A recent meeting of London Townhomes residents ended with a physical altercation.
HOUSTON — Like typical weather in the neighborhood’s namesake city, life at the London Townhomes has been a bit gloomy.
“There were times when some of us were so beaten down and, like, just wanted to give up,” longtime homeowner Mary Engle said.
But, it’s a new day, thanks, in part, to our coverage and a resulting special election just last week during which the entire homeowners’ association board got replaced.
“I mean, so many of us have talked about how there’s a lightness now,” Engle said.
Homeowners previously complained about delayed or overlooked maintenance, an unresponsive board, and even tensions that erupted into violence.
There’s also been a protracted battle in Harris County Civil Court.
“This was not a cheap process to do this,” Engle said.
Engle shared an update with us alongside brand-new board secretary Rebecca Delossantos.
“We’re going to be reviewing all the financials going forward because that was one of the big inconsistencies,” Delossantos said. “We had no insight into where our money was being spent or how it was being spent.”
She said the new board plans to have regular meetings with shared minutes in addition to a newsletter and building “captains” to better respond to individual concerns.
It’s a solution that other neighborhoods could also mimic.
Engle said patience is another big component.
“Absolutely, patience and then, I think, talking to neighbors,” Engle said. “I mean, that’s what we did.”
In addition to the HOA board, we’re told London Townhomes will soon have a new management company as well although the last one previously disputed some of the residents’ claims.