One of the benefits of living in a homeowners association (HOA) is knowing that there’s someone there to make sure that your neighborhood always looks its best. However, the downside is that you never know when your home could end up in your HOA’s crosshairs, requiring costly upgrades to keep up appearances.
That’s what one woman says happened to her after she received a letter from her HOA demanding that she repaint the trim along her roofline because the color no longer matched the rest of the home.
Now, she’s asking why her home was singled out when other similar homes in her neighborhood weren’t, including her neighbor.
Here’s what she found out.
A Las Vegas Woman Is Upset After Receiving a Notice From Her HOA
A Las Vegas woman reached out to local ABC News station KTNV after she says she received a letter from the Mountain’s Edge Master Association, ordering her to repaint the trim along her roof. And it’s not because the paint is damaged or peeling. Instead, the HOA told Dr. Shawntae Collins that the color was off.
“It said the painting on the first floor and the second floor were different,” Dr. Collins recalled in an interview. However, the homeowner wasn’t necessarily upset that she got the notice, but instead, she was confused as to why not everyone else on her block did.
“She told me that she cited 167 homes in the Mountain’s Edge area… okay, that’s a good answer, but it’s not concrete,” she continued. “Because those 167 homes are selected. Like you selected me, but not my neighbor who has the same color home.”
Neighbors Spoke Out About the Letters
Dr. Collins told ABC News that she believes the paint job would cost about $800, which is a figure her neighbor said he couldn’t afford.
“If they’re getting a letter, then I would absolutely be worried about getting a letter,” Dr. Collins’ neighbor Ryan Crawford told the publication, adding that it would be a tough pill to swallow due to the costs. “I mean, that would pretty much be a whole check for me… so yeah, I would be set back.”
ABC News says that they reached out to the association for a comment but were told that the HOA doesn’t discuss community issues with the media.
But Dr. Collins maintains that she isn’t upset with the HOA’s decision, she just wants more clarity when it comes to how the rules are applied. “I believe in HOAs, and they offer integrity in the community,” she said. “They have good things that they offer, but this over-policing and non-transparency and singling out is concerning.”
States Are Fighting Back Against HOAs
Dr. Collins’ complaints aren’t anything new, and some states are trying to put power back into the hands of homeowners living in HOAs by cracking down on associations accused of over-regulating neighborhoods. For example, Georgia recently signed a Property Owners’ Bill of Rights into law, which will change what types of regulations HOAs can enforce, and when they’re allowed to fine residents.
Whether that ends up being a good thing for neighborhoods or a bad thing remains to be seen, but for now it’s clear that people like Dr. Collins want to see more transparency when it comes to how HOAs are policing neighborhoods.