He Made Sure He Understood Every HOA Rule Before Moving In — Now They Want Him to Pay for Notices Sent to the Wrong Address
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HOAs often have lots of picky rules, and if you violate one, you’re probably going to get a warning letter (if you’re lucky) or have to pay a fine.
What would you do if the HOA sent warning letters to the wrong address and then stuck you with an almost $50,000 bill for ignoring the warnings you never received?
That’s what happened to the homeowner in this story, but he thought it would be an easy fix when he explained what happened.
He was wrong.
Keep reading for all the drama.
My HOA is suing me for $48,750 over six cannabis plants that literally nobody could see.
I’m in Southern California in an upscale suburban neighborhood that’s mostly retirees, and the HOA has been a nightmare since my family moved here in 2022.
Before we bought the house, I specifically checked the HOA rules because I legally grow cannabis under California law.
The rules said it was allowed as long as it was in an out-of-view area.
I even asked the HOA what counted as “out of view,” and they confirmed my backyard qualified and was outside the HOA’s authority.
This sounds annoying!
Ever since we moved in, they’ve found reasons to harass us over just about everything.
At one point they even got the school bus stop moved over 100 meters farther away so my kids, who are basically the only children in the neighborhood besides one other family, had to walk farther.
When I asked why, the HOA representative actually told me school buses create a “disruptive and unharmonious environment” because of the noise and because they bring kids in from other neighborhoods.
Yikes!
Earlier this year I received a notice ordering me to remove my six cannabis plants because they supposedly lowered surrounding property values.
I wrote back explaining that the plants were in my backyard, which the HOA itself had already confirmed was not a public-view area.
I never heard another word and assumed that was the end of it.
Then last Wednesday I was served with a lawsuit seeking $48,750 in fines. $250 per day for 195 days, for “failure to remove prohibited public-view vegetation.”
This evidence should come in handy!
The craziest part is that they attached copies of several warning letters they claim I ignored.
Every single one was addressed to 14218 instead of my address, 14281.
The other house is vacant and a few streets away.
I hired an attorney thinking this would be an easy mistake to clear up.
The HOA seems to want to go to court.
When my attorney called the HOA manager, she admitted they had my correct email address the entire time because I had already responded to the original notice months earlier. She even found my email while they were on the phone.
Her response was basically, “The board already voted to proceed, so you’ll have to explain it to the judge.”
I also asked why they suddenly considered my backyard to be in public view after previously telling me it wasn’t.
Their answer was that the plants were visible on Google Earth.
This is crazy!
They just kept repeating that it was between me and the judge now.
I still don’t understand how they think they can rack up nearly $50,000 in fines over six plants that nobody standing outside my property could even see.
My wife thinks the judge will throw the case out as soon as they see all of the notices were mailed to the wrong address. I’m hoping she’s right, but I’ve already had to hire an attorney just to defend myself.
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Has anyone ever dealt with an HOA taking something this far?
I’d sue for the HOA to cover legal fees. This is so ridiculous!
Let’s see how Reddit responded to this story.
The HOA doesn’t really even have a case.
This is a good tip!
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a family who finds a technicality in the law that allows them to keep their pool after their neighbors report it.
Talk about a waste of HOA money!
Here’s another suggestion.
This is so annoying! The HOA seems to be making up rules as they go. I hope he has it in writing that he was told he could grow the plants in his backyard. If he does, they can’t complain about Google Earth.
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