A more than cautionary tale...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/real-estate/article-15066633/georgia-hoa-man-home-pressure-washing-dispute.html

WANF-TV Special Report/Anastassia Olmos

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/georgia-man-77-faces-foreclosure-174500264.html

Someone asked if they could offer assistance toward my pending trial for failing to inform my HOA, in a timely manner, of the completion of corrections to the offending condition of my townhouse residence which they had demanded by regular mail, in 2022. Most egregiously, the need to power wash the non-street-facing side of my townhouse.

The general details of my legal and financial crisis are available in investigative news reports by WANF, Atlanta, and an article in the Marietta Daily Journal by reporters who generously took an interest in my plight as an elder homeowner caught in an unprincipled exploitation of the law.

HOA Law in Georgia gives inordinate power and authority to a volunteer Board of one's neighbors, and the result is both predictable and more often than people realize - tragic. We don't jokingly refer to these community tyrants as 'Yard Nazis' for nothing.

While I had not originally intended on burdening anyone else with my problems, I have reconsidered partly because of more objective counsel, and partly because I now have a greater mission in mind, to use my bad fortune to help others avoid it. HOA Bylaws and Board Overreach is fixable, with homeowner attention.

I have borrowed against all the credit I have, as my house, my only real asset, is encumbered by a lien placed by the HOA, to make sure I don't leave town without paying about $8.000 in fines and what might amount to $20,000 or more of their legal costs. So at the impending trial, should the summary judgement petition be ruled against the HOA, I will be appearing and fighting for my home on a VERY limited budget. Not expecting to hire a layer to appear on my behalf, but some good advice may suffice, as the legal parameters have already been established with my 3 responses to the HOA's suit, at a cost of $15,000. The law firm that filed those responses was competent, expensive, and wanted a large retainer to continue with the case, which I no longer could pay.

Going forward, I would greatly appreciate ANY contribution to this fund, which you may also consider a contribution to the Non-Profit to follow to be incorporated as 'HOA Justice', an organization dedicated to enabling HOA Homeowners to take charge of their Associations in such a way as to minimize the potential for Board abuse, and set their HOA on the path to a more neighborly, honest, fair, efficient management of common community interests and responsibilities.

The damage to my life can hardly be undone. Two years of turmoil and needless anxiety for literally nothing but legal profiteering. The Board has already offered to drop the fines if I would pay the cumulative $30,000+ in legal costs. This will all have been for nothing if I cannot attempt to ensure it doesn't happen to others, and others cannot benefit from my unfortunate experience.

For the good of the people,

George Watson