Need some insight into steps to take for homeowner with HOA

[Shawn Regnier]

A friend asked for some advice on his mother's situation with mold issues under her home in New Hampshire. She lives in an over-55 Resident Owned Community. Homes here are manufactured and have an HOA fee.

A handyman discovered quite a bit of mold under the house due to an issue that the developer created when installing the hillside drainage system from the streets. Her house is at the bottom of the hill. She complained last year of the splashing water from the setup that was happening to her house. The developer dug a trench, but it continued to happen.

She just found out that this happened to a nearby neighbor two years ago, and the developer dug new lines and gave the owners $1,000 to appease all of the mold under the homeowner's house. The homeowner then fixed it themselves, apparently.

She has a meeting with the HOA next week, so her son asked for my advice. He has a feeling they are going to put a bandaid over the situation, and I don't disagree.

What steps should she take to protect herself? She would rather not hire a lawyer until she finds out what they say, and doesn't want to call her insurance company yet because she fears they will not do anything since the issues haven't been fixed.

Any advice would be appreciated.