A PLUMBER has been told not to park his vehicle in his driveway after concerns about his commercial markings reducing property values.
He had to park his work van miles away to appease the association.
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Joey Albritton, owner of a plumbing company in Houston, Texas, lived in the Summerwood HOA subdivision for two years before starting his business, Pleasant Lanier Plumbing.
His van is white with decals on the sides and tailgates advertising his business.
Decals showcase your company logo, phone number, and services offered to potential customers.
In May 2018, Albritton received a letter from the HOA informing him he had less than a month to move his work out of the subdivision’s van or face a fine.
“This is how I feed my family, this is what pays my mortgage and this is how I pay my HOA dues too,” Albritton told the ABC affiliate. KTRK-TV.
“So if I can’t leave here and make money doing what I do best, I won’t be able to pay my bills.”
His HOA told him that his work van lowered the value of neighboring properties and bothered residents.
“It’s frustrating not being able to park my own vehicle in my garage,” he continued.
“Their whole argument is that work vans reduce property values in the neighborhood.”
A KTRK-TV journalist asked other owners if they felt uncomfortable with Albritton’s van.
Many responded saying they didn’t even realize the van was there.
“I was the seventh resident to move into the subdivision, I’ve been here for over 20 years,” said one of Albritton’s neighbors.
“It just doesn’t bother me.”
Another said he wasn’t bothered by the size of the work vehicle.
“As long as it’s not an 18-wheeler, I’m fine with it,” he said, shrugging.
Albritton said he offered to cover or even remove the decals to appease the association, but they wouldn’t budge — he still had to remove them from the community.
The letter shown to the vehicle said he had until June 1 to remove the van or he would be fined.
If I have to move, I have to move. The worker is being pushed back into the country.
Joey Albritton
With no other choice, Albritton moved his van to a storage facility away from his home, putting his potential emergency customers at risk.
“I work almost every day, from sunrise to sunset, and now I have to go to a warehouse and drop off my van,” he said.
“If I have an emergency in the middle of the night, I’ll have to drive my van to the warehouse.”
He tried to address the issue during a board meeting but was told his work vehicle violated HOA guidelines.
Albritton then said that if he had to change to prioritize his business, selling his house and moving was not out of the question.
“They defined to me at the council meeting that a commercial vehicle is any vehicle used for work or income purposes,” he said.
“If I have to move, I have to move. The worker is being pushed back into the country.”
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HOAs that prohibit the maintenance of commercial vehicles on subdivided properties are not uncommon, with some claiming that work vehicles are unsightly or, as in Albritton’s case, reducing property value.
Some allow the vehicle to be parked in the garage as long as the garage is closed, and some may allow street parking – but most do not.
The HOA told the news outlet that it does not respond to media inquiries about a resident.
The US Sun reached out to Pleasant Lanier Plumbing for an update.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
