Homeowners associations are highly controversial at best, and a Reddit user's post about their third fine for a purported grass-related infraction is a perfect encapsulation of why.

The original poster shared two photographs on r/mildlyinfuriating depicting what could only be described as a normal lawn.

"HOA sent a $25 fine for yard non-compliance, citing edging and mowing needed to be done," the poster began.

Someone from their HOA "came out the evening before" their scheduled twice-monthly mowing, they added.

However, the company in question happened to be "the same yard company" the HOA used to maintain shared areas — a detail that made several commenters suspect those repeated fines were not on the up-and-up.

"If it's a service known within the community, odds are the HOA knows the schedule for when they visit. Very suspicious that they do their check right before the company comes around," a user asserted.

A shocking number of commenters shared anecdotes of "shady" HOAs embezzling funds or arbitrarily fining residents, and one person urged the original poster to audit their HOA.

"We had to do this to our HOA board. We learned they stole almost a million dollars from the dues over 10 years," someone said in response.

HOAs can be a significant obstacle to members pursuing eco-friendly upgrades, particularly installing solar panels, growing food, or switching to a natural lawn that's friendly to pollinators — the latter of which was a point of contention for the original poster.

"I literally hate my yard like this. It was growing patches of clover with little white flowers before we mowed the first time. I like it better that way … the green was greener, and looked so luscious," they admitted.

What's the hardest thing about taking care of your yard? Mowing the lawn 🏡 Controlling weeds 🌿 Keeping pests at bay 🐿️ I don't have a yard 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"Friend of mine fights his HOA constantly," a user offered, one of many encouraging the original poster to fight back. "Just this year, they've fined him for two violations, one was leaving an extension cord on his porch … and the other was for backing his truck into his driveway."

Commenters repeatedly debunked the notion that HOAs are as powerful as they can look, pointing out that it's possible to fight your HOA and change oppressive bylaws.

Ultimately, users couldn't believe the depicted lawn warranted a fine and struggled to see non-compliance in the photos.

"Is it just me or does the grass look perfectly fine in the first picture?" one asked.

"My lawn isn't nearly this well defined. This lawn looks well kept," another observed.

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