Homeowner barred by HOA from turning off obnoxiously bright porch light: 'You couldn't pay me to live with [an] HOA'

A homeowner found themselves in a frustrating situation after moving into a new condo.

In a post to the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit, they shared an image of an obnoxiously bright porch light outside their front door — so bright, in fact, that light can be seen streaming through the curtains, illuminating the room.

Turning it off would be an excellent solution, but there is no switch to be found, according to the homeowner, and when they took matters into their own hands by unscrewing the light bulb, their homeowners association screwed another one right back in.

While undoubtedly annoying for the homeowner, especially when they are trying to get some rest, bulbs that remain lit when they aren't wanted or needed place unnecessary strain on the environment too.

Experts recommend turning off lights and unplugging appliances when they are not in use to save money and energy. Although it is unclear whether the porch light is contributing to the homeowner's electrical bills, it is wasting energy potentially generated by planet-warming fossil fuels.

Another way the perpetually lit porch light impacts the environment is through its contribution to light pollution, which has a significant effect on bird migration. Light pollution disorients birds, sometimes causing them to fly in circles above areas with extreme light. This can deplete their energy and put them at greater risk of death or injury from flying into buildings or other objects. Light pollution can also confuse birds about the time of day, impacting the critical timing necessary to reach their final destination.

In order to solve the problem of the annoyingly bright porch light, the homeowner's best course of action is to have a frank conversation with their HOA. The HOA likely doesn't know how the light is impacting the homeowner and may be willing to turn it off without further action on the homeowner's part.

Direct and honest communication is an important first step in enacting environmentally friendly changes in a home overseen by an HOA or landlord. However, further action is sometimes necessary, especially with unusually strict or unreasonable HOAs or landlords.

Knowing how to obtain HOA rules and find state laws, who to reach out to for questions and complaints, and how to start conversations about potential changes with landlords, HOA boards, and other members of the community who may also be impacted by such rules or changes will help a great deal in these instances.

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Otherwise, renters and homeowners may have to resort to less permanent solutions, which may end up damaging their relationship with their landlord or HOA. Users who commented on the Reddit post responded with some ideas: 

"Get another bulb lower [wattage]," wrote one person, adding, "Honestly you couldn't pay me to live with [an] HOA."

"Replace it with a WiFi/smart LED bulb so you can turn the brightness down," suggested another user.

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