HOA Holds Homeowner Captive

Did you know there is NO REGULATORY COMMITTEE for HOAs in the state of California (https://www.davis-stirling.com/HOME/R/Regulation-of-California-HOAs)? The recommendation, if you have any issues with your appointed HOA, is to contact an attorney. It is a very expensive endeavor.

My name is Christine and I'm fundraising on behalf of my dear friend of over 40 years. Catherine has become ill due to the mental and financial stresses of legally battling her HOA over damages created by a roof leak that's been going on for SIX YEARS. Many of us live with HOAs, but could you live as my friend has been living while attempting to resolve this issue with hers:

I hope those reading this story will help her finish her fight and prevail over this HOA that has treated her so despicably. BTW, the adjoining neighbor used to be on the roofing committee of the HOA before all the problems started happening on their adjoining roof.

THIS IS CATHERINE’S STORY:

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I am experiencing extreme financial hardship and I am grateful for any assistance you can provide.

I purchased my first and, what I'd thought was my last home in 2014 – a modest duplex in a Sacramento Homeowners Association (HOA). Being 55 years of age at the time of purchase, and using my life savings, I expected this would be my retirement home.

Less than 3 years after moving in, I discovered a roof leak. The HOA is responsible for roofing maintenance and repair, so I followed protocol and immediately notified the HOA’s Roofing Committee Chairperson of the problem. Unfortunately, no investigation or roofing inspection was performed.

Things only went downhill from there.

I hired a company that verified the leak, but despite their repeated promises to stop the leaking and repair the roof, the HOA did neither. Both my duplex and the adjoining neighbor’s unit continued to be damaged from the rainwater intruding into the party wall between us.

After more than a year without a resolution, I hired an attorney. A Certified Indoor Environmentalist who performed mold testing advised I avoid exposure to my home, and I vacated over 5 years ago. And the roof, over which the HOA has sole authority per the CC&Rs, has leaked into my home for 6 years.

A kind soul has been providing a temporary rental for a reduced monthly fee, and I’ve been living with nothing but a twin bed, a patio table, a stool and an antenna TV for years now. An ice chest and a hot plate serve as my kitchen appliances, but I have not had heat in over 3 years.

And while it has been brutal, I am conscious of how lucky I am to have a roof over my head at all. This shouldn't be the case as I continue to pay for a home I can no longer live in.

The financial, physical and mental stress from this nightmare has been devasting. It compounded year after year, ultimately obliterating the strong, healthy, independent and highly capable woman I once was, and replacing me with a severely broken, profoundly depressed, anxiety-ridden, barely functioning shell of a human being.

I am rationing prescription medications and have postponed medically necessary surgeries. I’ve delayed my retirement and spent my savings and retirement funds on attorney fees. I have tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid legal bills and must still pay for my attorney to represent me in the rapidly approaching trial.

Will you help me prevail?

With heartfelt thanks and sincerest gratitude,

Catherine