CALDWELL, Idaho — Homeowners in a Caldwell subdivision say their HOA sold a "common area" or HOA-owned land, including portions of five fenced-in backyards, to the Idaho Transportation Department without properly disclosing the situation to residents.
The land sale is connected to ITD's plans to expand Karcher Road, a process that commonly requires purchasing adjacent property to make room for added lanes.
Olivia Rueppel bought her first home in Caldwell last year and invested thousands of dollars landscaping her backyard. In February, she learned the land she had been improving was not actually hers.
WATCH | Hear from residents who say the HOA failed to accurately represent property lines—
"We wouldn't have purchased this property and invested so much money into this backyard, especially over our property line, had we have known," Rueppel said.
Rueppel said 16 feet of her property is owned by her HOA, something she says was not disclosed during the home-buying process. When she confronted HOA leadership, she says they told her she should have had the land surveyed to determine where her actual property ended.
"We didn't even think to get a survey because we had assumed that they had placed the fences on the surveyed lines of our property," Rueppel said.
In February, Rueppel learned the HOA had sold the common area for $175,508.40, dividing the money up between all 202 homes, not just the five impacted.
Rueppel, like every other homeowner, will receive $868.85 for the loss of up to 16 feet of her backyard from the fence.
The Fieldcrest subdivision HOA says it has strong legal footing in the matter.
When Idaho News 6 investigated the HOA's rules established in 2007, fences that interfere with the common area are required to be 4 feet tall and see-through.
The fence in question does not appear to meet those specifications and was installed by developers. Residents say that confusion in the HOA's rules led them to assume the fenced area was not a common area.
Rueppel's next-door neighbor, Latrisha, sued the HOA over the issue but has since dropped the case due to legal costs.
"We've had a lack of transparency through the whole process," Latrisha said.
Both neighbors say the situation is confusing at best and deceitful at worst. While the HOA is within its legal right to sell common area, the homeowners say they are angry over the money they spent on yards that will now become part of the Karcher Road expansion.
The Karcher Road expansion project is set to finish in 2028.
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