One homeowner went to Reddit to complain about their HOA leaving a leaking sprinkler on for a whole week.
HOAs govern the appearance of their neighborhoods, and they have been known to cost homeowners money while they do it. Unreasonable restrictions on gardens and solar panels are common. Seeing HOAs throw money away can be a particularly infuriating move since these organizations are funded by dues from the residents.
That seems to be what happened to this Redditor.
"Our water sprinkler for [our] lawn has been leaking 24/7 for more than a week now, and not one response from the board or the management company on simply turning off the water," they wrote.
According to the homeowner, they didn't have access to the irrigation water supply, which was controlled by their HOA. Only the management company or the board could get into the maintenance locker where the valve was.
But their repeated requests to shut it off went nowhere while the leaking sprinkler flooded their yard, wasting tons of water and money.
The homeowner acknowledged that repairing the sprinkler might take time, given the incident took place over a holiday weekend. But they were shocked that the HOA would just leave the water running after a landscaper they hired didn't do the job.
"I don't understand why the HOA board can't learn to turn off the valve themselves," the user said. "It can't be more complicated than turning off any other water supply in a regular house. You learn these as regular house owners."
Luckily for the Redditor, the water bill wasn't their responsibility, as the HOA pays for their irrigation. However, the money still comes out of homeowners' pockets in the end.
Plus, beyond running up an astronomical tab, wasting water is a nightmare for our environment, even in places where water is not scarce.
"I don't understand why there is such reluctance to repair. We are low on funds, but turning off the water main should be free, and [the] water utility isn't free," they said.
They estimated that, at this point, even an emergency call to a plumber would have been cheaper.
Commenters offered advice to keep the situation from getting worse.
"I suggest you keep the emails that you and they have sent about this whole thing just in case they later try to make you pay for the increased sprinkler bill," one user recommended.
Another commenter said, "You may be able to report it to the city."
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