Resident Receives Formal Notice From HOA For ‘Inappropriate Public Displays’ After Doing Yoga On The Roof
If there was a competition for most problematic HOA, this one might just win.
WellStock | Shutterstock Homeowners’ Associations are known to overstep sometimes. Their demands are often ridiculous, and the ways they enforce their rules are questionable. This is made even worse by residents who encourage their actions.
One homeowner found themselves in an awkward position after their HOA gave them a formal notice at their neighbor’s request for doing an everyday activity at their own house.
A resident received a formal notice from their HOA for doing yoga.
A homeowner took to Reddit’s “Yoga” forum to share their frustration with some like-minded individuals after they were put on notice by their HOA because of a neighbor’s complaint.
“I’ve been practicing yoga on my rooftop terrace for the past few months as it has amazing sunrise views and helps me start my day peacefully,” they explained. “Yesterday, I received a formal notice from our HOA stating that someone complained about my ‘inappropriate public displays’ and ‘disturbance of community aesthetics.’”
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This person absolutely could not understand why this complaint had been made, given the manner in which they practiced. “I was shocked since I practice at 6 a.m. when hardly anyone is awake, wear completely normal workout clothes and make zero noise,” they said.
Because of their confusion, the resident questioned their HOA further, trying to get some kind of explanation. “When I asked for clarification, the HOA manager reluctantly admitted that my neighbor (who I’ve never even spoken to) submitted photos of me in various poses claiming they were ‘inappropriate for children to potentially see’ and ‘promoting Eastern religious practices in a family community.’” This really left the poor yogi more confused than ever. “I’m literally just doing basic vinyasa flow!” they exclaimed.
Naturally, people had plenty of opinions to offer, as well as some concerns to point out.
The resident’s fellow Reddit users were not only on their side but also deeply worried about the neighbor’s actions and intentions. “Ask them to point to where it states in the HOA bylaws that have your signature that you are forbidden from using your own terrace for exercise,” one person suggested.
The same person also recommended considering just how the neighbor got those pictures. “Also, file a complaint in return for your neighbor ‘peeping’ and ‘inappropriately staring over into my property’ which ‘makes you very uncomfortable to use your own backyard’ and ‘if it continues, I will be forced to file a police report,’” they added. “See how quickly this gets squashed.”
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“Uh, yeah, taking photos of someone on their private residence without their knowledge or consent?” someone else responded. “Involve authorities if you have to, that’s creepy!!”
The thing that seemed to upset Reddit users the most, however, was the mention of “Eastern religious practices.” One person commented, “If that whole promoting Eastern religion thing is an exact quote, I feel like that right there is your ticket to fight. They can’t just outlaw religious practices.”
“I would ask the HOA if they ban religious practices,” another recommended, to which the original poster replied, “Winder if they’ll ban Christmas decorations next to be ‘consistent?’”
The Fair Housing Act prohibits such discrimination.
In another comment, a user mentioned the Fair Housing Act, or FHA, which would be violated if the HOA imposed such religious rules. In response to that, the original poster clarified, “The selective enforcement is what bothers me too. Our community has plenty of religious holiday decorations throughout the year that the HOA has no problem with.”
Attorney Christopher R. Moore said that the Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968. According to Moore, “This means an HOA can’t limit someone’s access to, or use of, a home based on his or her religion.”
While the HOA would probably not be willing to stand behind the assertion that the resident’s yoga is wrong because it is “promoting Eastern religious practices,” it seems like if they did, the resident would have a pretty solid foundation for a discrimination case.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.