Homeowner Fined for Brown Grass During Drought

It’s happened in Florida. It has happened in other states.  Now Denver, Colorado is the scene of the latest HOA atrocity committed against a struggling homeowner.

The Green Valley Ranch Homeowners Association noticed that Lori Wortham’s front lawn had some brown spots.  True, the City of Denver has declared a Stage One drought. True, there are severe watering restrictions on homeowners who put too much water on their lawns.

But a $200 fine for a brown spot? Outrageous, says Wortham. She says she’s tried to put down new grass seed and water, but the brown spots aren’t going away during the record heat wave and drought.  And HOA president James Tanner says Wortham has been warned before that she needs to take better care of her lawn. As long as the brown spots remain, the fines will keep coming.

President Tanner says a brown lawn lowers property values for all of Lori Wortham’s neighbors. He doesn’t say anything about how punitive HOA fines wreck the reputation of the entire neighborhood and lower the value of all properties in the HOA. That’s the law of “Unintended Consequences.”

Good reporting by Denver’s Channel 7 TV.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/31276276/detail.html

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About

Ward Lucas is a longtime investigative journalist and television news anchor. He has won more than 70 national and regional awards for Excellence in Journalism, Creative Writing and community involvement. His new book, "Neighbors At War: the Creepy Case Against Your Homeowners Association," is now available for purchase. In it, he discusses the American homeowners association movement, from its racist origins, to its transformation into a lucrative money machine for the nation's legal industry. From scams to outright violence to foreclosures and neighborhood collapses across the country, the reader will find this book enormously compelling and a necessary read for every homeowner. Knowledge is self-defense. No homeowner contemplating life in an HOA should neglect reading this book. No HOA board officer should overlook this examination of the pitfalls in HOA management. And no lawyer representing either side in an HOA dispute should gloss over what homeowners are saying or believing about the lawsuit industry.

2 thoughts on “Homeowner Fined for Brown Grass During Drought

  1. Amy Ringo

    HOA CHANGING RULES THAT WILL IMPACT FAMILIES AND CHILDREN LIVING AT AND PLAYING IN THE STRAWBERRY- YALE AND XANADU, IN AURORA..

    To all the news stations I can reach..

    please come to hear the potential changes that will efffect many families, children and renters. The HOA has been harassing me and my family for over a year. Among my friends and neighbors as well. I have lived in this community for 4 years. For some reason, the Board feels it is necessary to BAN kids and families all of a sudden. No explanation??? I as a renter and as a mom, feel I need to come armed with information and YOU as the news, to HELP EVERYONE here that is against what this HOA represents…
    KIDS CANT PLAY OUTSIDE?? REALLY>> FAMILIES CANT MOVE IN?? OR FAMILIES WITH KIDS UNDER 15 HAVE TO MOVE OUT, ?? Can the HOA do this to us?? WHAT ARE MY RIGHTS AS A RENTER>> ??? PLEASE HELP MY SON TO BE ABLE TO BE THE 10 YR OLD BOY HE IS. TO TAKE AWAY THE OUTSIDE FROM HIM AFTER 4 YEARS OF HIM AND HIS FRIENDS PLAYING OUTSIDE, IS SO WRONG..WHAT MESSAGE ARE THEY SENDING???

    My name is Amy Ringo. I live at 2646 S. Xanadu Way. unit A. Aurora, Colorado. 80014
    please feel free to call me 303-946-5183..

    The meeting is this TUESDAY 7 PM. at the clubhouse.
    I have passed oput over 175 flier reminders to the community.. I will not back down from this.. DISCRIMINATION?? I THINK SO

    THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME

    AMY RINGO

    Reply
    1. Ward Lucas Post author

      Hi Amy. Remember that single moms, the disabled, the elderly, are like the proverbial ticks-on-a-picnic-blanket to the boards of Homeowners Associations. Ah, I almost forgot: if you have any substantial equity in your home, you are also a prime target for a lien and foreclosure. Hard to believe, but that’s the system we’ve imposed upon ourselves.

      Reply

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