HOAs have become a common enemy in many neighborhoods across the United States. It’s actually surprising how many of them exist. According to the most recent dataas of 2023, an estimated 365,000 HOAs are thriving across the country. In a world where these neighborhood lawmakers are known for being strict, sometimes even infuriating, enforcers of community rules, one homeowner shared his small act of rebellion in a post on Reddit.

The man, who was recently cited for having too many pine needles on his roof, complied with the HOA demands, but not before sending them a unique message using the very pine needles he was fined for.

While on vacation, a homeowner said his HOA sent him a violation notice for excessive pine needles on his roof.

The homeowner shared on his Reddit post that his house is surrounded by five pine trees, which he explained that he normally cleans because the needles shed. He also added that the pine trees are positioned in such a way that the roof of his house is barely visible from the street. The limited visibility actually shields the accumulation of pine needles from onlookers, but according to the homeowner, “The HOA must’ve been bored while doing their little audit. They sent pictures of both sides of our roof while my wife and I were on vacation.”

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As a result of the pine needles on the roof, HOA sent the man a violation and gave him 20 days to resolve the issue. Instead of clearing off the roof immediately, the homeowner dabbled in a bit of fun — and some subtle defiance.

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The homeowner waited until the last minute to clear the pine needles, then used the needles to write a message to the HOA on his roof.

While the days to resolve the violation went by, the homeowner finally took action — on day 19, to be exact. On the second to last day, he had finished cleaning the side of the roof to meet the HOA’s deadline. However, on the other side of the roof, the homeowner decided to leave a creative “gift” for the HOA inspectors: a message that read “(Expletive) The HOA.”

Now, one might ask, how did he leave this message on his roof? Could there have been a sign or any marking conveying his message? The answer is no. The homeowner used the pine needles he cleaned up to state his message.

The homeowner’s purpose was clearly to send a message to the HOA that their message wasn’t being taken seriously. The pine needles on the other side of the roof served as a reminder that even when you’re following the rules, there’s still room for some playful protest. After all, it was a harmless gesture that, in the homeowner’s mind, might just communicate his frustration with the HOA’s nitpicking attitude.

At the end of the day, however, the man was lucky that the HOA didn’t fine him for public vulgarity or some such violation. In fact, most HOAs have some ban on vulgar language either used in decorating or used implicitly. This man was anything but discreet in his message.

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The HOA never responded to the man’s pine needle message.

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Fast forward to the outcome. The homeowner received an email from the HOA informing him that the violation had been resolved. They attached a picture of the clean side of the roof, but — ironically — completely ignored the “message” sent via the remaining pine needles on the other side.

The homeowner couldn’t help but feel the final response was emblematic of the HOA’s inefficiency. Not only did they miss the message, but they also continued to focus only on the part of the roof that met their standards, completely overlooking the personal and slightly petty touch left behind.

Despite the lack of acknowledgment from the HOA, the homeowner still felt satisfaction in his little act of rebellion. In a world where one could live amongst an infuriating HOA, sometimes a creative, small act of rebellion is needed to get your point across — even if it’s just a few pine needles.

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Erika Ryan is a writer working on her bachelor’s degree in Journalism. She is based in Florida and covers relationships, psychology, self-help, and human interest topics.