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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/BIind_Uchiha on 2025-05-29 07:45:46+00:00.
So this happened last summer, and I still chuckle about it.
I live in a pretty cookie-cutter suburban neighborhood with a notoriously annoying HOA. They’re the kind of people who will measure the height of your grass and fine you $50 if it’s “over regulation.”
Now, I’ve always kept my property neat, but we had this one board member, Rick, who took his job way too seriously. He’d do these random patrols around the neighborhood, taking photos of violations like some kind of parking lot vigilante.
One day I get a notice in the mail: “TRASH CANS VISIBLE FROM THE STREET - MUST BE KEPT OUT OF SIGHT AT ALL TIMES.”
Mind you, I kept mine at the side of my house, next to my fence. Not on the curb, not in the front yard—just barely visible if you were really trying. But apparently, that was too much for Rick.
I called to ask for clarification. I asked, “You mean just not on the curb except on trash day, right?” “No,” Rick said. “They must not be visible from the street at all, regardless of where they’re stored.”
Alright, Rick. If it’s total invisibility you want… cue malicious compliance.
I went online and bought a giant trash can-shaped cover that looks like a hedge. Yes, they exist. It’s basically a fabric wrap with printed shrubbery on it. Then I placed it exactly where it was before—side of my house, slightly visible—but now camouflaged to look like a bush.
About a week later, I get another note.
But this time? It was a thank-you from the HOA for “taking initiative to beautify my property.” Rick apparently walked right past my “trash bush” and didn’t even notice it.
I left it there for months. Eventually, Rick must’ve caught on because I saw him stop his car, back up, and just stare at it. He never said a word.
But the rules say “not visible,” and, well… if he can’t tell it’s a trash can, then it isn’t, right?
Sometimes, playing by the rules is the most fun you can have.