Port Authority:  Oak Forest resident challenges HOA on carport issue

By Adam Zuvanich

November 20, 2019

Carports might be more common than basketball goals in the driveways of Oak Forest, where many of the original homes in the historic Northwest Houston neighborhood were built with one-car garages.The carport attached to the front of Jason Spencer’s home has been there since long before he bought it two years ago, and it’s one of four on his block on Lamonte Lane in Section 13. So he was taken aback last month when he and his wife, Helen, received a letter from the Oak Forest Homeowners Association (OFHA), which said the carport was in violation of the community’s longstanding deed restrictions because it was situated too close to the front of the property line.The letter told the Spencers they had 15 days to remove the 18-year-old carport or the violation would be reported to the City of Houston, which enforces deed restrictions in the neighborhood.

“When we bought this house, it was pretty much an eyesore on our street. We’ve invested close to $100,000 to fixing up this house, and it’s gone from one of the ugliest on the street to one of the nicest,” Jason Spencer said. “And the HOA wants to crack down on me because of this carport that’s been there at least 18, 19 years? If you had a baby when my carport was put in place, they would be a senior at Waltrip High School now.

”Spencer pushed back against the OFHA, which is run by volunteers, sharing his experience on social networking site Nextdoor and asking the organization to rescind its violation notice. He pointed out language in the Section 13 deed restrictions that says homeowners are not liable for violations committed before their ownership and also informed the HOA that the state of Texas has a four-year statute of limitation on the enforcement of deed restrictions.  Read more:

https://theleadernews.com/port-authority-oak-forest-resident-challenges-hoa-on-carport-issue/