Debate Over Home Maintenance

Your article in October’s Valley Business section (Oct. 26) on homeowners associations and their Gestapo-like tactics was rather frightening. One the other hand, there are neighborhoods like mine-an average priced one of sturdy tract homes built 25 years ago where at least 30% of the homes are in bad shape. Roofs are falling apart, yards are not maintained, some homes are in bad need of paint, others have junk in their front yards. Two houses within two blocks of mine have been abandoned by their owners, and the presence of gangs in the area have hurt the resale value of the homes.

In this land of the free and the irresponsible, we can’t mandate homeowners to do minimum maintenance on their homes; so you tell me, what is the answer? Is there a happy middle ground between homeowner associations and people’s “rights” to be slobs? MERCEDES WEIL Canoga Park