A Virginia woman who says she cut down the trees in her yard after one fell on her house and killed her husband last year finds herself in a dispute with her homeowners association.
Allan Lee was taking a shower last July when a tree crashed through the house and killed him.
“He was part of our everyday lives,” said his wife, Rachel Lee. “He was very invested in his kids and in me. He just wanted to make sure everyone was happy all the time.”
Recently, she hired a contractor to cut down the rest of the trees in her backyard.
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“I don't want another one to fall on the house and orphan my kids or kill my kids,” she said.
The Montclair community she lives in near Dumfries is governed by a homeowners association that requires residents to submit a "property improvement request" before exterior projects.
“I didn't ask permission because I wasn't going to not do it if they told me not to do it,” Lee said. “It was gonna happen no matter what.”
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She says the HOA has been emailing her, insisting she submit the form retroactively.
“I don't really see the point of a property improvement request for that,” Lee said. “I don't want to go through the trauma to lay out a map of my backyard and where all the trees were.”
News4 went to the HOA seeking comment and was told it was private property and to leave.
The HOA sent News4 a statement, saying, "We empathize wholeheartedly with Rachel Lee following the tragic loss of her husband. The association has been, and remains prepared, to work with Mrs. Lee, and any homeowner, to ensure compliance with the covenants and conditions that apply to the property.”
Lee says she still has no plans to submit the form.
“I don't need to go through trauma just because they want a piece of paper,” she said. “It's unacceptable.”
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