Police called on property owners after HOA increases monthly fees to $350

A homeowners association meeting at the Mandarin Lakes neighborhood in Naranja Lakes went off the rails. The Tuesday night meeting was cut short after residents say the cops were called by the HOA.

[JuvPrimervago]

The fact that an HOA can actually take over your home and leave you homeless is reason enough to understand its out of control.

[DEINFAMOUS]

I have told this many times. I had an HOA advise me that they had voted my property into their HOA and that I had 30 days to come into compliance. I sent a response that I was not part of their HOA. 30 days later I started receiving violation notices in my mailbox. I sent a cease and desist letter. A month later, I received a notice of intent to seize my property if I was not in compliance in 10 days. Two weeks later I received notice of a scheduled hearing. At the courthouse, the attorney for the HOA recognized me and asked if I represented the homeowner, and I told him that I was the homeowner. I told him that I was not part of the HOA and they had been advised of that in writing several times. In court, the HOA president told how I had ignored all notices and refused to pay fines. When it was my turn, I asked her how long the property had been a part of the HOA, she gave the date they had voted my property in. I asked her if she had membership documents signed by me. She said "No, you refused so we voted you in" The judge, and their attorney both said HUH ? ? ? I then asked her about putting violation notices in my mailbox and she said that was the only way since I refused to install a notice box at my garage door. I asked her if she realized that putting main in a US mailbox was a federal crime. She said "not in a HOA" I saw their attorney shake his head. The judge asked her how she thought that the HOA could vote someone in without their consent, she said the annexed the property according to their by-laws. I asked the judge for a judgment as a matter of law, and consideration of my counter-claim. The judge said "granted to both, state your counter-claim" I outlined my compensatory damages, and then asked for putative damages in the amount of $5000 per violation notice, and an additional $10, 000 for the frivolous case. The judge granted $350, 000 in putative damages, and just over $50, 000 in actual damages for time, and earnings lost responding and researching their claims. HOA woman said that the HOA could not pay the judgement. I told the judge that I would accept the vacant 20 Acres of association property adjoining my property with the release of HOA claims. The HOA voted the next week to release the property and remove Caren (Yes her name is Caren) as HOA president. I found out that she wanted my property as access to the additional acres the HOA had purchased to build additional homes to sell. Subsequently, the members of the HOA voted to dissolve the HOA as without the additional anticipated acreage income, they could not continue to fulfill the HOA obligations. The entire neighborhood (save a few) is much happier with the HOA gone.

[ATL_Transparency_News]

HOA's need to be disbanded everyplace

[riglowkun]

Buying a home just to pay what is essentially rent is insane

[thatgameguy]

Hoa is like paying rent on your own property

[limbeboy]

Imagine paying $546, 287 to have roommates.

[paranoidhumanoid]

HOAs should simply be banned nationwide. Collective trusts can be set up by neighbors to care for landscaping and other common amenities.

[TheTickingtime]

Why anyone would live under an HOA is beyond me. It kind of defeats the purpose of living in the USA.

[dennisalbrecht]

Never buy a property controled by a HOA. Totally foolish.

[maxwellmueller]

-HOA meeting
-Florida.

That's all I need to know to stay outside the 20 mile blast radius.

[bronxnewbie]

They need to hire lawyers and investigate the accounting of the HOA

[hutch]

I had lost my job and was a couple of months behind on my HOA payments. $700 total. They actually filed an eviction with the county sheriff. The sheriff came to my door to notify me but told me he was going to pretend the eviction notice was "lost" in their system. He couldn't believe they were doing that over $700.

[DregemNA]

My fathers HOA years ago banned all residents from the meetings so all decisions went unopposed. That ended pretty badly for them once everyone in the neighborhood decided with unity not to pay the fees

[tbeehler]

So band together and vote to dissolve the HOA. Not remove members, not lower the fee. Get rid of it.

[Nick]

Why anyone would subject themselves to living in an HOA community is beyond me.

[Aeternum_Gaming]

i am so glad my HOA is run by people who live in my neighborhood. i pay $80 per year in HoA fees. all we use it for is to maintain the grass, and flowers at the neighborhood entrance, and keep the pond fountain running/clean. no horror stories here thankfully.

[OffTheBeatenPathWithRiver]

I tell everyone in my circle and beyond. Never move to an HOA community. Never.

[coolhwip]

There was a guy in an HOA neighborhood here that had been living there for longer than the HOA had been around, and he refused to be a part of the HOA and the main board members HATED him for it. They installed a gate system on the road leading into the neighborhood, and since he wasnt paying any dues they refused to give him a code so he couldnt gain access to his own property. These people are criminals, and need to be held responsible.

[georgiafromgeorgia]

These HOA'S are out of control!! 😡

[TheGrenadier]

How the hell can people accept such a tyranny against their property?