HOA , rude neighbors , and our lost cat.
So several topics , well two really. They tie into each other.
So two days ago our outside/inside cat got out at night and he hasn’t returned. He’s never been gone for more than 48 hours except for the first time he got out. I felt so bad for keeping him cooped up and he would beg me to go out so I would let him. Anyway he’s been missing so I asked my wife before she went into work to go and ask a few neighbors if they had seen him.
5 minutes goes by and she calls me crying saying that she stopped at one house because the guy was outside and she asked him if he has seen our black cat, he replied very roughly “yeah I see a black cat all the time!”, she asked if he had recently and instead of answering he then raises his voice and tells her that she needs to pay our HOA fees because we’re the only ones who don’t.
Mind you we only owe about $300.00 and this is we’re the second topic comes in. We lived here before anyone even had a house up, we were literally the first house and back then there was no HOA , which is one reason we even put a house up here. 8/9 years goes by , lots more houses go up and then all of a sudden they’re making an HOA and send us paperwork to ask us to sign to become a part of it basically like they were taking a vote. The paperwork asked if we would ok the HOA.
There was an option to basically say no. And that’s what we did, but apparently they had a majority and created it. So then all of a sudden we have to start paying fees. We have paid some but we’re going through a rough time financially so it’s been hard. Plus I feel I shouldn’t have had to have been forced to pay a cent since I didn’t even want the HOA to begin with.
My question: I looked online and it said that If I was a homeowner BEFORE the HOA was created and I didn’t sign paperwork , then I was “grandfathered” and technically didn’t even have to pay any fees. Is this correct? I wasn’t prepared to fight this before but that asshole neighbor has got me riled up and now I don’t even want to give them one more cent if they’re going to treat us that way. Btw I’m in North Carolina.