A neighborhood road in the Santa Rita Ranch development is sinking and cracking around a manhole cover, and there is no known reason why it’s happening. It has neighbors in the area very concerned. Read the article………………………..
North Side HOA threatened to tow vehicles for parking on public streets (TX)
The streets in and out of the Westfield neighborhood may be open and un-gated, but its homeowners’ association recently claimed those streets were not open for parking. In a July newsletter distributed to members of the Owners Association of Westfield, the HOA announced it would begin “strictly” enforcing vehicle and parking violations, including by towing […]
Developer refutes media claims about “colonia” in Liberty County (TX)
Multiple claims that a property developer is building a “colonia” and the “largest illegal alien settlement in Texas,” are false, its executives told The Center Square in an exclusive interview. Read the article………………………..
The law is on your side if your HOA demands green grass during drought (TX)
If you’re receiving letters from your HOA complaining about the current state of your yard, take a deep breath, the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) says the law is on your side. Read the article………………………..
Civil suit calls Lake Buchanan POA invalid (TX)
The property owners’ association for Donall Estates on Burnet County Road 104 on Lake Buchanan is embroiled in a civil lawsuit that could negatively affect its deed restriction powers. Read the article………………………..
If the Texas heat wave turns your front lawn brown, can your HOA punish you? (TX)
A homeowners association, if the deed restrictions say so, can require you to have a grass lawn and ornamental shrubs and to keep them green, says J. Patrick Sutton, an Austin-based real estate attorney who specializes in HOA law. Read the article………………………..
Katy now has mandatory water restrictions and those who violate may face a steep fine (TX)
As for those assigned days, if your address ends in even numbers, you can only water on Sunday and Thursday. If your address ends in odd numbers, you can water only on Saturday and Wednesday. On Tuesday and Friday, the homeowners’ association and commercial properties can water. Read the article………………………..
Improperly discarded cigarette leads to condo fire killing dog (TX)
A dog was killed after its owner thought she put out a cigarette on her balcony, but it turns out it was still lit and started a fire. Dallas Fire-Rescue officials said the smell of smoke woke up the woman, who was able to grab only two of her three dogs and get out of […]
If the Texas heat wave turns your front lawn brown, can your HOA punish you?
A homeowners association, if the deed restrictions say so, can require you to have a grass lawn and ornamental shrubs and to keep them green, says J. Patrick Sutton, an Austin-based real estate attorney who specializes in HOA law. Read the article………………………..
‘Keep this property condemned’: South Abilene HOA doubtful of potential buyer of half-built million-dollar home (TX)
The million-dollar half-built home in a South Abilene neighborhood continues to be a hot topic for the city’s monthly Board of Building Standards meetings – which still can’t decide whether or not to demolish the incomplete house. Read the article………………………..
Turtle Creek condo board to seek community input before possible million-dollar purchase (TX)
A Turtle Creek condominium owners’ association, which has angered residents with its multi-million dollar bid on a property, confirmed the potential purchase will cost each resident thousands of dollars in special assessment fees and could cause COA fees to rise about 10%. Read the article………………………..
StoryBuilt sued by investors, condo group (TX)
Angry investors and a condo community are taking legal action against StoryBuilt, shedding light on the Austin developer’s financial struggles amid a recent leadership shakeup. Read the article………………………..
After dust-up, condo association postpones board meeting for ‘informational session’ (TX)
A condominium owners association postponed its Tuesday board meeting after some residents vehemently opposed the board’s plan to purchase an adjacent property for millions of dollars. Read the article………………………..
Residents in DeSoto’s Ten Mile Creek Estates Face Uncertainty and Outrage as Hidden HOA Dues Surface After 17 Years (TX)
Residents have contacted the city, but the City of DeSoto’s hands are tied, given that the association was created outside the city’s jurisdiction. A property management company, NewRoc Services, is currently running the HOA show regarding the implementation of the mandatory HOA for residents living in Ten Mile Creek Estates. Read the article………………………..
Service member facing eviction and foreclosure over $2,500 in HOA fees (TX)
An active-duty service member, stationed overseas, learns he’s being evicted from his house for failing to pay his homeowners association fees. Read the article………………………..
Residents Of Ten Mile Creek Feel Blindsided By Mandatory HOA Ordinance (TX)
During a Tuesday evening DeSoto City Council Meeting local residents of Ten Mile Creek Estates took advantage of the time allotted for community concerns to voice their dissatisfaction over the recent implementation of a mandatory Homeowners Association (HOA) in their area. Read the article………………………..
Does your HOA have too much power? What homeowner associations can and can’t do
Amid recent issues over homeowner associations’ rules, The Dallas Morning News spoke with legal experts in the field who talked about the importance of homeowners knowing their rights. They agreed that, while many Texas property owners resent the oversight and rules put in place by homeowners associations, owners do have statutory rights to fight back […]
Water woes in Pearland area: Residents say their frustrated with outages, brown water, and operation (TX)
Residents of a Pearland subdivision say they are facing water problems, including outages, brown water, and a lack of communication from the owner of the water system. Heather Dannhaus, secretary and treasurer of the Robin Cove Homeowners Association, said the water has been out several times in recent months, sometimes for hours at a time. […]
Fort Bend community linked to Legionnaires’ disease outbreak sued for $1 million-plus by children of resident who died (TX)
The lawsuit, filed by the family of Antoinette Marinchak, claims the owners, operaters and developers of Bonterra of Cross Creek Ranch were negligent in allowing Legionella bacteria to form at the community clubhouse. Read the article………………………..
Midland Fire Department responds to Fairmont Condos fire (TX)
Fire investigators believe the fire started in the second floor apartment and spread to the unit beneath. A total of eight units are affected by the fire with electricity cut to all apartments and smoke affecting all eight units. Read the article………………………..
There are now 2 community ponds in the Houston area filled with dead fish (TX)
On Monday, we told you about the community pond in Magnolia’s Durango Creek subdivision that was filled with dead fish, possibly due to sewage overflow. Another pond — that is about a few hundred yards away — is starting to see the same issues. Read the article………………………..
‘It’s disgusting’: Raw sewage back-up prompts call to KPRC 2 after it begins pooling in front of SW Houston townhome (TX)
A couple in southwest Houston contacted KPRC 2 after raw sewage began pooling in front of their townhome in the Northbrook Village South neighborhood. James Sakwitz and his wife said they made multiple attempts to have the homeowners association send a plumber to make repairs but were told the plumber was on vacation. Read the […]
Crews fight fire at condominium in Woodway (TX)
Fire crews in Woodway worked to put out a massive fire, Saturday morning, at a condominium complex at 1518 Western Oaks Drive. Woodway Public Safety Director, Khalil El-Halabi, told KWTX the call came in at 6:50 a.m., when a top balcony was on fire and collapsed. El-Halabi believes that’s what ignited the rest of the […]
Family filing wrongful death lawsuit over Legionella outbreak in Fulshear community (TX)
Residents in a Fulshear community said they’re frustrated over the Fort Bend County Health and Human Services department’s response to a Legionella outbreak at a neighborhood clubhouse. The clubhouse in question is in a 55 and older community and now we’re hearing about a wrongful death lawsuit related to the outbreak. Read the article………………………..
TX bans HOAs from discriminating against renters who receive federal housing aid
In a rare, friendly move to low-income renters, Texas lawmakers this year outlawed a form of discrimination that allowed homeowners associations to ban some tenants from their neighborhoods. Read the article………………………..
City of Bee Cave City allows HOAs to pay for extra police patrols (TX)
You could soon see police officers patrolling private neighborhoods in Bee Cave. In a recent meeting, the Bee Cave City Council approved a resolution to allow homeowners associations to pay for overtime so officers can patrol neighborhoods. Read the article………………………..
Oak Cliff neighborhood hiring police officers to stop 4th of July illegal fireworks, gunfire (TX)
Residents in Oak Cliff said they’ve been fighting for years to stop fireworks and gunfire during the Fourth of July holiday. This year, the HOA is hiring extra patrols to keep the neighborhood safe and quiet, especially for the elderly. FOX 4’s Rebecca Butcher spoke to those in the neighborhood who said the commotion has […]
Texas Appeals Court to Consider Short Term Rental Ban by A Galveston Homeowners Association
A Texas appeals court will consider a case that mixes a centuries-old debate over property rights, the fairly newfound boom of the short-term rental (STR) industry, and the third rail of homeowners associations (HOA). Read the article………………………..
Where I Live: Harbour View Estates neighbors ‘take care of our own’ (TX)
My home is located in Harbour View Estates, just north of Lake Worth and west of Saginaw. Our “Best of the Best ‘hood’” as we call it, is 152 homesites on a minimum of an acre, some more and some less but none more than two. Read the article………………………..
Latest fire worries residents of a Dallas condo complex (TX)
The latest fire at a Far Northeast Dallas condominium complex has residents raising questions Tuesday about how the place is managed. Read the article………………………..
Cimarron golf course neglected, concerned residents (TX)
A once beautiful golf course is now looking more beat up and filled with weeds. ValleyCentral visited the Cimarron neighborhood where residents are upset about the conditions of the club. Read the article………………………..
Texas considers new bill that could severely limit residents’ use of solar power: ‘[It] would turn all of Texas into an HOA’
The Texas legislature is currently considering a bill to heavily restrict the generation of wind and solar energy, University of Texas at Austin research scientist Joshua D. Rhodes revealed in a tweet. Read the article………………………..
Are high HOA fees scaring homeowners away? (TX)
Homeowner associations — commonly known as HOAs — are community associations that bind individuals to certain rules and restrictions. They can consist of individual houses in a neighborhood, condos, townhouses, and co-ops, with rules and responsibilities varying based on property type and location. But one common question surrounding these associations is: Are they worth it? […]
Turkey Trouble in Sun City (TX)
For as long as anyone can remember, the flock of wild Rio Grande turkeys that live in Sun City, a sprawling 55-and-over community in Georgetown, had coexisted peacefully with the retirees. Read the article………………………..
Woman faces up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to scamming HOA company, officials say (TX)
A Houston woman faces up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to scamming an HOA company, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Read the article………………………..
Texas Bill Would Legalize Townhouses
This past week, the Texas Senate approved a bill that allows homes to be built on smaller lots. In the past month, it’s also passed bills that legalize accessory dwelling units (ADUs) statewide and allow private parties to issue building permits. Read the article………………………..
‘This alligator is pretty comfortable’: Alligator roaming Sugar Land neighborhood (TX)
A Sugar Land community is getting frustrated with what they said is lack of action by their HOA president in removing an alligator. People who live in the New Territory community called KPRC 2 about a nearly 7-foot long alligator roaming their neighborhood for nearly a week. Read the article………………………..
Shadow Creek Ranch manager pleads guilty to wire fraud, scamming HOA company (TX)
A 63-year-old Houston resident has pleaded guilty to wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani announced Friday. Maria Denise Southall-Shaw, a former manager of Shadow Creek Ranch in Pearland, admitted to defrauding FirstService Residential, a company which managed Shadow Creek Ranch’s homeowner associations and had employed Southall-Shaw, according to a release. Read the article………………………..
Racial slur graffitied on Huntsville homeowner’s door amid tensions with neighborhood association (TX)
A man showed up to his home in Huntsville on Monday morning to find racist graffiti painted on his back door. The message on Mario Roberson’s door reads, “We don’t like your kind,” and ends with a racial slur. Read the article………………………..
Homeowner stuck with $18K+ repair bill after damage done by company she did not hire (TX)
What would you do if you were suddenly stuck with a huge bill, all because of someone else’s mistake? It could happen to anyone who hires people to do work at their homes. A desperate homeowner contacted KPRC 2 Investigates after contractors caused thousands of dollars’ worth of damage and now, she can’t get anyone […]
Brick and mortar neighbors fighting a modular home. Here’s what city leaders had to say (TX)
Long-time owners said there are deed restrictions they want the city to enforce, to keep a modular home out. They said this community was built in the 60s for the first wave of African Americans who were finally allowed access to home mortgage loans. Read the article………………………..
Feral hogs pose real issue for McKinney homeowners (TX)
According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, if left unchecked, a feral hog population can triple in just one year. With no known predators, the hogs will continue to have the upper hand, and the damage to golf courses, lawns and gardens can get costly—quickly. Read the article………………………..
Local Candidate Embroiled in HOA Disputes (TX)
A candidate for Irving City Council has been hit with repeated allegations of impropriety and potential harassment by political opponents and members of the homeowners association where he serves as president. Read the article………………………..
‘Illegal’ subdivision getting closer to approved plat (TX)
Heated arguments erupted frequently as the group attempted to settle on who was going to be responsible for maintenance of what would be a private road. The issue was whether all of the 19 landowners would have to agree to form a homeowners’ association that would collect fees to pay for road repairs. Signatures from […]
HBO’s John Oliver slams North Texas HOA for policy he calls racist
The Denton County homeowners association passed a rule last year barring residents who used government assistance for rent. Read the article………………………..
Providence Village-inspired bill limiting HOA discrimination sees bipartisan support (TX)
Denton County was the inspiration that led a North Texas lawmaker to draft a bill prohibiting homeowners associations from refusing to rent to tenants who use housing vouchers. Read the article………………………..
Residents living at SE Houston condominiums with mold, maintenance issues say they are being threatened, harassed by HOA (TX)
Some residents at the Berkley Court Condominiums in southeast Houston say they are tired of dealing with their Homeowners Association. “There’s no transparency, we have no say, and we are at their mercy,” Robert McDaniel said. Read the article………………………..
MUD 501 Partners with Towne Lake Community Association for Enhanced Security Patrol (TX)
Over the past year, the MUD 501 Board has received reports of increased security incidents and other security concerns throughout the Towne Lake community, including within MUD 501, and in the surrounding areas. The Towne Lake Community Association (Association) also was notified of those reports and responded last summer by approving an increase to their […]