A 28-year-old Floridian is speaking out after she says the HOA for the home she inherited is trying to drive her out. As reported by the New York Post, Bethany Michel inherited the home in 2023 after her father's tragic passing.
But she was living in the home before his passing, too. She moved to the Sunshine State in order to care for her terminally ill father during the pandemic. After his passing, she continued to live there, working as a podcaster and restaurant critic.
The issue that has arose with the HOA is that she is under 55. The community was designed to be an over-55s area. She first received a note telling her she "didn't meet the community guidelines" just three months after her father's passing.
According to Michel, the HOA has asked the "155 geriatic-aged" to foot the bill for the legal proceedings to get her evicted.
She explained, "There is a 55-plus community that is so eager to get rid of one of their non-55 residents, myself, that on Wednesday, in order to sue me out of my own home, they're asking 155 residents on fixed incomes to do a mandatory $1,000 assessment."
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The HOA Has Acted With Force
Michel went on to further explain that five people in total voted for the charge - the HOA board members.
"They allowed 155 people to think that they had a decision in the vote. But it was the five board members who spoke for the whole community."
And those who refuse to pay the surcharge apparently will be charged $100 over a 10-month period in order to cover the costs.
"So not only do I have to pay my own attorney to defend me against these f****** trying to sue me out of my own home, but I also have to pay the thousand dollar assessment. I have to pay both sides," she lamented. "I have to pay them to help sue myself."
Neighbors appeared to be split over the incident, with some saying that it wasn't "the right thing to do,". But others said they wanted to "respect the community ownership age restriction."
