A disabled Navy veteran is suing her homeowners’ association (HOA) over alleged improper fees and unreasonable debt collection.
HOAs comprise a group of residents elected to a board which creates community rules, maintains common areas and collects funds to do so. The federal government does not track how many military veterans live in HOAs, though U.S. Census data shows those living in HOAs in general are on the rise. The proportion of single-family homes built within HOAs has increased from 49% in 2009 to 65% in 2023, according to this data.
Citing court documents, local news outlet KSAT reported that Karina Miller is suing the Lafayette Place Homeowners Association in Bexar County in Texas after its alleged treatment of her led her to sell her home.
Lafayette Place Homeowners Association has “unequivocally” denied the allegations.
“Unfortunately, the association cannot comment on the substance of the pending suit other than to say, the association is aware of the claims and looks forward to defending the lawsuit. The association unequivocally denies the allegations made by Ms. Miller and her attorneys,” said Mike Thurman, an attorney with Thurman & Phillips, P.C., the firm representing the Lafayette Place Homeowners Association and their board of directors, in a statement to KSAT.
Military.com contacted their management group for additional remarks and received no response prior to publication.
Veterans in HOAs
Miller said she moved into the HOA in 2019 and sold her condominium in October 2025, according to KSAT.
She alleges that charges appeared and disappeared from her account, and that she was locked out of the HOA’s online resident portal for around 10 months. She said the HOA told her she owed them $350 in late fees on one occasion, but that she had not been made aware of the charges beforehand.
She reported trying to resolve the issue with the HOA board via mediation but could not do so as they allegedly did not attend the scheduled session.
“There was no opportunity to reconcile the situation, so I had to leave,” Miller said. “I tried mediation. They asked to reschedule mediation. We rescheduled, and then they didn’t show up. Their attorneys would never respond to my inquiries, just for itemized billing.”
Nicole Maesse, a lawyer with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid who is assisting Miller, told KSAT that many HOAs “create these mini-governments in these communities.”
“And they really have a lot of authority and a lot of power,” Maesse said.
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