At first glance, it looked like ordinary HOA paperwork.
There were boxes for the owner's name, address, emergency contact information, and acknowledgment of neighborhood rules.
But when I read the final pages, I noticed language concerning access rights.
The document referred to certain pathways, utility corridors, and landscaped areas that could be maintained or used by the association.
It also contained a clause granting permission for limited access across land described in an attached plan.
I looked for the plan.
It was missing.
That concerned me.
I sent the document to Elena.
She called within an hour.
“Malcolm, do not sign this.”
“I wasn't planning to.”
She sounded irritated.
“This is not an ordinary acknowledgment of community rules.”
I leaned back in my office chair.
“What is it?”
“Potentially a request for property access rights dressed up as administrative paperwork. The exact effect would depend on the completed document and applicable law, but it's not something you should sign without the missing attachments and a clear explanation.”
I looked toward the pages.
“Can they demand it?”
“Not from you merely because you're adjacent to the HOA.”
I nodded.
Elena continued.
“I'm going to request the complete proposal and ask them to explain why your property is being included.”
She sent another letter.
This one was more direct.
It restated that my parcel wasn't part of Canyon Crest Estates.
It requested the missing plan.
And it asked the association to identify any recorded instrument it believed gave it rights over my property.
No such instrument was provided.
Instead, Caroline responded with a short message asserting that the estate had historically been treated as part of the broader Canyon Crest community.
Elena laughed when she read it.
“Historical treatment isn't a substitute for a recorded property right.”
I smiled.
“Apparently nobody told Caroline.”
“Someone should.”
For a while, that was the end of it.
I had work to manage.
A daughter to raise.
And a household full of ordinary responsibilities.
I wasn't interested in spending my evenings arguing with an HOA I didn't belong to.
But later, I learned that Caroline interpreted my silence as weakness.
And she began planning a more aggressive approach.