A California woman got an HOA violation over a front yard so tiny she barely calls it a yard, and crumpled the letter on camera before selling

Homeowners associations are meant to keep neighborhoods looking consistent, and plenty of residents end up at odds with them over small details. A California homeowner says her HOA sent a violation notice over a front yard so small she hesitates to call it a yard, as the patch is barely bigger than a parked car. Her TikTok about the letter was picked up by The Nerd Stash.

The homeowner, Joanna DeLane, posts on TikTok as @downsizingthedream. Her account documents her family’s plan to sell the house and downsize, and her pinned video says they are selling their “dream house” on purpose. The HOA video carries on-screen text calling the violation “another reason we’re selling the house,” and it has drawn tens of thousands of views.

In the video, DeLane holds up the HOA violation letter about her yard. She says the HOA has already cited the property over weeds in the front yard and paint chips on the fence. DeLane says she cannot wait to sell, as she expects to stop dealing with these HOA letters in “three months or so,” and she crumples the notice on camera.

This California homeowner says she’s done owning a house after the HOA letter

DeLane says the family had a landscaper look at the yard and planned to improve it. However, she says the work could not start until October due to the heat. She admits she is tempted to be “petty” and leave the yard alone now, though she says they will probably fix it anyway to help sell the home.

Many commenters used the video to vent about HOAs in general. One viewer simply wrote “Never buy HOA property,” and DeLane replied that there won’t be a next time, as she is done owning a house. Another called for HOAs to be dismantled nationwide. A viewer in South Texas said they deliberately bought a home without one, as life and work already bring enough pressure.

Not everyone took DeLane’s side. One commenter said the front yard did not look like it would help property values, and suggested the small patch had simply been neglected. However, the sharpest pushback came from a viewer who argued that homeowners agree to the HOA’s rules when they buy, so blaming the association for enforcing them makes little sense.

A few viewers joked about the sale itself. One commenter said DeLane was doing a good job of talking buyers out of the house before it even hit the market. Another suggested her frustration was really with the HOA rather than with owning a home. DeLane is far from the only homeowner frustrated over yard rules, and another woman came up with a workaround after her HOA kept fining her over dead bushes.

DeLane has not shared the name of the HOA or the city where the house sits. Her account suggests the sale was already underway before this notice arrived, so the letter appears to be one more frustration rather than the reason the family is moving. Her pinned video asks viewers whether the family should try a smaller house, an apartment, or van life next.

DeLane has not said when the house will be listed, and her account will likely document where the family lands once the sale goes through, along with any more letters from the HOA.

Attack of the Fanboy was unable to independently verify the HOA’s side of the story, as this account originates solely from DeLane’s TikTok video.