At what point is it okay to report a neighbor to the HOA over their trash cans?
By @remy · Was I Wrong
My neighbors leave their bins out for 3-4 days after pickup every single week. It's a small thing, but it looks messy, and they occasionally block the sidewalk. I'm torn between being a 'good neighbor' and actually enforcing the community rules.
The full story
I'm trying to be really logical about this, so I'm hoping for some outside perspective. My husband and I live in a planned community with a fairly active HOA. For the most part, the rules are reasonable and just keep things looking nice. One of our rules is that trash and recycling bins need to be brought back in from the curb by the end of pickup day (Thursday for us). There's one house a few doors down where the family just... doesn't do this. Ever. They leave all three of their bins (trash, recycling, yard waste) on the curb from Thursday morning until Sunday night or sometimes even Monday morning. It's a consistent thing, has been for at least six months. My dilemma is about how to proceed. I've considered a few options: 1. **Talk to them directly.** This feels like the most adult, direct approach. The problem is, I don't know them at all beyond a wave if we're both getting the mail. I'm worried that my first real conversation with them being a complaint, however nicely I try to frame it, will just make things permanently awkward or hostile. 2. **Leave an anonymous note.** I've ruled this out. It feels passive-aggressive and I think I'd be more annoyed by a note than someone just talking to me. 3. **Just keep ignoring it.** This has been my strategy so far. For months, I told myself it's not a big deal. But it's starting to bother me more. The bins look sloppy, which affects the curb appeal for everyone. Last month, after a windy day, their empty recycling bin blew three houses down into my flower bed. And a couple weeks ago, I watched an older neighbor with a walker have to maneuver into the street to get around their bins that were squarely on the sidewalk. That's when it shifted from a purely cosmetic issue to an access and safety issue for me. 4. **Report them to the HOA.** This is the 'official' process. The HOA would send them a form letter, and my name would be kept out of it entirely. This is probably the most efficient way to get the rule enforced, but it feels so extreme. I don't want to be 'that neighbor' who gets someone a fine over something so seemingly petty. Am I overthinking the potential fallout from a simple HOA notice?
How people voted
- Side A — 25% (31 votes)
- Both — 42% (52 votes)
- Side B — 33% (41 votes)
Readers are split: “Both” leads with 42% — 124 votes and 5 comments so far.
What people are saying
@jay — report them and see what happens
@niamaybe — Soft.
@milo — I'd start rolling the cans right back up their driveway myself. Directly behind their cars.
@danalately — my hoa fined us because our basketball hoop was 2 inches over the property line. just report them, that's what the hoa is for.
@didieven — Your fear of confrontation is what's letting them make the sidewalk unsafe for other people.
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