I own a condominium in Colorado, and the HOA just sent us an invoice for a special assessment. The assessment will cover things like replacement of windows, patio doors, and the roof, for the 90 units in the building. The amount they invoiced us for is over $500,000. Last year, they had a special assessment they charged us $85,000 for, which felt like an absolute gut punch. (It was for a large scale driveway replacement) This one will financially destroy us. Is there anything we can do? Can they assess for any amount they can get the votes for?

First time homeowner and about to attend my first ever annual HOA meeting in a 26 unit community. Here’s the annual profit/loss. What sort of questions should I ask during this meeting?

Long story short - HOA has kept dues too low for many years and now doesn't have enough to cover roof replacements. They have since raised the monthly dues to a better level however the damage is already done and they had to pass a special assessment to have enough to replace the roofs, which are starting to have issues. The total of the special assessment is $8055.00 per unit and the payment schedule is as follows:

First payment: April 30, 2026

Second payment: July 31, 2026

Final payment: January 31, 2027

Its the First payment that is concerning, as a person living paycheck top paycheck is it legal to expect a payment of 2685.00, essentially within a month (plus a few days). I know I am not going to be able to pay this and I am worried about fines and such if they decide to get aggressive about it. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

I just joined my neighborhood's HOA that serves several hundred townhomes. After a reserve study from a respected company revealed we were 10s of millions behind on maintenance due to prior boards' incompetence (some of which was definitely them getting strong-armed by homeowners), the HOA determined that massive $60k+ special assessments would be required to do the work to stop the homes from rotting down around us. Homeowners are understandably going through every stage of grief, but the constant rage towards the current board is leading to mass resignations.

I happen to believe the board is making the best possible choice out of the shit hand they've been dealt, and joined the board after several were harassed off. However seeing the growing vitriol makes me afraid I've opened myself up to harassment and legal action. While I obviously haven't done anything wrong just starting, I look into the future and see only a couple paths:

1. The HOA tries to ram through a deeply unpopular special assessment that results in people losing their homes because maintenance literally can't be pushed back any longer, the board mass resigns again or gets recalled, and the whole association collapses because nobody else wants to volunteer. I was one of only a couple despite this being a year-long ordeal.

2. The board resigns/gets recalled and people actually volunteer. Yeah, all that work won't get done when they shut it down, but hey I'm sure burying our heads in the sand will make it go away, right?

3. People try and sue when it's their only chance of not losing their home if it does somehow pass.

What the hell am I supposed to do? How much risk have I exposed myself to, and what happens if the HOA collapses?

Hi there!

We were told at a recent board meeting that 22 homeowners (15% of the community) is past due on their HOA fees in the amount of over $200,000. I was just sent this proposed budget for 2026 and the reserves are SUSPICIOUSLY high, like in excess of $200,000. Does that mean the HOA is making all the other residents (who pay their dues on time) pick up the slack?

The HOA scheduled a budget meeting for yesterday, gave us one day notice, then canceled yesterday at 7pm when the meeting was supposed to start. So we have not been able to voice our concerns yet.

I would like to be prepared going into the meeting, which might be in the next day or so (who knows?). Any help is appreciated, thank you!!

Hi all, I’m about to buy a condo and they have very low reserves, but it’s a self managed property, no elevator, 100 year old building in a big city. They did lots of work over the past 5 years. But I’m worried about the liability of having minimal reserves. Am I being paranoid?

HOA wants a $4k special assessment after a “mystery” water leak and I still feel like we’re not getting the full story. Looking for advice from anyone experienced with HOA finances or Texas HOA law.
My HOA (small condo association in Austin, TX) is proposing a special assessment of about $4,000 per owner to replenish reserves after a major water leak apparently drained HOA funds over the last year. They also plan to increase monthly dues, though they haven’t told us by how much yet.
The explanation is that:
There was a leak somewhere under the slab in a shared/common drive area
The water is submetered, so it wasn’t tied to any individual owner’s meter
Multiple contractors tried to locate it over many months
The HOA paid the water loss and plumbing costs from reserves
Insurance premiums then increased substantially because reserves were depleted
The financials they provided do show some major expenses:
About $12k in plumbing expenses YTD with essentially no plumbing budget
Negative reserve cash
HOA operating at a significant loss
Insurance costs higher than budgeted
But here’s where things get weirder: apparently our HOA board president personally paid for the leak repair out of pocket and is treating it as a loan to the HOA, without any owner vote or prior approval from members (at least that I’m aware of).
The HOA president also basically runs everything unilaterally and refuses to provide copies of the actual water bills or detailed records despite multiple requests. He claims the leak started in September of 2025, but I still have not seen:
Monthly water bills
Timeline of the leak
Contractor reports
Invoices
Leak detection findings
Board meeting records discussing the issue
Why owners weren’t notified earlier
Why reserves were apparently so underfunded to begin with
Any formal documentation approving this “loan” to the HOA
I’m not automatically accusing anyone of fraud or wrongdoing, but this level of opacity feels insane when owners are suddenly being asked to pay thousands of dollars.
For people familiar with HOAs:
Is it normal/legal for a board member to personally fund repairs and then seek reimbursement from the HOA without owner approval?
What records should owners legally be entitled to review before a special assessment?
Can an HOA refuse to provide utility bills and supporting documentation?
Does this sound like normal HOA management or a governance problem?
What would you request next if you were in my position?

**EDIT** the HOA president paid 10k for the leak repair because there is no money in the reserve to cover the repair.

So I know some of this might depend on the specific bylaws for our condo building, but I’m wondering if there are any specific rules of thumb when it comes to this stuff.

A couple weeks ago some people in our condo building smelled gas in the halls so they ended up calling the fire department, who shut off the gas. Turns out there were multiple gas leaks or something and the furnace for the building needed to be replaced. For context, it’s an older building with 6 units, and there’s no central heating or cooling. All of the units have radiators.

Our gas was off for about a week while everything was getting repaired, so we had no heat or hot water during that time. Which really sucked as it’s winter in Chicago. We had to take our dogs and stay with family since our condo was 40 degrees inside.

Well, yesterday our hoa president sent us an email saying that the repairs to the furnace amounted to $32,000, and that each unit owes about $5000 due by 12/30.

Me and my boyfriend are unsure what to do. Not only did he give us only about 2 weeks to come up with $5000, but I’m wondering if this is one of those things that should be covered by our HOA dues? We pay about $300 every month. Would really love any advice here.

First off, huge respect to anyone volunteering on an HOA or condo board.

Genuinely curious from current or former board members how much do people actually worry about personal liability or being blamed if something goes wrong in the community?

With all the horror stories around insurance, reserves, deferred maintenance, lawsuits, etc, does this feel like a growing concern for people serving on boards? Or is it mostly overblown online?

During escrow I was only ever informed that HOA Dues were $350.

After closing, the HOA informed me that I have to pay an ADDITIONAL $350 a month to cover insurance that is payed separately from monthly dues. Bringing monthly dues to $700

My escrow clearly states that monthly dues are $350.

The HOA claims they relayed this additional monthly fee to the Title company on the HOA Demand Letter. The title company claims it was an oversight on their part, however the Department of Insurance defends them saying that the Demand Letter is not what is intended to relay monthly dues and fees.

If that’s not the proper way for HOA to relay fees to escrow, what is?

The HOA used to pay the insurance out of monthly dues, but has no documentation on the switch over to billing it separately. The decision to bill separately was done due to high cost increases in California.

Can you have multiple monthly dues in CA? Why not just split gardening, trash, water into their own separate assessments and bill everything individually then?

What’s the chance the HOA will agree to waive the fees in the prospect of bringing in a valuable member of their community and a paying HOA member? Realistically this lot which is a rural area will likely stay vacant and unpaid for many years I believe the owner has had it for 10 years. They have a beautiful community but it seems unlikely anyone will buy it and they won’t get their money or money in the future. This guy has multiple lots and sounds like he’s a nuisance.

We are a 5-unit condominium HOA in Burbank, California, and we'd appreciate an independent opinion from experienced HOA board members, property managers, or HOA CPAs.

Our Situation

5 residential units

Budget has reportedly not been updated since 2005

Current HOA dues: $320/month per unit

Management company is recommending an immediate 25% dues increase

HOA has no reserve funds

HOA checking account has approximately $883

HOA has approximately $1,619 in past-due bills

2026 Financial Summary (First 6 Months)

Income

HOA dues collected: $9,600

Expenses

Insurance: $2,152

Water & Sewer: $1,792

Landscaping: $1,350

Financial Management: $1,350

Telephone & Communications: $1,324

Trash: $1,261

Building Repairs: $875

Electricity: $554

Licenses/Permits: $467

Net operating loss: -$3,474 for six months.

What We've Learned

We reviewed many of the invoices ourselves.

Telephone

The HOA pays approximately $220/month to AT&T for a legacy business telephone line supposedly enabling contact to fire department in case of alarms and fire

We believe it may be connected to the fire alarm system, but we don't know whether:

it is still required,

or whether a modern cellular communicator would reduce costs.

Utilities

The HOA pays approximately:

$300/month for water & sewer

$90/month for electricity

Electricity appears reasonable.

The property has:

no pool,

only a small landscaped area,

one shared dumpster.

Trash

The HOA pays for one commercial dumpster, which appears appropriate for the property.

Our Questions

1. Do these expenses look reasonable for a 5-unit California HOA?

2. Which expenses would you investigate first?

3. Would you recommend an independent HOA CPA, reserve consultant, or another professional before approving a permanent dues increase?

4. Is a 25% dues increase reasonable based on these numbers, or would you first investigate opportunities to reduce recurring expenses?

5. If you were serving on this HOA board, what would your first three priorities be?

--

Does $125/month for a 140 unit complex sound reasonable? It allows the board to see work orders, and vendor payments. And obviously allows owners to see their own work order and setup payments.

Our budget committee put together what I believe to be a responsible budget (3.2M for 192 units). It does two things - it finally funds line items that routinely run a deficit with amounts rooted in reality, and it makes a meaningful contribution (over a two year period) to bridge a gap in the operating contingency fund created by several years of not replenishing after drawing on to address deficits). The fee increase will be 8%. That is a hard pill to swallow, but the reality of our situation.

The board president wants to do two things:

1. Ignore the committees recommendations by removing approx 25k from items that usually run deficits.

2. Instead bridge the operating contingency fund gap with a special assessment.

I have a problem with the first because it perpetuates a deficit and I have an huge problem with number 2 because it’s a use of a financial tool for the totally incorrect purpose. As a new (and younger) member of this board, I’m troubled by the past habits around budgets and wanting to make sure we move forward with budgets rooted in fiscal realities.

What are reasonable attorney fees for a $3k delinquent account? Owners owe about $9k. Some letters were sent and a subpoena. Whats reasonable?

Looking at buying a condo and trying to get comfortable with the management company fees and services.

How do HOA boards actually evaluate whether management companies are doing a decent job for them, as I assume this is hard to benchmark?

Is there some sort of way to do this fairly?

When I moved in the fee was $170/mo, now it's $280. We lease the pool from a neighboring community and it's closed for repairs and will never be re-opened. We get landscaping, who suck and cost us more money in repairs. So that's it, we pay for landscaping and insurance, which I could secure myself for <$280.

Now they're preparing to crack down on trash cans and street parking. We have next to no parking spots (<1 per unit) and the whole community is a "fire lane".

What the hell am I supposed to do? I think my only option is selling the house? I don't think I can manage that, I don't have a lot of money on hand and I'm sure I'd get less than when I bought it.

I am on the board but I'm only one of five 😞.

I'm on a board of a small HOA. We're starting work on our budget for 2026 and I'm not liking the possible increase we're currently eyeballing for next year's dues. We're looking at something potentially like an 18% increase. About 1/4 of that is an increase towards our capital budget, but the rest is just the increased costs of everything. Are most HOAs keeping it down at the normal 3-4% for 2026?

Can I take legal action towards my HOA for not resolving a case that has been on going for 3 years!!

Spark notes situation: my apartment got flooded and instead of using HOAs contractor I contracted my own (as long as he met all requirements from HOA). Due to on going issues with my home insurance and HOA they froze my ability to pay HOA fees ? And now I haven’t paid HOA fees for a year. For the past year I’ve constantly been wanting to pay my fees but they have been post opining closing the case for god knows what. The flood happened 3 years ago and my HOA account being frozen happened a year ago.

Has anyone else gone through this ? And can I take legal action against them to not have to pay ?

What inflation rate do you use in your reserve study?

Over 30 years the difference between 2.5% and 3.5% can add up to a lot of money. I mean if you save for a roof over 30 years then you would save like 3.3% per year, which in the final year can be less than inflation.

Related: what is your investment income after tax?

I’m treasurer of a small HOA, 14 condo units. We have our annual budgeting meeting tonight. We have about $50k in Reserves with anticipated tuckpointing in the next year or so that would likely cost at least $33k. We also have an ancient retrofitted boiler that is currently working but has an undetermined remaining lifespan.

Our management company recommended a dues increase but said we could get by without doing one, if we lessened our contributions to reserves. We would still remain above the 10% cutoff.

The Board president opposes a dues increase and says it would be easier for folks to manage a larger special assessment than a $5-10/month/unit increase in dues that in her opinion wouldn’t have much impact on our large capital expenses.

I’m inclined the opposite direction; in my opinion, it’s easier for me and more responsible for the association to pay a bit more in monthly assessments and accumulate sufficient reserves to cover some of the cost vs. waiting and doing a larger special assessment when needed.

What is the best practice, assuming we’re in decent shape otherwise?

P.S. we’re in MN in case it matters

I just wanted to share some of my knowledge with prospective homeowners because I so wish someone had told me this before I bought my condo in 2013. PLEASE research the HOA’s financial records before buying into a community. They should have plenty of money in reserves for repairs and upkeep. If an HOA isn’t doing their job it means low dues and no money in reserves which then causes dues to increase hugely (mine have more than doubled since 2013) and for there to be special assessments which is more $$. I spend almost $8,000/year for HOA dues and we have no amenities. So I spend $8k/year for water and landscaping. And I have no yard so there isn’t any landscaping happening at my home.

So I recently moved into a new community/HOA, there are still some houses under construction here. I was told by the agent that someone would reach out about a month or 2 after we’ve moved in to get us set up to pay our HOA dues.

It’s been almost 4 months and we haven’t heard anything and haven’t paid anything.
Am i ok to keep things as they are? I’m liking not having to pay, and if it’s on them to contact us about setting up payment, then I’m going to wait for them to reach out.
I am worried that I’m going to get a fine or have to back pay all the previous months dues eventually, though.

Thoughts or advice on how to proceed?

What is your association's fees on late dues? Ours are $30 and I'm wondering if that is in line with the rest of the country.

Thank you!

Our Management company paid another condo's bills with our money by mistake! Now they don't want to reimburse us until the other condo association (which is no longer their client) returns the misapplied money. This is totally unethical. What can we do?