I keep thinking that there really must be a breaking point.  A point where American housing consumers start digging a little deeper and looking beyond the frills and the pretty upgrades in a house they are considering buying. I hope they start looking for construction inspection reports (if such a thing exists and if not it might be a good idea to turn around and RUN as far away as possible).  They should also find out whether or not there is a mandatory, involuntary membership requirement in a homeowners association.  An upgraded backsplash in the kitchen is not going to make up for a house that is poorly constructed, starts falling down around them and is run and managed by people they would be better off never having met.  The quality of their lives in such a place could very well become material for a horror story.

But, you think, the courts are always there to sort it all out, aren’t they?  Tune in.  It is time to take those rose colored glasses off and take steps to prevent yourself from getting trapped in a real live horror movie.  

Nila Ridings joins us On The Commons.  Nila could be the poster child for what happens when the HOA seemingly has a personal vendetta against a member.  Her story starts many years ago when her driveway started sinking and got lower than the garage floor, causing problems in her house.  There were other construction problems that the HOA chose not to replace on her property, citing inadequate funds as the reason.  Miraculously they found the money to make the repairs on other homes in the development.  He request for access to the financial records of the HOA was, predictably, denied even though this is a basic right of the members.  To understand the twists and turns in her story and the road that led to years worth of very costly litigation and the loss of her house, you will have to tune in and hear Nila explain it and then to find out that at the end of the day, she was even denied her day in court.  Over the years Nila has used the knowledge she has gained from her own battles to help others who find themselves in a war for their home, their rights and their sanity while fighting for her own home.  Her story might help you loosen your grip on those rose colored glasses you have.    

Nila’s sinking driveway – in the early days.

Tell us your stories in your own words