for example, one person was fined $2500 over a clothesline after getting the HOA’s approval, which only goes to show how dystopian gated communities can get. Of course, when people join them, they’re aware that they will have to follow certain rules, but some HOA go too far. As reported by The Sun, some people have taken to manifesting their displeasure with this type of situation, but chances are that they will simply accumulate more fines.
If you ever consider becoming a member of a gated community, make sure to request a rule book and read it closely before committing to it. The HOA does not simply forgive and forget.