Well it has been a very long time since I have posted here! All my rentals doing well - but I have a weird situation I'm not sure the best way to handle in AZ where I am renting in a very nice Scottsdale neighborhood until youngest daughter graduates high school.

So I am the tenant in this situation. House is managed by a professional PM, they are great.

The neighborhood is in an HOA. The house I rent is on a corner lot with large mature oleander bushes that sit outside the backyard perimeter wall between the wall & public sidewalk.

The PM let us know that the HOA needed those oleanders trimmed back. Husband and I did this. No problem. So it seems that the retired lady whose house is behind our house is the local HOA busy body. She has come over, rung the doorbell, asked husband to remove the ground cover now under the bushes. It is 115+ in the Phoenix metro this week, these oleanders have been severely pruned (husband did it without understanding how much heat stress has been put on these shrubs, and now this nosy neighbor has taken it upon herself to rake up and remove the ground cover (mulch, essentially).

This creates two problems. One, it exposes bear ground where weeds will easily take root (which the HOA will cite for).....and Two, it removes the protective mulch that protects the shrubs' roots from the high heat and will allow any moisture held in by the mulch to dry out.

I am flabbergasted that she just does this without consent. I have asked her to stop it. She is still manipulating the landscape that I am resonsible for!! It is not her property!!! Do I alert the PM? Do I confront her? Do I tell her to stop & then call the police if she won't stop?

I have a 3K deposit. If her removal of the mulch csuses 12 mature oleanders to dry out and die the PM could penalize me and cost me thousands.

This would infuriate me even if I did own the property where I live, but this is really ridiculous.

What should I do?

"The PM let us know that the HOA needed those oleanders trimmed back"

If they die, it's on them. You only cut them back at their request. Not your problem.

This is one of the reasons I want to sell our condo in OBX. The fees started going up, and one old lady always makes a bee line to us when she sees us pull up. We usually wave and keep walking.

People in HOA communities hate renters. Even if you keep your property nicer than everyone else they will still hate you. Many moved to an HOA community in hopes of never having to live next to a renter.

I would put it in writing to the PM and the HOA board.

And put up a no trespass sign as well as officially notify her she is not to come on your property - the steps required here before taking it to the police.

I would also explain to her all the reasons you gave above. Look her in the eye, be serious & don't back down.

Believe me I get it "HOA area, HOA problems" but the whole school district is HOA areas and its the best public HS in the valley (HOA is one reason I didn't buy here)....that and we will buy elsewhere after she graduates when we no longer need to worry about the school district.

I had purchased a condo in an HOA run property. I rented it out and the HOA wasn't happy. So they began to harass my tenants, who threaten to move.

Before the auction to purchase this condo, I asked the HOA to read their rules. They refused, saying I will get a copy after I purchase it. In most transactions, before escrow could close, the buyer had to sign the HOA rules. This being an auction, I got to purchase the condo without agreeing to the HOA rules.

Fast forward: I hired an attorney, actor and security guard. I gave them the gate code and they all showed up at the HOA office. "Crazy Karen was there". The attorney hand delivered a letter, either stop the Harassment, or we will be seeking a court order. The actor "police" told Karen, he wasn't there to protect the owner Robert, but instead protect the HOA from the Raff of Robert.

Since you are getting conflicting orders, let your HOA know that your neighbor is under cutting their authority.