Neighbor Tries to Get HOA Lawyers Involved Because Kids Were Playing Outside Their Own Homes

A neighborhood fight that allegedly started over unpaid HOA fees has now turned into a bigger mess involving kids, cameras, speeding accusations, and a formal complaint to the HOA attorney.

In a Reddit post shared to r/neighborsfromhell, the homeowner said the trouble began last year when another family in the gated community was notified that they had not paid HOA fees for two years. According to the poster, that unpaid balance eventually went to collections, and the neighbor blamed a woman on the HOA board instead of accepting it as an HOA issue.

From there, the situation allegedly spiraled.

The poster said the angry neighbor began targeting the HOA board member and her family, making their lives difficult for months. But because the poster and their family are close friends with that board member, they say they were pulled into the conflict too.

“Unfortunately, we were then targeted because we’re great friends with our next door neighbors and we’re now victims due to affiliation,” the homeowner wrote in the Reddit post.

According to the homeowner, the neighbor’s behavior went beyond rude comments or awkward tension across the street. They said the neighbor started following them during walks while carrying around a pit bull, cursed at the HOA board member’s family, called the police on them, and began filming the families whenever they were outside.

The part that bothered the poster most was that the kids were being recorded too. The homeowner said the children involved are all 4 years old or younger, which made the filming feel especially uncomfortable.

Any time the families went outside, the poster claimed, the neighbor would pull out a camera and start recording. The homeowner said they had no idea what the neighbor was doing with the footage, which made the situation feel even more invasive.

The families eventually got some relief after the HOA board member contacted an attorney about the harassment. The poster later clarified in the comments that the attorney told the neighbor there could be legal consequences if the stalking and harassment continued.

After that, the neighbor allegedly stopped following them on walks. But the homeowner said the filming did not stop completely. Instead, the neighbor now only records them when they see them outside.

That alone sounded bad enough to commenters, but the conflict took another turn when the HOA got involved again.

The poster said they recently received an email from the HOA explaining that the neighbor had contacted the HOA’s attorney with a formal complaint about children playing in the street.

According to the homeowner, the setup of the community is part of the problem. More than half the neighborhood does not have sidewalks, and the poster said their own home does not have a driveway. After dinner, the families often take a walk and then let the kids ride scooters or bikes in front of their garages while adults supervise.

The poster said the kids are moved out of the way as soon as a car appears, and the adults are always outside with them. They also said most families in the gated community drive slowly because they know kids are often outside.

But the neighbor making the complaint allegedly does the opposite.

The homeowner claimed that the angry neighbor drives through the area at more than 40 mph, sometimes while filming them, as if trying to scare the families or prove a point. The poster said this has made the situation feel less like a simple HOA disagreement and more like an ongoing intimidation campaign.

The neighbor’s formal complaint reportedly asked the HOA to stop the children from playing outside their homes and to take “meaningful measures” to make sure it did not happen again.

The poster said they checked the community’s CCRs and could not find anything saying children were banned from playing outside their homes. They also pointed out what they saw as hypocrisy: the same neighbor’s teenage son allegedly plays basketball in the street with a basketball hoop that the poster says violates the community rules.

That left the homeowner trying to figure out what to say to the HOA without making the situation worse.

The poster also said the neighbor has more than 14 lawsuits listed on the county record site, including more than five restraining orders, so they feel like they need to be careful about how they respond. They clearly want to push back, but they also seem aware that this neighbor may not react normally to confrontation.

Commenters were mostly focused on documentation and legal protection.

Several people told the homeowner to document everything, especially the filming, speeding, HOA complaints, and any interactions involving the kids. Some suggested cameras around the home so the poster would have their own record instead of relying on the neighbor’s version of events.

Others said the homeowner should consider filing for an order of protection, especially if the neighbor is repeatedly filming children and using the HOA process to keep the conflict going. A few commenters said the poster should talk to an attorney and ask about a cease-and-desist letter.

Some took a more HOA-focused approach. They suggested responding calmly through the rules, pointing out that the CCRs do not ban supervised kids from playing near their own homes, while also noting the neighbor’s basketball hoop if it truly violates the community guidelines.

A few people warned against escalating emotionally. Their advice was basically to stop giving the neighbor the reaction they seemed to want and instead build a paper trail through the HOA, police reports, cameras, and attorney communication.

The homeowner seemed frustrated but cautious, especially because of the neighbor’s reported legal history. For now, the conflict appears to be sitting in that uncomfortable middle ground where the families are still trying to live their normal lives, but every scooter ride, walk, and playtime outside could become the next complaint.