HOA says teen living with grandparents will need to live elsewhere

After his parents died last year, 15-year-old Collin Clabaugh moved from California to live with his grandparents in a quiet senior community in Prescott, Ariz.

Randy and Melodie Passmore welcomed the boy into their home so he could live “with two people who love him,” according to her Facebook page. Then, they began receiving letters from the community’s homeowners association saying they had until June 30, 2020, to make new living arrangements for Collin to stay in compliance with the HOA’s age restrictions.

The Gardens & Courtyards at Willow Creek, a 55-andover housing community, bars residents younger than 19. The grandparents appealed to the HOA board, but the association said it “must balance the interest of all parties involved, not just the Passmores.”

“We let them know all the circumstances, but they still are stuck to that rule. And I don’t think that’s the right thing to do morally,” Collin told The Arizona Republic.

The association contended that making an exception could open up the community to legal challenges from other residents.

Collin’s mother died after struggling with an illness last year, Melodie Passmore said. Collins’ dad (the Passmores’ son) killed himself two weeks later.

After news of the conflict was first reported by azfamily.com this week, the association said in a statement to The Washington Post,“The Gardens at Willow Creek legal counsel and legal counsel for the Passmores have been in contact, and the board is working with the Passmores to resolve this matter.”