Homeowner Cited for Weeds He Cannot Find Photographed the HOA’s Own Patchy Golf Course and Rotting Grass Piles and Mailed the Pictures Back

His HOA sent him a violation notice for weeds. He says he cannot find a single one. So @davidwbroker hopped on his motorcycle, rode through his neighborhood, and photographed the common areas and golf course the association itself is responsible for. Then he wrote the board a second letter with a simple challenge: show me the weeds on my photos, or withdraw the notice.

In the video, a follow-up to an earlier post about the citation, he reads that letter out loud. It refers to his first written response, dated October 13, 2026, disputing the violation. This time, he enclosed current dated photographs of his landscaping beds and asked the board to “identify on the photos the specific weeds” they were referring to. “If you cannot,” he reads, “I expect the notice to be withdrawn in writing and removed from my account immediately.”

Then he turns the tables. His home sits on a golf course, so he sees every day how the shared areas look. He describes grass that is “patchy, overgrown, long on the edges and partially cut,” and says that after every mowing, piles of dead grass clippings are left behind to “sit and they rot throughout the community.” His point is that the association is holding homeowners “to a standard it doesn’t meet itself.”

@davidwbroker

Golf Balls, Trash Cans and a Grieving Son

The letter goes beyond grass. He says golfers regularly walk onto homeowners’ yards to retrieve and hit their balls “as if our yards are part of the golf course.” He notes that stray balls broke windows at a neighbor’s home on May 16, 2025, and that when residents raised the issue, the association said it had no responsibility and no enforcement authority. He finds five to ten golf balls in his yard every time he mows, he says, and often sees golfers playing right from his lawn.

“The association will issue a warning over a trash can and violations over unidentified weeds,” he reads. Yet, he argues, it suddenly has no power when it comes to golfers on private property.

The trash can line is personal. He explains that he once put his can out a day early before leaving town to bury his mother. When he returned five days later, a warning notice was on his door. Nobody, he says, tried to find out whether he was in the hospital or worse.

He also mentions that he has been asked to serve on the board three times and declined, and points out that two homes beside the management office appear not to have had their grass cut in months. He maintains his own yard every two weeks, sometimes weekly after heavy rain.

He closes the letter with four written questions about the golf course, trespassing golfers, communication with the course owners, and a timeline for fixing the common areas. He disputes the violation, reserves his right to a hearing before any penalty, objects to any fines or certified-letter charges, asks for a written response within 10 days, and requests that the issues be placed on the next board meeting agenda.

His caption offers advice for anyone in the same spot: “Respond in writing, ask for proof, and request your hearing. Don’t just pay it.” And a closing line: “You are not powerless. You are uninformed.” He promises a part three with the board’s answer.

How to Push Back on an HOA Violation

HOA rules come from your community’s governing documents and your state’s laws, so details vary. But his approach follows a pattern that works in many places.

Read the notice closely. Note exactly which rule you supposedly broke, the deadline to respond and any fine amount.

Pull out your documents. Your covenants, bylaws and rules spell out what the HOA can enforce and how. Many states also require associations to give written notice and a chance to be heard before fines are imposed.

Answer in writing, every time. Phone calls leave no record. Use email and certified mail and keep copies.

Gather dated evidence. Photos with dates, receipts from landscapers, and records of when you were out of town all help.

Ask for specifics. If the notice is vague, request photos or exact locations of the problem. Asking for proof is reasonable.

Request a hearing. If your documents or state law give you a right to a hearing, ask for one in writing before paying anything.

Show up and get involved. Attend board meetings, read the minutes, and vote. Boards change when owners participate.

If You Live Next to a Golf Course

Homes along fairways come with beautiful views and a few risks. Stray balls can break windows, dent cars and injure people. Who pays depends on your state and the circumstances, and some courts have said owners who buy beside a course accept some risk. Check whether your homeowners insurance covers glass and roof damage, keep photos of any damage, and ask your HOA or the course whether there is a written agreement covering netting, tree buffers or out-of-bounds markers.

Whatever the board says next, @davidwbroker has made his case clear. Before you pay a fine, ask the people issuing it to show their work.

Willow and Hearth