A Texas homeowner is pushing back after a neighborhood association allegedly demanded payment for a driveway the resident says was ruined by the HOA’s own landscapers.

The owner, who posts on Reddit as HOUSEofBEAST84, said the Preston Oaks HOA in Austin mailed a notice seeking repair costs and warned of a legal fight if the work isn’t done.

“They park their mowers and they leak oil everywhere,” the homeowner wrote. “Asking them to stop made it worse and they left trash everywhere.”

A Texas homeowner says the Preston Oaks HOA in Austin mailed a repair bill for a driveway the resident claims was stained by oil leaking from the association’s own landscaping mowers, and warned of a legal fight if the work isn’t done. Getty Images/iStockphoto

The post did not say how much money the association wants or include a copy of the notice. The resident said the mess has been documented and that fed-up neighbors have launched a petition against the board.

When the matter came up at a recent board meeting, the homeowner said, leaders promised only to circle back.

The complaint, posted to a forum devoted to HOA grievances, drew dozens of replies within days. Most urged the owner to take the association to court, and one commenter claimed to have sued an HOA in small claims over a water main its landscaper broke.

“Sue the HOA, which is a legal entity,” another wrote. “It’s on them, or their insurance, to recoup from the landscapers.”

Another commenter skipped the legal talk entirely and recommended an enzyme powder that dissolves oil stains over several weeks.

The owner, who shared the dispute on Reddit, said complaints only made matters worse, that the damage has been documented, and that neighbors have started a petition against the board, which reportedly promised only to follow up when the issue was raised at a meeting. Preston Oaks Neighborhood/FacebookMost commenters urged the owner to sue the association. Google Maps

State law gives owners some cover. In subdivisions governed by Chapter 209 of the Texas Property Code, an association must send written notice by certified mail before it can bill an owner for property damage. The notice has to describe the damage and state the amount owed, and the owner has 30 days from the mailing to request a hearing before the board.

Those rules do not settle who caused the damage, but they give an owner a formal chance to contest a charge before it sticks.

Owners who would rather go on offense can turn to a Texas justice court, where small claims cases are capped at $20,000 and hiring a lawyer is optional.

In Texas subdivisions covered by Chapter 209 of the Property Code, an association must send written notice by certified mail before billing an owner for property damage, and the owner has 30 days to request a hearing. Getty Images

Disputes like this one touch a huge slice of the state. Texas has roughly 23,500 community associations housing about 6.4 million residents, according to the Foundation for Community Association Research.

That footprint keeps growing. Nearly two thirds of new single-family homes started nationwide in 2024 sat inside an association, according to a National Association of Home Builders analysis of Census Bureau data. In the region that includes Texas, the share topped 70% .

Who pays in a fight like this usually comes down to an association’s governing documents, which lay out who maintains driveways and lawns and when a board can pass repair costs to an owner.

Preston Oaks HOA did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.