Kids in Street, Toys on Lawn Land Homeowners in Court : Lawsuit: Covenant violations are a detriment to property values, neighborhood association says in seeking injunction.

Dan and Jeanette Troesken allegedly have committed the no-nos of the Highland Light Village Assn.’s rules of good housekeeping.

They have left toys in their front lawn. They have fixed their cars in the garage with the door open. They have allowed their children to play in the street. Their Venetian blinds in the front window are askew. They have permitted guests to park their cars on the street for days. They have oil stains on their driveway.

In short, Highland Light alleged in a lawsuit filed in Superior Court this week, the Troeskens violated the association’s Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions, otherwise known to residents belonging to homeowners groups as CC&Rs.;

The Troeskens’ violations are “unsightly and a detriment and damage to the value of the property of the plaintiff,” the lawsuit states. Highland Light is seeking a court injunction ordering the couple to obey the CC&Rs; and to pay unspecified damages and court costs.

While the lawsuit named Dan and Jeanette Troesken because they own the house at 2140 Via Teca, Jeanette Troesken’s daughter, Valerie Keys, and her husband have rented it for the past three years.

Keys said Wednesday that she is being unfairly targeted because “they do not like renters here. Period.”

Keys, standing near her crooked Venetian blinds, said she plans to countersue the association for what she termed harassment.

“They don’t have a leg to stand on,” she said.

Keys, 33, admitted that she and her husband, Drew, have left oil spots on the driveway. He rebuilds race cars and has worked on some of them in the garage, his wife said. They have periodically cleaned their driveway and have scheduled another cleanup in three weeks.

“I’ve read the CC&R; many times, and most of the things they listed aren’t even in the book,” Valerie Keys said.

Her three children, whose ages range from 2 to 9, have played in the street and have left toys on the lawn, Keys said.

“The rules do say kids can’t play in the street, but up until six months ago, they didn’t have a park to play” in, she said. “All I did was what most normal people do who have children, and I got picked on for being a nice mom.”

The attorney for Highland Light could not be reached Wednesday for comment.

According to the lawsuit, between December, 1991, and May of this year, Highland Light has sent the Troeskens 16 certified notices informing them of violations.

Other violations alleged in the lawsuit include allowing a trailer to be parked periodically at their home, leaving a motorcycle parked against the side of their garage and allowing their dogs to roam loose and failing to pick up their pets’ droppings.