Up next in 10
I Got Fined for Curtain Color… by the HOA Karen 🤯 | True Story
Sep 14, 2025
#redditrelationship #aita #redditstories I Got Fined for Curtain Color… by the HOA Karen 🤯 | True Story What if I told you I got a $150 fine… for my curtain color? Welcome back, friends. Today’s story is so ridiculous, it could’ve been a sitcom episode. A neighborhood Karen (who also happens to be the HOA president) tried to fine me for having blue curtains. She showed up at my door, clipboard in hand, demanding money. 😳 But what she didn’t expect… was that I’d fight back — and win. From ridiculous HOA rules to rogue neighborhood enforcers, this is a cautionary tale about knowing your rights and not letting fake authority push you around. 💬 Drop your wild HOA or Karen stories in the comments! 🔔 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit that bell for more real-life drama.
View Video Transcript
0:00
Hey everyone, welcome back to the
0:02
channel. Today I have a story for you
0:05
that's honestly so wild, so ridiculous
0:07
you'd think it was straight out of a
0:09
sitcom. Picture this. You're going about
0:12
your day, just chilling at home, and
0:14
then some random neighborhood Karen
0:16
shows up at your door, pulls out a
0:18
clipboard like she's an inspector, and
0:19
tells you you're fined. Yes, fined. For
0:22
having the wrong color curtains. No
0:25
joke. The color of my curtains got me a
0:28
$150 fine from a Karen. So, buckle up
0:31
because this story is absolutely bonkers
0:34
and I'm here to tell you every juicy
0:36
detail.
0:37
All right, first let me explain the
0:39
background.
0:41
I live in this quiet suburban
0:43
neighborhood, the kind where the grass
0:45
is always trimmed, kids ride their bikes
0:47
on sidewalks, and neighbors wave
0:49
politely. But it's also one of those
0:51
neighborhoods governed by a homeowners
0:53
association or HOA for short. If you
0:57
don't know what an HOA is, think of it
0:59
as a neighborhood government with a ton
1:01
of rules and regulations about how your
1:03
house and yard should look. Some HOAs
1:06
are chill, but others, well, they're
1:09
borderline dictatorships.
1:11
And mine, oh, it's definitely one of the
1:13
more strict ones. The HOA here is famous
1:16
for enforcing rules about everything
1:18
from the color you paint your front
1:20
door, the types of plants you grow, even
1:23
what kind of mailbox you can have. So,
1:25
naturally, I try to keep things pretty
1:28
by the book. I don't want trouble.
1:32
So, fast forward to a couple months ago.
1:34
I decided it was time to freshen up my
1:36
living room a bit. I had these old
1:38
curtains that were basically falling
1:40
apart, faded from years of sun, and I
1:43
wanted something new, something that
1:45
felt cozy, but still stylish.
1:48
After browsing a few stores, I settled
1:50
on these soft blue curtains. Not too
1:52
bright, not too loud, just a nice calm
1:55
blue. I figured it would bring some
1:58
color and life into my space. A few days
2:01
later, I got a knock on my door. I
2:04
wasn't expecting anyone, so I opened it
2:06
curious. And there she was, the infamous
2:09
neighborhood Karen. Let's call her
2:11
Linda. Linda had that trademark, I'm
2:14
here to police your life look. She had a
2:16
clipboard, sunglasses, and a little
2:18
badge that said HOA enforcement. I'm
2:21
pretty sure it was a sticker she made
2:23
herself. Linda immediately starts off
2:26
with, "Good afternoon. I'm here
2:28
regarding a complaint about your
2:30
curtains."
2:31
I blinked, confused. My curtains? I
2:35
said. She nodded seriously. Yes. The
2:39
color of your curtains is not in
2:40
compliance with the neighborhood
2:42
guidelines. You've been fined $150.
2:45
I stared at her dumbfounded.
2:48
Wait, what? Finded for my curtains? She
2:52
nodded like it was the most normal thing
2:54
in the world. Yes. According to the HOA
2:58
regulations, curtain colors must be
3:00
neutral. Beige, white, or cream only.
3:03
Blue curtains violate these rules. I'm
3:05
here to collect your fine. At this
3:08
point, I'm trying not to laugh because
3:10
this whole thing sounded so absurd. How
3:13
could she just show up and hand me a
3:15
fine for curtain color? Isn't there
3:17
supposed to be some official process?
3:20
Some warning first, an official letter.
3:24
I asked her, "Linda, do you have any
3:26
official paperwork or documentation for
3:28
this fine? A letter, a notice,
3:31
anything?" She handed me a piece of
3:34
paper that looked like a print out of
3:35
some HOA guideline sheet, but it didn't
3:38
have any signatures or official
3:40
letterhead, just a paragraph that said
3:42
something vague about maintaining
3:44
community aesthetics.
3:46
I pointed out I never received any prior
3:48
notice about this. No warning, no
3:51
letter, and this paper doesn't say
3:53
anything about fines or how they're
3:54
issued. Linda rolled her eyes and said,
3:58
"That's irrelevant. The rules are the
4:00
rules. You've already been fined. You
4:02
need to pay.
4:04
Now, I have to admit, at this point, I
4:06
was getting a little irritated. This
4:08
wasn't a polite request. This was a
4:11
full-on demand backed by zero authority
4:13
that I could see. So, I told her, "Look,
4:16
I want to cooperate, but I need to see
4:18
the official HOA board meeting minutes
4:20
or something that shows the fine was
4:21
authorized. Otherwise, I can't just hand
4:24
over $150 to you." Linda got a bit
4:27
huffy. I'm the HOA president. I have the
4:30
authority to issue fines. You're
4:32
disrespecting community standards by
4:34
questioning me.
4:36
Okay. That's when the light bulb went
4:38
off. She was the HOA president.
4:41
So, I decided to take a step back and do
4:44
some research. Over the next couple of
4:47
days, I dug into the HOA website,
4:50
scanned through meeting minutes,
4:51
newsletters, and anything I could find
4:53
about enforcement policies.
4:56
What I discovered was actually quite
4:58
shocking.
4:59
The HOA does have a set of aesthetic
5:01
guidelines, sure, but any fines have to
5:04
go through a formal process. The board
5:07
votes, you get official written notices,
5:09
you get the chance to appeal, and then a
5:12
professional management company issues
5:14
the fine. There was zero mention of
5:16
individual board members or the
5:18
president having unilateral power to
5:20
find residents on the spot. So, I
5:23
reached out to the HOA management
5:25
company. When I explained the situation,
5:28
they were equally surprised. They
5:30
confirmed that the president does not
5:32
have the authority to issue fines on her
5:34
own and that all fines must go through a
5:36
formal board process. I was both
5:38
relieved and frustrated.
5:41
Relieved because I wasn't actually
5:42
breaking any rules or out $150 and
5:45
frustrated because Linda was basically
5:47
playing neighborhood police and abusing
5:49
her role.
5:51
Now, I wanted to give Linda the benefit
5:53
of the doubt. Maybe she thought she was
5:56
just helping out the community, but it
5:58
quickly became clear that this was a
6:00
pattern.
6:01
I talked to several neighbors who had
6:03
similar stories about Linda showing up
6:04
unannounced, scolding people for trivial
6:07
things and even threatening fines that
6:09
never materialized officially. One
6:11
neighbor told me she got a fine for
6:13
leaving a flower pot on her porch that
6:14
wasn't in the HOA approved style.
6:17
Another had been told to remove her
6:18
garden gnomes or face penalties.
6:21
Basically, Linda was taking it upon
6:24
herself to be the enforcer of all things
6:26
neighborhood rules, even if it wasn't
6:28
her place.
6:30
Armed with all this info, I decided to
6:32
bring it up at the next HOA board
6:34
meeting. I wasn't sure what to expect,
6:37
but I wanted to clear the air and get
6:39
official confirmation that this curtain
6:41
fine was invalid.
6:43
At the meeting, I calmly explained
6:45
everything. how Linda had fined me
6:47
without any formal process, how I had
6:50
done my research, and how this was
6:52
causing unnecessary stress for
6:53
residents.
6:55
I asked for clarity on the fine issuance
6:58
process and whether individual board
7:00
members could levy fines.
7:02
The board listened and then confirmed
7:04
what the management company had told me.
7:07
No single board member, including the
7:09
president, can issue fines without board
7:12
approval and official notification
7:13
procedures.
7:15
They apologized for any confusion or
7:17
distress caused.
7:19
More importantly, they voted to send out
7:21
a clear communication to all residents
7:24
explaining the rules and enforcement
7:26
processes, including a reminder that
7:28
fines must go through the official
7:30
channels only. And of course, the board
7:33
officially nullified the $150 curtain
7:36
fine. I went home that night feeling
7:38
relieved and proud. My blue curtains
7:41
were safe. No more Karen fines for me.
7:44
Looking back, the whole experience was
7:46
frustrating but also eyeopening.
7:49
It reminded me how important it is to
7:52
know your rights and not be intimidated
7:54
by people who try to wield power without
7:56
authority.
7:58
I also learned that HOAs can be
8:00
complicated and sometimes those in
8:02
charge get a little carried away with
8:04
their responsibilities. But hey,
8:06
standing up for yourself is crucial.
8:09
Whether it's a Karen in your
8:10
neighborhood or anyone else trying to
8:12
boss you around for ridiculous reasons,
8:14
you've got to stand your ground. Before
8:17
I wrap this up, I want to say if you've
8:19
ever had an encounter with a Karen or
8:21
crazy HOA situation, please share it
8:23
down in the comments.
8:25
I want to hear your stories because
8:27
honestly, these things happen more than
8:29
you think. And sometimes laughing about
8:32
it together helps. And if you like this
8:35
story, please give it a thumbs up.
8:37
Subscribe if you're new here and hit
8:40
that notification bell so you don't miss
8:42
any future videos.
8:44
Thanks for sticking with me through this
8:46
wild tale. Until next time, keep your
8:49
curtains how you want them, and don't
8:51
let anyone tell you otherwise.
#Government
#Legal
#Social Issues & Advocacy