My HOA fined me for expired stickers, so I put new stickers up that night – I was furious when I still got towed the next day

DRIVERS took to an online thread to detail their run-ins with their happy-to-be-towed HOAs – one was towed despite replacing expired tags.

Users reacted to a viral TikTok of a woman who was towed by her HOA and her car was damaged by the truck.

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O videoOriginally posted by Dystanee Brooks on TikTok (@distanoeb), has almost 180 thousand likes and more than 3,500 comments.

She told viewers that her vehicle was towed out of the garage due to the position in which her car was parked.

“I called 911 all boohoo and crying thinking my car was stolen, and when the cops asked for my address and I told them, they said, ‘Oh no ma’am, the HOA towed it,’” she said.

Several of her viewers were sympathetic, saying the HOA should have warned her before towing her car.

To make matters worse, she discovered that the tow truck driver had damaged the bumper of her Mercedes during the tow.

“The damage done to my car by the HOA towing company,” she posted as a follow-up videoshowing the bumper hanging from the rear.

“It should definitely be illegal.”

An X user, ELLIOT IN THE MORNING (@EITMonline) posted a link to the Daily Dot’s coverage of Brooks’ HOA nightmare.

Several of the radio station’s listeners quickly jumped at the opportunity to report their own issues with the HOA.

“My HOA gave me an ‘expired tag ticket'” he wrote Trevor.

He responded to the HOA’s warning by replacing the tags, but it wasn’t enough.

“I put the new stickers on that night. My car was still towed the next morning. I was furious.”

Another owner, April Nosek (@Fa1ryBabez), responded with a similar instance.

“Our HOA sent me a letter because my car was registered in Maryland and alerted the DMV, then fined me for living in the neighborhood but having my car in MD,” she he wrote.

What is an HOA?

One in five Americans lives in an area with a Home Owners Association – or HOA. But what exactly do they do?

• An HOA is a homeowners association – an organization that aims to maintain a clean, cohesive place for its residents to live.
• Entire neighborhoods, subdivisions, condominiums, single-family homes or townhouses within “a planned development” will often constitute an HOA.
• They also serve as a regulatory body for the tenants, who manage and finance the HOA through monthly fees.
• Its main goals are to keep the community functional and visually appealing and maintain property values.
• They focus primarily on a neighborhood’s common areas, like roads, parks, and pools — but they can also stipulate what residents can do with their property, like yards and sidewalks.
• These restrictions often impose uniformity on properties, for example, ensuring that most houses look the same and that all sidewalks are free of weeds.
• An HOA Rule Book of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&R) is distributed to all residents, and an elected volunteer board of directors enforces these regulations.
• Violating these rules can result in penalties such as fines and even litigation – as most HOAs are incorporated and subject to state law.
• HOAs are often the subject of controversy, with some members feeling that the rules are too punitive and restrictive, or that the leadership has too much power.
• But other HOAs like this give communities the power of self-government and can ensure a degree of harmony among residents.

John Tourtelot (@RockyMntnMan) responded that he, like Brooks, was targeted by the HOA for the way he parked.

“I got a fine in my neighborhood for parking on the wrong side of the road, in front of my house,” he said. he responded.

Despite being cited, he seemed to show little sympathy for her being towed out of the garage.

“If you are parking in the VDOT right-of-way, you are expected to follow the laws regarding the direction of traffic.”