I’m in a showdown with my HOA over the paint job on my car – they want to foreclose my house to stop me parking outside
A MAN had a dispute with the homeowners association that nearly resulted in his home being foreclosed on.
Andy Lipka is a vintage car enthusiast and regularly drives his Ford F250 pickup around Chesterfield, Missouri, when the Woodfield Homeowners Association discovered a problem with his vehicle.
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He feels his Ford pickup is the perfect vehicle, the man told local broadcaster KMOV St. Louis in 2019.
The truck doesn’t necessarily look brand new as the paint is peeling and also rusted.
“I looked at it and thought it was beautiful,” Lipka said.
“It reminds me of the truck I grew up in with my dad.”
Lipka explained that despite the rustic appearance, his truck shows no damage at all.
“It’s just the way the finish has evolved over the years,” he said.
The man parks his truck in the driveway of his house because there are already two other cars in his garage.
This constellation resulted in Lipka being fined around $3,000 by the HOA.
In addition, he was seriously threatened with a lawsuit.
“The lawsuit also affects my home,” the homeowner explained.
“They want to foreclose on my house.”
The HOA told Lipka they would seek foreclosure on his home if he failed to pay the fees.
The car collector filed a counterclaim, KMOV St. Louis reported.
He expressed that he understood the benefits of an HOA, even acknowledging their rules that forbid parking cars with flat tires that are no longer drivable or left outside.
“They make it personal,” he admitted.
“And almost an assault and harassment equivalent.”
A state official admitted that HOAs have too much power in Missouri.
“It’s almost becoming a fiefdom,” Bryant Spencer shared with KMOV St. Louis.
According to court documents, Lipka’s case was ultimately dismissed.