A fussy co-ownership and a co-owner who cannot stand being dictated to absurd rules to apply. The story takes place in the United States, but it could be found anywhere, and it’s told by a lawyer and the American site Twisted Sifter reports it. In this case, he receives a visit from a new client who has come with his contract. co-ownership under the arm. The man lives in one of these housing estates where the co-owners must comply with a list of obligations as long as an arm. And among the rules to follow, the new client cannot bear the idea that the co-ownership could force him to tear out the sunflowers which he planted in front of his house. His neighbors find them too high and above all formally prohibited by the regulations.
The lawyer tries to explain to him that this little game can be long and complex and therefore risks costing him dearly in legal costs. Nothing to do, it’s a question of principle: “This is America and I should be able to plant sunflowers,” he would have declared. The lawyer complies and carefully goes through the thick co-ownership regulations. As expected, there is a black and white ban on planting sunflowers in front of your home in this co-ownership. But in their eagerness to prohibit things, the editors of this text have listed in alphabetical order a whole series of prohibited plantations: from bananas to apples to cauliflower or parsley…
Dragon fruit
“In this type of scenario, explains the lawyer, either you have a global ban: “all plantations are prohibited” or you have specific bans like that of this co-ownership. The regulations were undoubtedly written by an uninspired jurist who preferred this list to the words: “No planting without prior agreement from the co-ownership.” Because in the case of the list, everything that is not prohibited is assumed to be authorized.” The lawyer notes that the inventory at Prévert goes so far as to ban dragon fruit but forgot a crop as common as corn. The upset co-owner therefore set out in search of the tallest and ugliest type of corn available and hastened to plant it in front of his house.
Obviously the co-ownership came to complain about this unsightly planting and obviously the co-owner referred his neighbors to carefully reading the regulations! And he concluded that it was out of the question to uproot his corn, unless… It was at this moment that a rapid negotiation began: the corn could well disappear but on the only condition that the sunflowers are allowed to reappear. Between two evils, the co-ownership quickly opted for the lesser and the large yellow flowers took root permanently.