A HOMEOWNER has accused his HOA president of hitting him with a $10,150 sham price after they obtained right into a property dispute.
John Coleman is considered one of a number of householders who’re dwelling in concern of HOA board president Melanie Downing.
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Tensions have escalated, with many now fearing for his or her houses as fines proceed to mount.
The dispute is centered within the Greighfield neighborhood, a small neighborhood east of Atlanta, the place householders have been more and more vocal about their considerations, Atlanta News First reported.
John Coleman, a resident of the Greighfield neighborhood, says his issues started after a confrontation with Downing over property strains.
The disagreement escalated when Coleman claimed she kicked him, prompting him to name the police.
Police didn’t discover sufficient proof to help the declare, however simply days later, Coleman was slapped with a large fine.
“Because of what’s been occurring, my mother has been hospitalized in addition to my dad and even myself,” Coleman mentioned.
“Me and my spouse want we had by no means moved in and simply requested our dad and mom to do one thing else,” Coleman added.
“Our property is in danger.”
Because the HOA charges skyrocketed from $745 in 2022 to $1,316 this 12 months, residents started questioning Downing’s management.
Many really feel that the rising fines and dues are retaliation for elevating considerations about monetary transparency and the administration of the neighborhood.
The HOA’s financial practices have additionally been underneath scrutiny after a mysterious $137,768 debt assortment was despatched to a different home-owner, Frank Bosah, with no rationalization.
Bosah believes that is a part of a wider sample of harassment.
“I’ll battle for my home, it’s a dream for me and my household,” Bosah mentioned.
Many householders at the moment are nervous about foreclosure.
What’s an HOA?
One in 5 Individuals stay in an space with a Householders’ Affiliation – or HOA. However what precisely is it that they do?
- An HOA is a home-owner’s affiliation – a company that goals to keep up a clear and cohesive place to stay for its residents.
- Whole neighborhoods, subdivisions, condominiums, household houses, or townhouses inside “a deliberate growth” will typically make up an HOA.
- In addition they act as a governing physique for tenants, who run and fund the HOA by way of month-to-month charges.
- Their principal goals are to maintain the neighborhood functioning and visually interesting and to keep up property values.
- They primarily concentrate on widespread areas of a neighborhood, equivalent to roads, parks, and swimming pools – however may additionally stipulate what residents can do with their properties, equivalent to yards and driveways.
- Usually these restrictions implement uniformity on properties, for instance, making certain most homes look the identical and all driveways are away from weeds.
- An HOA rulebook of covenants, circumstances, and restrictions (CC&R) is distributed to all residents, and an elected volunteer board of administrators enforces these rules.
- Breaking these guidelines can lead to penalties equivalent to fines and even litigation – as most HOAs are included and topic to state regulation.
- HOAs are sometimes the topic of controversy, with some members feeling that the principles are too punitive and proscribing, or that the management has an excessive amount of energy.
- However others like that HOAs give communities the facility of self-governance, and might guarantee a level of concord between residents.
Beneath Georgia regulation, unpaid fines over $2,000 may lead to a lien and eventual foreclosures.
Bosah and others concern that Downing is utilizing fines as a way to drive them out of their houses.
“I’m fearful once I go away my residence,” mentioned neighbor Jacques Boyd, echoing considerations from many different residents of the realm.
In a current assembly, Downing informed homeowners that they’d face fines in the event that they didn’t adjust to new property guidelines.
She claimed that she, nevertheless, was “grandfathered in” and exempt from a number of the guidelines she enforced.
Nevertheless, a assessment of the HOA’s covenants and bylaws discovered no point out of any such grandfathering.
Residents’ considerations about Downing’s management led to a particular assembly the place a brand new board was voted in, however Downing refuses to acknowledge the outcomes.
As tensions rise, householders at the moment are preventing in courtroom for a monetary audit and to have their voices heard.
Downing’s HOA has employed a regulation agency and administration firm to gather money owed, whereas additionally including a particular evaluation price for residents.
The brand new board is now pushing for a choose to validate their election and demand transparency.
Coleman’s $10,150 advantageous stands out as the tip of the iceberg.
In 2021, the HOA allotted $4,000 for grounds upkeep, however in 2024, that quantity jumped to $18,000.
But householders are nonetheless chargeable for mowing their lawns and sustaining their very own property.
Billy Fan, one other resident, suspects one thing shady is happening behind the scenes.
“I really feel like there could possibly be one thing dangerous behind the scenes,” he mentioned.
In January 2025, state lawmakers launched a invoice aimed toward rising oversight of HOA practices, nevertheless it did not make it out of committee.
