Homeowners Act Held Hostage

The State of S.C. Judiciary subcommittee has been holding a Homeowners Act hostage since 2004. There is no protective agency for homeowners and no recourse but to take them to court at great expense to the homeowner. I spoke to the subcommittee on our issues February 2015, to no avail.

Some people are fortunate and their homeowners associations (HOAs) run smoothly.  I have lived in the nightmare of HOAs for 13 years. The Lake Trenton Subdivision in Trenton, Edgefield County, S.C., HOA is called Lake Trenton Property Owner’s Association, Inc.

I’m a 2-time breast cancer survivor who was looking for a little bit of good air, clean water and a rural country existence to live out the golden years, last home, etc. I’m 72.

Instead (love my home, a doublewide, and County), I found after 5 years and fighting a CAFO (corporate chicken farm) and getting zoning for my neighbors inside and outside of Lake Trenton subdivision (not an easy thing to do) that I’m bullied, harassed, shouted out for the last 8 years by my HOA officers and Board of Directors because I’ve called them on violations of our by-laws and the covenants with many others owners.

Our subdivision consists of 84 platted lots, 35 single lot owners and 20 multiple lot owners.  The 20 multiple owners own 2,3,4,5 and 6 lots.  In all 55 owners, instead of dues/ assessments per lot for the annual budget it is PER OWNER!!! The single lot owners, as myself, carry the financial burden of the annual budget, while the multiple

owners (30 lots) pay ZERO (0) towards the annual budget. This can’t be just!!  Our HOA has been told by 4

attorneys’ letters about per-lot dues and assessments and the continued violations as early as 1998.  All letters have been ignored and not responded to (attached is last letter sent).**

Our Home Owner’s management company terminated our contract after only a year (McLeod Property Management, August Murdock was our attorney working for the management company) because the BODs and Officers would not take legal advice, adopt and accept the well put by-laws they put together for us (this would avoid any more violations) and per-lot dues. After the attorney at a community meeting, Nov. 2015, was bullied and shouted at by the chairman of the board while trying to present

the by-laws, the management and attorney and many members left the meeting.

At present we have no president, no vice president, a sec/treasurer and one Board member sitting in violation

of the by-laws and covenants because they do not own property in this subdivision and therefore are not members of this HOA.

So, really, all we have is 3 legally elected board members running the HOA.

DUES are due by Feb. 29, 2016. I called for a dues strike Dec. 27, 2015, and sent a letter to the Board and officers. I

put signs on our personal private property and have not heard a personal word from the officers and board of the

HOA.  This will be the first time in 13 years I will not pay my dues.  I cannot hand over a check for my dues to a sec./treasurer who should not hold office, or abide by the financial burden to the single lot owners while the multiple lot owners are given a financial reprieve by the Lake Trenton Property Owners Association – This is discrimination! So, March 1, 2016, I will be a member in bad standing in this HOA with no voting rights.

Nadine Zacharie, 229 Laurel Heights, Trenton, S.C.

 ** can be found on line due to space problem wwwedgefieldadvertiser.com – Ed. Note.

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