HOA dues - to hold in escrow until they follow their own rules?

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Okay I have searched the topic of HOAs and some of the lousy stunts that are pulled. Well I now have one of my own. I recently purchased a town home with an HOA. I have tried to contact them by email and phone with no response. When I call I am told I need to talk to so and so, and low and behold he is not in his office and never returns my calls or my emails. I have two issues with this property that need to be taken care of. One the deck which is in really bad shape, I want to replace it quick. Need to submit the proper paper work to the HOA, but they wont answer me to make sure I have the required documents and requests when I go to submit. Two - (this is the escrow part) the HOA is in charge of regular maintenance of the exterior and "routine" painting of the exterior as it even says in their own rule book. Well upon inspection and after I received the rule book the exterior has not been taken care of at all. No routine painting, no repair and maintenance of the gutters and vents and exterior. The gutters are missing a large section of the down spout, there is a section of roof venting gone and the exterior hasnt been painted in years as the paint is peeling and the wood has now been exposed to the elements and rotting. My question is has anyone put HOA fees into an escrow account until they HOA ponies up and takes care of their end like they are supposed to? I had an attorney suggest this to me awhile ago when I was a renter and the management company would not take care of the squirrels living in my roof. He suggested that the rent go into an escrow account until they fixed the problem. What are some thought about that idea?