A man has been left outraged after his homeowners association president threatened legal action if he didn't cut down a tree on his property.
Posting in the r/arborists subreddit, the resident explained that the HOA had knocked on his door and walked him down into his backyard to point out a tree he wanted to be removed because he had hit his head on it.
The original poster explained that the tree in question is on his property, which borders a walking trail.
"It is decently close to the walking trail, but nobody should be on that side anyways," the OP wrote.
In addition to threatening legal action, the HOA president also yelled at the OP and made several phone calls while trying to convince the OP the tree needed to be cut down.
Unfortunately, HOAs across the country have a history of making life difficult for residents and homeowners, especially when they want to make money-saving changes to their properties that do not conform with HOA policy.
The Cool Down has reported on a number of these cases recently, including HOAs preventing homeowners from installing solar panels and giving people trouble when they want to replace their water-guzzling lawns with low-maintenance native plants.
However, in some states, new policies are being introduced that reduce the amount of power a HOA can have. For example, in Illinois, a recent law bans HOAs from requiring non-native lawns. In Seattle, a new law will require all buildings in the city to reduce pollution to reach net zero by 2050. That means houses and other buildings will need to install upgraded technologies such as solar panels and heat pumps.
Making upgrades to your property, such as planting native gardens and installing solar panels, is beneficial as many actions can lower energy and water bills. These improvements also go a long way toward protecting the environment by conserving resources. Meanwhile, protecting trees like the OP's helps keep neighborhoods cool by providing shade and ensuring local wildlife have food and shelter.
This makes pushing back against HOAs worth it. You can consult our guide here on how to negotiate with your HOA to introduce money-saving, eco-friendly changes to your property.
Several of the commenters urged the OP to get a trail camera to capture anyone coming onto the property. That way, in the event of vandalism, the poster would have documentation. Destroying trees on someone else's property can result in significant fines.
"Get a trail cam and make sure they don't poison the tree," one person commented.
"Sounds like the HOA president is the problem, not the tree," wrote another.
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