topic Re: HOA RANT in Community Chat

HOA RANT

jellyBEAN — Thu, 09 May 2019 02:37:20 GMT

I live in a relatively small townhome community and of course we are governed by an HOA. It is managed administratively by a professional HOA Real Estate Company but we do have an HOA Board here in the community.

It was arranged that all our homes would be powerwashed thru out the community. After the homes were powerwashed, our sidewalks and driveways would thus be powerwashed as well. As the concrete walks and driveways required a different chemical mixture for the cleaning, all the homes were to be washed first.

So the washers show up at my home as I see them hooking up their hoses to my outdoor water spigot. I was surprised because they were earlier than xpected (by 2 days) and I asked them if they were ready to begin their work. They said they were ahead of schedule and my building was the last to be done. So I made sure my windows were closed and went back inside. They proceeded to wash my neighbor's home using my water supply. Problem - they NEVER WASHED my home.

The next thing I know I see the hoses were disconnected out back and they were now in the front of my home spraying the mixture on my driveway. The next morning my driveway looked like a patchwork quilt - all dark and charcoal like in large patches with lines and blocks of discoloration all over. Normally it had been a cream colored cement. I was so upset. WTH? Apparently they decided to test different treatments on my driveway to see which would work best and it mottled my entire driveway.

I immediately complained to the HOA board member here in the community as well as the Real Estate office that handles our vendors and such. The community fellow just replied via e-mail, he got my message. That's it. The Real Estate office asked me to send them pictures as they had trouble contacting the vendor who did the work. So they send someone over to clean the driveway AGAIN and its a degree or 2 better, but still it looks like a dirty ashtray, whereas before it was a cream color, not gray. And my home has still not been washed liked all the others in the community.

I'm so disgusted. I have no one in my corner to help me confront all these strangers. I regard it as property damage and considered filing a police report. Because this is a townhome/patio home, I'm not sure I "own" the driveway. I was told the vendor would be out again when they are "finished" with their work to address my issues. My issues? I sit quietly in my home bothering no one and these yahoos are the ones who don't know what they are doing. Why would you test a chemical mixture on someone's entire driveway and not on a small section to see how it reacted? Do I have any recourse other than waiting on these people? They are blaming the issue on the concrete quality, but this only happened to my driveway when they used this particular mix of chemicals. I don't get it and not sure what to do. Any suggestions or knowledge on this? Thank you.

Re: HOA RANT

Anonymous032819 — Thu, 09 May 2019 02:46:10 GMT

I guess you could try taking them to small claims court.

Thr power wash people, that is.

Re: HOA RANT

roxxy1 — Thu, 09 May 2019 02:53:17 GMT

I'd be p****ssed. If I were you, I'd keep calling HOA until you get your driveway back to it's original color.

And the workers using YOUR water to power wash the neighbor's house ? Outrageous !!

Keep calling..............

Re: HOA RANT

Cakers3 — Thu, 09 May 2019 02:56:29 GMT

I don't know where you live so I cannot address what the laws are in your area.

My suggestion:

Send registered letters to HOA Real Estate Company and to the Director of your community HOA Board. Follow up again with emails once you receive the signature card back from your post office.

Be detailed and include pictures.

You will have to do some footwork here; find out what your state has for rules/regulations for HOA's.

Good luck-the vendor was hired by your HOA and your HOA should be going after them.

If you have the full name of the vendor/address/phone number I would send a registered letter to them, too.

You can also leave a review on such sites as Home Advisor and Angie's List.

Better Business Bureau is worth a try, too.

Good luck.

Re: HOA RANT

kivah — Thu, 09 May 2019 03:24:04 GMT

I have noticed that there are so many STUPID people out there!!!!! Whoever hired these dummies need a slap. Unprofessional.

Google the name of the company doing the work and see if there are complaints. You could also post ur story on YELP to get their attention.

Re: HOA RANT

Kachina624 — Thu, 09 May 2019 03:34:14 GMT

@jellyBEAN. Small claims court would be my suggestion but if this is community owned property that might not fly. You need to pressure your HOA to get it done right. Remember, the squeeky wheel gets the oil, and you need to squeek until you're borderline obnoxious. Nag, nag, nag.

Re: HOA RANT

tipsy — Thu, 09 May 2019 03:39:12 GMT

@kivah that's a great idea about Yelp!

Re: HOA RANT

MarieIG — Thu, 09 May 2019 03:41:00 GMT

The HOA hired the vendor: it should be up to the HOA to make it right.

I would bombard them with letters, e-mails and photos. (Also take a look at the HOA rules for any procedures for grivences.)

Re: HOA RANT

Cakers3 — Thu, 09 May 2019 03:42:30 GMT

Also wanted to add that some sites like Angie's list will try to help resolve the issue for you. I'm not sure if Home Advisor does.

I think the Better Business Bureau used to intervene but I'm not 100% sure.

Yelp as somebody mentioned is also good as well as Google Reviews.

Be careful how you word things, though. Stick to basics.

Re: HOA RANT

SahmIam — Thu, 09 May 2019 12:19:02 GMT

@jellyBEAN Cakers made some excellent suggestions.

I'm the president of my community's HOA. One of the most important things you will need to do is find out what the laws are in YOUR state regarding HOA responsibility and litigation. You will also need to read your by-laws and declarations because it may state in there as to how you must proceed when going after your HOA if you believe they are responsible for property damage.

Laws are being passed almost monthly across the country regarding HOA's and condo associations as they are becoming more and more the norm as county government does not want the cost or responsibility of dealing with communities. Remember, when you sue your HOA, you are suing yourself as it's your own funds being used to pay for the community AKA HOA attorney.

If this situation had happened in my community, I know what I would do and how it would be handled; that doesn't help you in any way. But that's because I know the laws where I live. Good luck to you and hope you are successful with having everything brought back to the way it was.

Re: HOA RANT

Snoopp — Thu, 09 May 2019 12:25:03 GMT

I would go after the Hoa board for a bit and if they didn't make it right, see an attorney who will probably send a strongly worded letter. The hoa who hired the company should have it fixed or replaced. Typically driveways are not considered a common area and conveys with a sale of your property. That said, usually that means the homeowner is responsible for maintenance. If it's a shared area that may be different.

Re: HOA RANT

CelticCrafter — Thu, 09 May 2019 12:50:17 GMT

First thing I would have done was not let them use my water to wash the neighbors houses.

I would keep after the HOA and the Real Estate office, next thing you know you will be getting a letter from them telling you that your driveway is not up to community standards and you need to have it taken care of.

Re: HOA RANT

Somertime — Thu, 09 May 2019 13:15:23 GMT

You need to be persistent and continually complain to your HOA and property management company. If necessary, request an appointment to attend a board meeting to plead your case, complete with pictures and any other documents you might have. I would assume the contract was approved by the board and signed by the president of the board, so they are the ones that are responsible for getting your driveway remedied. The management agent is the overseer to insure the work is completed and done satisfactorily.

I find it surprising that the board or the management company has not taken any steps to have this corrected. When dealing with a board of directors, it is, always, a time consuming project because it depends how often your board meets but your property manager should have taken action. Is your property manager on property?

There are many advantages to having a HOA and there are, just, as many drawbacks as well. You need to read your bylaws and rules and regulations to see what your options are in order to proceed. A letter from an attorney might help and it's a nominal charge. You could hire a company to clean your driveway and then take the Board to small claims court for the price of cleaning the driveway.

Re: HOA RANT

Lucky Charm — Thu, 09 May 2019 13:26:16 GMT

I would be LIVID.

First, I would have them use the neighbors water supply to powerwash your house.

Then I would have them continually work on the driveway until it's exactly as it should be.

And they can 'rinse' my house off AGAIN after getting the crud off the driveway.

I'd want an immediate response from both the onsite HOA rep (I'd have them at my home immediately to see-forget picture taking!) and I'd be in the office of the RE company asking to speak to the manager. Insist they come out to your home, too.

I'd let BOTH know that you want the powerwash company back out immediately. They were two days ahead of schedule when they created this mess, so they should be able to afford you the time to correct the situation. I would also contact the BBB, heck I'd go for the local news problem solvers. And so what if you're HOA dues are paying for lawyers, you paid the dues---you also get representation!

Re: HOA RANT

jellyBEAN — Thu, 09 May 2019 13:37:56 GMT

Since this occurrence happened on Sunday evening I feel I've been persistent w/both the President of our HOA and the HOA Mgmt Company. Our President has only sent me very brief e-mails that all the units WILL be power washed and in reference to my mottled driveway, only that he received my messages. The HOA Mgmt Co. has e-mailed me the same thing. The vendor will return once he has completed his other jobs. Apparently I'm last on the list.

I've read thru my HOA covenant agreement and it only mentions all exterior maintenance xcept for windows and skylights is included in our HOA fee. So our lawns and shrubbery, roofs, siding, brick, driveways etc are taken care of under our HOA...I did not see anything re: grievances. Since it has not yet been a week, I think contacting lawyers is a huge expense that I'm just not ready for. I do like the idea of registered letters to our board President and the Mgmt Co.

I took such care to get my place ready for all this. Removing my porch furniture, moving my flowers away, to make everyone's job easier, and this is what I get. I have to wonder about myself sometimes, I'm always trying to make things easy for everyone else and trying to be considerate of neighbors n all. I thought Townhome living would be easier, no worries, everything taken care of thru our high monthly HOA fees, but it hasn't been any easier and very difficult to get things done properly. As an older single woman I guess I should get used to being less than everyone else, almost invisible sometimes as opposed to husband and wife teams who can get the husband to confront these types of situations and be listened to.

Re: HOA RANT

jellyBEAN — Thu, 09 May 2019 13:44:09 GMT

Oh and I meant to say "Thank You" to all who responded with your advice.

Re: HOA RANT

Sweetbay magnolia — Thu, 09 May 2019 14:00:44 GMT

Keep after them. I've had similar experiences and I know it is disheartening.

If you're home when the crews come around, don't hesitate to let them know if something is unacceptable, or to stop. Even if it is "community" property, that community property is yours to share.

And the shared property is a reflection on the community at large, so I would press that as an impetus for it to be fixed promptly. At the very least, send a message that you are watching and that you will not stand by and let things like this continue to happen.

Can you talk to any neighbors who may stand with you?

Adding: in my experience, vendors' crews don't always understand property lines and utility conveyances - they're just there to get a job done and one unit blends into the next. Good luck to you.

Re: HOA RANT

Cakers3 — Thu, 09 May 2019 14:04:07 GMT

@jellyBEAN I agree a lawyer is not needed; this is an issue for the HOA/Board to resolved. Sloppy, poor work by the vendor.

Just document, document, document. Also if you can text anyone do so.

Registered letters, emails, texts. Document any phone calls -use your cell phone because then you have a log of all calls.

That company knows they are wrong; they should have come back immediately because they were PAID for a job they did not complete. It doesn't matter that it has only been a week-even if they had sent out a rep to look at the damage that would have at least been a good faith action on their part.

Good luck.

Re: HOA RANT

Lucky Charm — Thu, 09 May 2019 14:24:54 GMT

I would show up in person at the powerwasing place. I wouldn't care if it were just a parking lot for the trucks I'd be there NOW and demanding to speak to the owner/manager. Phone calls and text messages/emails don't get thru to some people's THICK skulls. I'd be on top of this till it's done to my satisfaction. I would want it to be completed BY this weekend. Good luck.

Re: HOA RANT

50Mickey — Thu, 09 May 2019 14:29:17 GMT

@jellyBEAN First stop calling and start writing. Send all mail registered return receipt requested. Then like Cakers said document all contacts with dates, names and what was said or written. I would request that the president of the HOA board meet with me at my townhome along with the rep.from the management company. You should not be dealing with the vendor as you didn't hire them. You must be persistent. The HOA will try to take the easiest way out. It is their responsibility to make things right for you. Don't give up. And oh you don't need a husband to take care of this for you. You can so this!