TOTAL MELTDOWN
My HOA is making me stand by and watch my house literally ‘melt’ – it started with small spot but will cost me over $12k
One HOA experienced major backlash after it refused to help a woman in its community
AN HOA denied a woman’s request to repair her house in order to stop it from melting.
One resident pleaded with her HOA to approve a change to the siding of her house that would prevent major issues.
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Gretchen Mcleod lives in Richmond Hill, Georgia, at Richmond Hill Plantation.
The housing development has rows of identical houses built close to each other, which are held to high standards by the community’s HOA.
At a distance, everything looks perfect.
But, Mcleod noticed some issues before she even moved into her home.
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“When I first bought the house about two years ago, there was a small spot that was really wrinkled,” she told NBC affiliate WSAV.
“They replaced it, and I moved in. Within four months, it started wrinkling again.”
Mcleod noticed that the vinyl siding of her home began to melt.
Her house receives direct sunlight thanks to the placement of the home next door, which caused the vinyl siding to warp and melt.
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She blames the homeowners association.
Mcleod asked the HOA if she could make changes to her home which would significantly improve the exterior, but they denied her.
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“The hardie board, the kind that’s made of cement, will withstand the heat and everything else,” Mcleod said.
“So, I sent a letter to the HOA and they said no because it wasn’t like the rest of the neighborhood.”
In the long run, replacing the siding with a hardie board could save Mcleod thousands.
“To replace the siding is like $5,500 to $6,000. To do the hardie board, it’s $12,000, but it lasts,” she said.
Despite the money replacing the board would save her, she’s given up on asking the HOA if she could make the change.
“I’m just leaving it like this because I can’t get them to work with me.”
From 2006-2021, Richmond Hill Plantation has experienced a huge growth rate.
The community, which has grown by 24%, is now being forced to impose more stringent housing guidelines due to Bryan County’s several new homebuilding standards enforced through a unified development ordinance.
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These new standards have led to yearslong lawsuits.
“As close as these houses are together, it’s going to continue to happen until they put the right kind of windows in or the right kind of vinyl on,” Mcleod said.
What is an HOA?
One in five Americans live in an area with a Homeowners' Association - or HOA. But what exactly is it that they do?
- An HOA is a homeowner's association - an organization that aims to maintain a clean and cohesive place to live for its residents.
- Entire neighborhoods, subdivisions, condominiums, family homes, or townhouses within "a planned development" will often make up an HOA.
- They also act as a governing body for tenants, who run and fund the HOA through monthly fees.
- Their principal aims are to keep the community functioning and visually appealing and to maintain property values.
- They primarily focus on common areas of a neighborhood, such as roads, parks, and pools - but may also stipulate what residents can do with their properties, such as yards and driveways.
- Often these restrictions enforce uniformity on properties, for example, ensuring most houses look the same and all driveways are clear of weeds.
- An HOA rulebook of covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&R) is distributed to all residents, and an elected volunteer board of directors enforces these regulations.
- Breaking these rules can result in penalties such as fines and even litigation - as most HOAs are incorporated and subject to state law.
- HOAs are often the subject of controversy, with some members feeling that the rules are too punitive and restricting, or that the leadership has too much power.
- But others like that HOAs give communities the power of self-governance, and can ensure a degree of harmony between residents.