HOA Fee question. HOA not keeping up their end of the bargain.?

Question

My HOA is supposed to cover weekly lawn mowing, twice yearly pressure washing of exterior, termite service, yearly replenishing of pine straw, and upcare of the common areas. The association has been going through a lot of changes and they only just recently started mowing the grass again and they have the termite people come out once a year. This costs me $60.50 a month, which is outrageous in my opinion for a very small yard. My rental property has the smallest yard imaginable and the fee is the same. What can be done? I haven't paid in a few months, and more than 50% of the homeowners do not pay either. I see that once the new HOA takes over that nobody will have to pay the overdue fees and everyone will just start at zero. Please let me know what you would do.

Answer 1

Don't count on the past due fees going away. You are obligated to pay even if the service is substandard. Did you not know what the fees were when you bought? I know they tend to go up over time, but $60.50 is not an outrage. Maybe the fact that so many of the unit owners are stiffing the association is affecting what they can afford to have done.

Why don't you get involved and try to make a positive difference. Complaining here won't change a thing, but if you get involved maybe you can change some of the things you don't like.

Good luck.

Answer 2

$60  a  month  is  about  1/4  of  what  is  common  for  townhouses  and  condos   where  I  lived .

If   homeowners  do  not  pay  the  dues ,  then  there  are  no  funds  to  pay  the  contractors  and  work   can't  be  scheduled .

If   your   HOA   has  a  negative  history ,  it  will  be  the  same  as  some  person  with  a  low  FICO   trying  to   do  business .

I  have  not  heard  of   anything  so  cheap  ( $60 / month )  in  at  least  10  to  15  years .

If   owners  are  withholding  that  and  still  expecting  termite  services ,  power  washing  and  upkeep ,   they  are  living  in  a   fools   mind  set .

Go  to  the    HOA   meetings  and  get  the  grown-up  pricing  for  contractor's  services .

Sounds  like  everyone  there  needs  basic  finance  ed .

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Answer 3

Dear Me,

           Where do you get the idea that any creditors of the prior HOA have no right to enforce creditor rights against the new HOA.

Is someone paying-off  all the old debt?

            Are you going to wake up and discover that there is no insurance on any of the common areas? That no one is coming to maintain any of the common areas. That the new "owners" of your common area are the creditors of the former HOA.

                 Get your neighbors together and retain a condo lawyer to just look into your situation....It may cost upwords of $500 -$1000.

But that will be cheap compared to costs due to failing to maintain the common areas, walls, roofs, pools and possibly air-conditioning, community gym or defending the first lawsuit after a fender bender occurs in the community parking lot.

Good Luck.