Tag Archives: HOA Abuse

Another Million $$$ Embezzlement Hits A Homeowners Association

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Why hasn’t Hollywood jumped on the uncontrollable embezzling that happens in Homeowners Associations across America? Some astute member of the Writers’ Guild could come up with a great screenplay. The reason it hasn’t been done is that the plot would just be too unbelievable.

If you know a good writer, tell him to look at the current story in the Bear Reserve Homeowners Association in Eustis, Florida. The cops have just busted a couple of developers who became board members on this HOA. The pair are accused of embezzling 1.5 million dollars and moving it to shell corporations. How the heck didn’t homeowners discover many years ago that they were being ripped off?

Always remember that embezzled money is rarely returned, which means a special assessment against all HOA property owners. That’s part of what makes HOA embezzling such a horrific crime.

If your board refuses to give you an accounting of all HOA funds spent, if you get delayed, harassed or ignored for making such a request, then you, my dear friend, may rightly assume that your HOA money is being embezzled. Just assume it! It’s going on everywhere.

(link to WESH-TV story)

 

 

A Potpourri of HOA Meanness

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I just finished a three day seminar with an authors’ group in Denver. This is the group, in fact, which pushed me to take a manuscript in its rough form and turn it into a controversial book called, “Neighbors At War: The Creepy Case Against Your Homeowners Association,” and actually get the thing into print. For your future reference the group is called AuthorU, run by taskmaster Judith Briles. The past few days we probably had about 170 authors being trained in the use of social media, editing, publishing, and honing their upcoming book projects.

In any event, I am running late in getting my blog posts done. Many in my authors’ group know about my passion in trying to join the movement to straighten out the national HOA scam which is impoverishing tens of thousands, possibly even hundreds of thousands of innocent American homeowners.

I can’t count the number of authors who approached me over the past few days and told me about their own HOA miseries. One fellow who’s actually a lawyer is being fined for trying to rebuild a fence that his HOA should have repaired more than a month ago. His HOA president told him he was in violation of the covenants because he didn’t get permission to repair the fence. And his HOA president has been soaking the neighborhood by charging them for his costly vacations and the board’s wild off-site parties.

Another person told me her mother was being fined and threatened with a lawsuit over some incredibly minor infraction. Ah yes, her mom asked to see the HOA balance sheet because she was afraid a massive amount of money had been embezzled. That’s what kicked off all the harassment. How dare these stupid homeowners demand fiscal responsibility from their boards and HOA managers?

Another guy said he moved into a neighborhood where there was no HOA. But while he was building his house a fellow came by and said he was the president of the HOA. And he handed my friend a letter supposedly from the HOA attorney demanding that the man halt construction on his house. He claimed the garage was a foot too wide and was insisting the entire garage be torn down. Believe me, you just can’t make these things up.

There’s not a day that goes by when I don’t learn of new horrors committed.

It’s all so tragic.

Architect Lives Small With Baby, Dog & All

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guest blog by Nila Ridings
 
My fascination continues with the creativeness of those that seek shelter without a mortgage, living off grid, and most of all HOA-FREE.  
 
Macy Miller put her architectural skills to work and resourced recycled materials to build herself a very nice small home for $11,000.  There’s even room for her baby and Denver, the dog.  The gooseneck trailer makes the house mobile if she takes a notion to move.  
 
She’s living the “good life” HOA-FREE.
 
Macy, I so envy you and your generation because you guys wandered off the traditional path and found happiness in smaller ways.  Your “American Dream” doesn’t come with a mortgage, property taxes, utility bills for unused spaces, and the destroyer of health and happiness…the dreaded HOA!
 
 
 

Link To Lawsuit Against Blondie & The Bimbo

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Several readers have asked for the exact text of Arizona Dave’s lawsuit against Blondie and the Bimbo. Governor Brewer and Rep. Michelle Ugenti keep sneaking patently illegal HOA laws onto the books after bamboozling other legislators. So, here it is:

(link to text of lawsuit against Blondie & the Bimbo)

The more complete story was posted several nights ago. Just click back in this website’s history. I didn’t actually mean for this link to be a separate post. But I just like saying, “Blondie and the Bimbo.” From what I hear from insiders it makes this pair so angry. Especially when they realize this website has had 375,000 visits over the past 12 months.

Pennsylvania Widow Loses Home Over Six Bucks

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The grapevine is buzzing about a Pennsylvania widow who inadvertently underpaid her property tax by six dollars & change and lost  her house at the county tax auction. This fight’s been going on for several years but now a judge has essentially told her, “The loss of her home was just fine and dandy.” Her $280,000 house seized and handed off to someone else.

When her husband died, she apparently got behind on the bills. She paid the property tax but she says she was never informed about the six dollar interest charge. She’s going to appeal, and who knows, she might win in a higher court.

Still, she was protected by the U.S. Constitution, she had the right to due process and the right to appeal, the right to appeal over and over again.

Across this country the same thing is happening. The record home seizure was in West Boca, Florida, where a single mom lost her home over an inadvertent underpayment of Homeowners Association dues by 78 cents. But day in and day out, Homeowners Associations are attacking residents of the neighborhood for such things as parking the wrong kind of car in the driveway, not getting your trash cans inside within an hour after pickup.

In one paper written by a fellow in the Cato Institute, the author talked about HOA attorneys in Houston running around ticketing cars because they knew they’d make extra legal income by generating extra fines, liens and lawsuits. Talk about a conflict of interest!

The difference between the government home seizure in Pennsylvania and the confiscation of all those other homes by Homeowners Associations… HOA residents don’t have the Constitutional rights to fight back. There’s no due process, there’s no way to appeal, no checks and balances. The guy who tickets you is a member of the board or the HOA manager. So you have to appeal to the same people who are beating you up in the first place.

The typical HOA is based on the private non-profit corporation model, and when you’re attacked by your own corporation you have little or no access to Constitutional rights. 

Welcome to your new life in your HOA.

(link to Associated Press story)