Overaggressive enforcement of HOA rules has led to suicides and deaths, according to award-winning investigative journalist Ward Lucas, author of Neighbors at War!
He documented the following three HOA deaths in his book:
- Robert Nelms, an elderly resident of the Velda Rose Estates Homeowners Association in Maricopa County, Arizona, was fined $10 a day because his boat stuck out a few inches beyond the edge of his carport. Nelms ignored the fines and the HOA filed suit to have his house and possessions sold at auction. Confused and feelings victimized, Nelms had a weapon and used it to take his own life.
- Patrick Dellisanti was upset about overdue condo assessments at the apartment where he lived with his 87-year-old mother, and the 15 percent late fee the Pompano Beach, Florida, HOA was demanding. An association employee dialed 911, and the police came and ordered Dellisanti to come out. As he emerged from the building Dellisanti took a handgun out of his pocket and held it to his head. The SWAT team shot him to death.
- In 2010, at the Planters Walk Homeowners Association in Ogden, North Carolina, homeowner Peter Darius built a white picket fence in front of his home and installed a decorative five-foot windmill in his backyard, along with a gazebo and a storage shed. The fence had not been approved by the HOA’s architectural committee, so it had to go. The windmill, the HOA said, was out of place and unapproved and was unappreciated by Darius’s neighbors. The HOA started fining Darius $100 a day. He paid nearly $50,000 in fines, but he still was confused about what offenses he had committed. His home, valued at an estimated $180,000, was foreclosed on and sold at auction for about $84,000 — less than half its appraised value. In the early morning hours of August 15, 2010, just two days before Darius was to be evicted, he spread flammable liquid throughout his home and on himself, and he lit a match. His badly burned body was found among his belonging in the scorched house.
If you are being victimized, the first step is to acknowledge the problems — both emotional and physical. Start both a journal and a scrapbook. The journal will serve as a log to document events and feelings as things unfold. If there are others being victimized, include them in your notes. If there are witnesses to harassment, include them when and where appropriate, Also document what you are experiencing and feeling in your life as a result of the abuse by the HOA, the management company, or both. Make your notes as complete and thorough as possible. If you seek medical or psychiatric help as a result of the abuse, document those experiences, as well as any medications that may have been prescribed.
At Association Evaluation, we strive to be a resource for all victims of bully boards. Please feel free to share your story with us.