violation letters, and to relax a lot of the rules. I've also voted to forgive late fees and penalties for people who didn't pay their dues. I voted to reduce our monthly assessment by 33% because we found cheaper vendors to save money (and I think the original developer who created the neighborhood and HOA was skimming off the higher HOA fees) and I felt our reserve account was sufficient. The last thing I want is an aggressive HOA.

But there is one homeowner in our neighborhood who hasn't paid anything since 2018. Their account is thousands of dollars past due. They will not respond to notices and requests for payment. But they live in a neighborhood where the HOA pays for amenities including landscaping in common areas, Flock security cameras because of some car break-ins, etc. Their neighbors are paying for those amenities. They agreed to pay the dues when they bought the house, and they are enjoying the amenities that the dues that their neighbors are paying provide. That isn't right.

So, after over 6 years, we just initiated the legal process to put a lien on that home. This will ensure, at the very least, that the HOA will be paid back if/when they sell the home. If no progress is made after that, we have the option of foreclosing on the home. It's certainly not something I want to do or would enjoy doing. But it's no different than if they hired a contractor to do work on the home, and that contractor did the work and wasn't paid. They have the benefits of that work that was done, so the contractor has the legal right to put a lien on the home to get compensated.

There are few other options at this point. I think we have been more than patient with this homeowner.