Quail Valley HOA: Targeting the Elderly?

I'm 81 years old. The neighbors tease me for having the perfect lawn. The inspector, hired by the Quail Valley HOA, cited us for having unmoved grass. I thought this might be a joke. Then, a few months later, I got a "second notice" and warning of a $100 fine. Is the inspector confusing my lawn with someone else's? I mow the lawn myself. I call the property management office and leave a message, but nobody ever calls back. I'm not sure what to do. Report to somebody at some meeting that I mow my grass? What if they say, "No you don't." It seems absurd. -- Jack, on Creeper Lane

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I'm an 85-year-old retired social worker and a native Marylander. I have no weeds in my fescue grass, and I have it mowed every week. The inspector send us a notice that we have not cut our grass. There was no photo with that letter. They cite a problem in our "second flower bed," but there is only one flower bed in our front yard. Maybe they are looking at a house with the same house number, but on a different court, and confusing that house with this one. Our neighbors on either side of our lot also take excellent care of their lawns. How much time do I now have to spend defending my lawn? I think people should maintain their properties, but this citation against me is ridiculous. I've read that HOAs have been caught practicing extortion. I wonder if that is going on here. --Samuel, on Bluebird Court

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I'm 76 years old, and the HOA says I don't have enough rocks in my rock garden. What does that mean? This arrangement in my front yard has been this way for years. Why is there suddenly a problem with it? What is the problem? I'm very busy with medical bills and other family matters. How much time have I got to spend defending myself from this harassment?-- Martha, Bluebird Court

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I'm 71 years old, a father of three adult children, and an African American. The pandemic continues. Although all members of my family are working (my wife, my kids, and I), our hours have been cut back at all of our workplaces. We have a budget for maintenance, and it will take several months, perhaps a year or two, to perform all the maintenance this old townhouse needs. We recently fixed the roof. That's a priority. There is oak pollen (that sticks to the side of the house) and an old tree (that need taking down). It does not help that the HOA is piling on fines and late fees. I refuse to pay them. Trying to talk to the HOA board, and/or the property management company and/or the debt collector is useless. It's a vicious circle. It's an echo chamber. I'm seeking legal representation in this matter. -- John, Sandpiper Lane

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This is Juanita, on Swan Drive. I told my story in Chapter 1 of Living on Cuckoo Court. I'm 74 years old. The HOA has sent me a second notice about the forest green handrails on my front steps, which exactly match the color of my front door, shutters, and garage door. I bought the house this way, with these details of color. What do you think I should do? English is my second language. Should I show up at one of these Internet meetings? What should I say?

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This is Norma, on Sandpiper Lane. My testimony of HOA abuse was the very first story in Chapter I of the "Living on Cuckoo Court" series. I just moved out of state to be closer to the grandkids, and my adult children are helping me to sell this home, which I will miss. As we prepare the house for sale, there is a lot of work to do. We do not need busywork. We do not need to be attacked by the HOA.

We just got a letter from the HOA stating that we need to paint the shutters. As I have already related in Chapter I, two years ago I had a long and tedious correspondence with the staff at the management office. The conclusion was that the shutters on this house are fine, and plastic shutters do not have to be painted on any house, according to the Architectural Guidelines.

The management claims to have no record of that conversation. Once again, like a broken LP, they demand that we paint the shutters. I can see only one reason why this absurd issue has been raised again, at this moment, as we prepare to sell the house. Fines will have to be paid at closing. Could it be that the HOA and its partners are engaged in extortion and discrimination against the elderly?

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Back when I was 61 or so, the Quail Valley HOA cited me (with photos to prove it!) for replacing the shingles on my roof. Same material, same color. The roof was leaking. Repairs or replacement (with the same item) do not require that homeowners submit an Architectural Change form. This is harassment; fishing for fines; and a waste of our HOA resources. -- Steve Lapham

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Steven Sellers Lapham is a 21-year resident of Quail Vaalley . Read various Chapters of "Living on Cuckoo Court" at tinyurl.com/CuckooCourt.
Read about condo and HOA "dysfunction, corruption, and abuse" all across America at IndependentAmericanCommunities.com.