RuthM4 (Florida)
Posts: 10
Posts: 10
Posted:
I live in an upscale community of 400 houses in Florida. Some houses back up to water retention ponds and other houses back up to the HOA-landscaped perimeter of the community. I live on a perimeter lot. I purchased my home in 2004 because the HOA land behind my house was deep and beautifully landscaped and mulched, so it made my very private yard look enormous (rare here where most lots are very small). Over the years, the HOA landscaping around the perimeter of the community (about 100 homes) has fallen into complete decay. Lawns are dead or filled with weeds, ficus "hedges" are trimmed every 6 years (only after I call Code Compliance on the HOA!), trees are trimmed maybe once every 8 years, vines smother trees and other plants, and plants die and are never replaced. Beautiful landscaping beds are left to revert to weed-infested wastelands. You get the picture. I cannot get the property manager to walk behind houses to see what I and 99 other houses have to look at in their backyards. Neighbors with whom I have spoken are appalled at the condition of the HOA landscaping behind their houses but are apathetic (shocking, since it really is an eyesore!). I cannot get the HOA to have the landscaping company properly maintain the HOA landscaping! The Board is on written public record as telling county Code Compliance that they will not mulch or maintain the HOA landscaping behind houses on the perimeter to the same standard as the rest of the community as this land "cannot be seen from the street." Clearly, by neglecting HOA land around the perimeter, this is how the HOA saves money.
I recently asked for and received a copy of the landscaping maintenance agreement (in effect since 2013) and I was surprised to learn that the landscaping company is supposed to be fertilizing all lawn, plants, trees and palm trees on all residential lots as well as all HOA land. This has NEVER been done on my property or on the HOA land visible from my house, and every neighbor with whom I have spoken has had the same experience. The CC&Rs actually prohibit owners from fertilizing their own lawns. That explains why most lawns are dead/dying/full of weeds. They are also supposed to be trimming ficus hedges quarterly (not every 6 years by order of Code Compliance), trimmming shrubs once a month (they do it quarterly), etc. I wrote a very detailed letter to the property manager bringing this to her attention and days later received a very nasty reply from the Bully of the Board (the Treasurer who used to be the President), essentially calling me a liar, telling me that the landscape maintenance company has indeed been doing all of the things on the contract as often as stated and telling me that he has instructed the property manager not to spend any more time on this matter. Case closed. This is a pattern. The homeowner is always wrong. The landscapers are doing a great job! The property manager is doing a great job (even though she has never actually visited perhaps 1/3 the area of the community and refuses to visit to inspect areas of complaints).
Clearly, something is rotten in the state of Denmark and I think I am on to the HOA Board's game. I have just requested, via Certified Mail, documents relating to official signed contracts, bids and payments for landscape maintenance-related items for a number of years. Once I hear back from the HOA I will inspect these items, but I am afraid of what I will discover.
We have never managed to have a quorum to elect a Board since turnover in 2007! Year after year, it is the same Board members who rule through personal insults, intimidation and threats (I was threatened with a lawsuit if I ever spoke negatively about the community to my neighbors). People are only concerned with their house, not the community at large. There is no way to broadcast messages to the entire community. Attendance at board meetings is minimal. The Board is concerned with keeping HOA costs down, but many houses are being punished by being forced to look at decrepit HOA landscaping in their backyards, while other parts of the community enjoy fresh seasonal flower plantings, mulch, beautifully trimmed trees, etc.
Where do I go from here? What would you do?
I recently asked for and received a copy of the landscaping maintenance agreement (in effect since 2013) and I was surprised to learn that the landscaping company is supposed to be fertilizing all lawn, plants, trees and palm trees on all residential lots as well as all HOA land. This has NEVER been done on my property or on the HOA land visible from my house, and every neighbor with whom I have spoken has had the same experience. The CC&Rs actually prohibit owners from fertilizing their own lawns. That explains why most lawns are dead/dying/full of weeds. They are also supposed to be trimming ficus hedges quarterly (not every 6 years by order of Code Compliance), trimmming shrubs once a month (they do it quarterly), etc. I wrote a very detailed letter to the property manager bringing this to her attention and days later received a very nasty reply from the Bully of the Board (the Treasurer who used to be the President), essentially calling me a liar, telling me that the landscape maintenance company has indeed been doing all of the things on the contract as often as stated and telling me that he has instructed the property manager not to spend any more time on this matter. Case closed. This is a pattern. The homeowner is always wrong. The landscapers are doing a great job! The property manager is doing a great job (even though she has never actually visited perhaps 1/3 the area of the community and refuses to visit to inspect areas of complaints).
Clearly, something is rotten in the state of Denmark and I think I am on to the HOA Board's game. I have just requested, via Certified Mail, documents relating to official signed contracts, bids and payments for landscape maintenance-related items for a number of years. Once I hear back from the HOA I will inspect these items, but I am afraid of what I will discover.
We have never managed to have a quorum to elect a Board since turnover in 2007! Year after year, it is the same Board members who rule through personal insults, intimidation and threats (I was threatened with a lawsuit if I ever spoke negatively about the community to my neighbors). People are only concerned with their house, not the community at large. There is no way to broadcast messages to the entire community. Attendance at board meetings is minimal. The Board is concerned with keeping HOA costs down, but many houses are being punished by being forced to look at decrepit HOA landscaping in their backyards, while other parts of the community enjoy fresh seasonal flower plantings, mulch, beautifully trimmed trees, etc.
Where do I go from here? What would you do?