CC&Rs;: Abide by Them, Change Them or Move

As a homeowner and former association board member, I can relate to both sides of the play-set issue (“Back-Yard Play Centers Start Furor,” Oct. 7). Board members are required to uphold the CC&Rs; whether they like them or not. On the other hand, it is a rare homeowner who asks to read the CC&Rs; before they put their deposit down.

Stan Kautz’s statement concerning decreased property values is a cliche that I have heard all too often. Any time anything conflicts with the CC&Rs;, you can be sure to hear a hail (or is it a wail) of “property values will go down”--a scare tactic in my opinion. All it takes is one board member who thinks he or she is there by divine right and boards can get lost in a drowning pool of petty matters, long, useless debates, and unyielding and wasted time.

As for me, I’m solving the association issue. I’m moving to a community of homes where pride of ownership is flowing and not forced down throats. Best of all, I won’t be paying any fees and I won’t run the risk of an association putting a lien or foreclosing on my home because my opinion differs.

LAUREN HORN, Laguna Niguel