The couple knew the townhouse they bought earlier this summer in an East Henderson complex wasn’t in a newer, more upscale neighborhood, but they appreciated the financial security that came with having a place they could call their own.

“I kind of expected it to look a little run down,” Rick Martinez, 32, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Tuesday.

What Rick and Sarah Martinez, 25, didn’t anticipate was that a pink envelope would be stuck to their door on Monday, containing a message that threatened to turn the lives of Somerset Park residents upside down.

Henderson officials are threatening to shut off the complex’s water service, a measure that would force residents to leave their homes indefinitely if the broken water system is not repaired within two weeks, the letter said.

The homeowners association responsible for maintaining the complex’s private water distribution system near Sunset Road and Pabco Road told officials it could not cover the cost of repairs, the letter said.

“Honestly, it was like I (expletive) just bought this house and I wasn’t told anything about it,” Rick Martinez said. “The letter is the first we’ve heard about it.”

The city told residents that the broken water system posed an “immediate threat to the health, safety and welfare of the public.” Turning off the water would also result in the fire hydrants no longer working.

Henderson officials said the system and affected infrastructure would need to be “completely repaired” to comply with the city’s municipal code, and indicated residents would not be able to return until that was done.

“This situation is subject to change at any time depending on the severity of ongoing leaks…” the city added.

Henderson gave the HOA and residents a deadline of September 10.

The Martinezes, who live with their dog Rocky, made a sizable down payment, bringing their monthly mortgage to about $1,200. They said they pay about $330 a month in HOA fees.

When asked about the prospect of having to find a new place to live, Sarah Martinez said succinctly: “It looks like homelessness.”

No “leeway”

In a statement to the Review-Journal, the city said the safety of residents was its top priority.

“If the HOA is unable to implement a repair plan, the city will consider all necessary and appropriate steps to protect the residents of Somerset Park and the city,” officials wrote. “The City of Henderson requests that the HOA immediately implement a repair plan and eliminate the threat to the life, health and safety of Somerset Park residents.”

One of two proposals the Henderson City Council approved last week to send to the Legislature for the 2025 session would address a similar problem.

The bill proposes to give local governments the opportunity to establish neighborhood improvement districts to repair water and sewer systems in certain parts of the city.

“If enshrined in law, this tool could potentially help prevent situations like the one in Somerset Park, where residents are relocated due to safety risks caused by a failing water or sewer system maintained by a community of common interest,” the city said in a separate statement.

The CAMCO Homeowners Association, which manages the property, did not respond to requests for comment.

Rick Martinez said the association took over the complex about a year ago and a representative told the couple the company inherited the property from another association that had suffered from financial mismanagement.

According to Martinez, the representative said the city was not providing any “leeway” or assistance to resolve the water problem.

HOA “makes no contribution”

“The condition of the private water distribution system in Somerset Park has resulted in ongoing water leaks that are causing damage to private roads, parking lots and possibly buildings,” the city’s letter said.

A walk through the aging complex on Tuesday afternoon revealed a dilapidated property.

The empty pool was littered with trash and the landscape was left to decay and dry out. Puddles of water were visible throughout the parking lots. On the roof of one of the buildings were shingles from an abandoned repair job.

“The HOA is obviously not doing their part,” Sarah Martinez said. “The pool is broken, there’s trash everywhere, the landscaping is (expletive) ruined, all the bushes are dried up and ugly.”

“There’s a hole in the ground,” she added.

The city said it made “emergency repairs” and cordoned off the area a few weeks ago, but now that section of the parking lot is closed.

Rick Martinez said the HOA packet they received after purchasing their home does not include information about how dues are spent.

Cheryl Baldwin, 68, remembers what the property looked like when she and her husband bought it nearly 25 years ago.

The lawn was lush, the pool was full and the landscaping was well-kept, she said.

“My condo is paid off and now I have to go through all this crap because the community doesn’t know how to manage money properly,” she said. “It’s not our fault, but we’re the ones who have to pay the price when they turn off our water.”

Baldwin said she, her husband and their cat had nowhere else to stay and had no idea how long it would be before they could return if the water was turned off.

Baldwin said the HOA has not been involved with the complex for about a decade and that she has not been able to contact the current association since receiving the letter with the fateful news.

“Maybe the place can be restored to what it was when I moved in,” she said. “It was a beautiful place to live – it was well run and well maintained.”

Rebecca Mejia, 29, lives in rented accommodation with her husband, two children and dog.

“We pay the HOA a decent amount every month,” she said. “What do they do with it?”

She described how the letter frightened and intimidated her.

“We don’t know if it’s a tactic for the HOA to take action,” Mejia said.

She said that while the HOA is responding to some corrections, “it doesn’t really fix the big problems.”

Mejia added: “Water was a big problem.”

Her family is in “limbo” and is developing an emergency plan in case she has to leave the country, Mejia said.

“You can’t prepare for something like this,” she said.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at [email protected]. Contact Annie Vong at [email protected].