A dispute at one Texas homeowners' association is drawing attention after a resident said the community's landscapers left oil stains on their driveway. The HOA later tried to make the homeowner pay for the damage.
The complaint, shared publicly alongside a neighborhood petition, is resonating with people because many homeowners say conflicts with HOAs can quickly become expensive and difficult to fight.
Here's what to know
According to a Reddit post in r/F***HOA, the complaint involves the Preston Oaks HOA in Austin, Texas, and oil allegedly left behind by its landscaping crew.
The homeowner wrote that the association sent "a letter in the mail" seeking payment over the driveway and wrote, "So I got a letter in the mail from Preston Oaks HOA charging us for their landscapers destroying our driveway. They park their mowers and they leak oil everywhere."
The OP continued, "The HOA is threatening legal action if we don't repair the driveway… This should be fun. With all the other neighbors hating them, we started a petition."
Commenters were quick to support both the OP and their petition.
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One commenter wrote, "Sue the HOA, which is a legal entity. It's on them, or their insurance, to recoup from the landscapers."
Another Reddit user asked, "Did you document all of this? What did they say at the last board meeting when you bright this up?"
"All documented. 'They'll get back to us about that,'" the OP responded.
Another commenter argued, "No HOA bylaws allowing the board, or its agents, to damage a homeowners property will stand up to legal scrutiny."
Where can I learn more?
Homeowners have raised similar complaints when HOA contractors damaged property and the dispute turned into a fight over repairs.
• A homeowner said their HOA tried to dodge accountability after flooding damaged the property.
• An HOA's landscapers allegedly chopped hedges without permission, leaving more than $1,000 in damage.
• Homeowners said their HOA tore out their garden and then demanded payment.
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