HOA dues... is no bill normal?

[KarenAylwood]

We moved in to our community (which is new) June of last year. We were told our HOA dues were paid in our mortgage for like 18 months (I need to recheck the paperwork when we get home). I just got an email from the head of our association saying that we owe 3rd quarter dues and that we'll incur late fees if we don't pay them by September 15th.

Question... is it normal not to have a bill for something like this? I can't think of anything I pay in my life that I don't receive a bill for, even things that are paid automatically! I'm obviously going to check up on what we've paid, etc but I just found it weird to just get this email from him telling me I'd have to pay a charge if I'm late and I've never gotten a bill for it.

The HOA is still run by the developer. It will move over to someone in the neighborhood once we elect one after the developer is done.

 

[disny_luvr]

We have an HOA and do not receive a bill. I just know that I pay it quarterly - Jan, Apr, July, Oct.

 

[Govols1997]

We also don't get a bill. Our dues are outrageous and due in January. Worst time to be paying out extra money after you've just had the holidays.

 

[ICF]

We get a paper bill in the mail once a year and it's due on April 1st. I find it odd that they just expect you to remember to pay every quarter....without so much as an emailed reminder/invoice.

I don't think I pay any bills, without actually getting something tell me how much it is and when it's due.

 

[tvguy]

Wouldn't that e-mail be the bill?

 

[HeyIt'sMe]

Our HOA fees are due quarterly.
We receive a payment booklet with four payment slips every year.

I just auto pay 1/12 of the total annual fee each month so I don't have to remember to send in the quarterly payment.

 

[Elleshoodat]

We also have a payment booklet and don't receive quarterly bills.

 

[CalDisneyMomof2]

Our HOA sends out a monthly newsletter with an envelope inside with the address of the building and $50 due remark on it. I guess that qualifies as a bill. I don't get a bill unless it's two months past due which has only happened twice and only because it's my ONLY bill I can't pay online/automatically and it slips my mind! Now, I usually pay 6 months at a time so I don't forget.

 

[Eureka]

We moved in to our community (which is new) June of last year. We were told our HOA dues were paid in our mortgage for like 18 months (I need to recheck the paperwork when we get home). I just got an email from the head of our association saying that we owe 3rd quarter dues and that we'll incur late fees if we don't pay them by September 15th.

Question... is it normal not to have a bill for something like this? I can't think of anything I pay in my life that I don't receive a bill for, even things that are paid automatically! I'm obviously going to check up on what we've paid, etc but I just found it weird to just get this email from him telling me I'd have to pay a charge if I'm late and I've never gotten a bill for it.

The HOA is still run by the developer. It will move over to someone in the neighborhood once we elect one after the developer is done.

We get a yearly bill right after New Year's. It's always due the end of February.

 

[monarchsfan16]

No bill here. We pay monthly.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

we get the payment book - need to pay monthly. or you can do it as an auto bill pay.

 

[starry_solo]

Payment book here, once a year.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We get our bill (which is a paper bill) late November/early December. It's technically due Jan 1st but isn't considered late until after Feb 28th so a lot of people wait (due to the holidays). We can pay our bill online. Technically you could pay in payments after the bill has been sent to you as long as you pay it all before March 1st (I don't think they care about leap years).

If you are late you incur late fees and lose pool privilages (though we have a key to the pool so not sure how well that would be enforced). If you don't pay your dues by a certain time period (I think it's 6 months-ish after the due date) they will put a lien on your house and can take you to court to recoup your dues, fees, their legal fees, etc.

Our HOA is still under our developer at this time too.

ETA: With the bill we actually are sent the Budget for the upcoming year which breaks it all down (like how much water, electricity, mulch, lawn care, etc) as well as a copy of the architectural request form (if you are building a fence-which has to be black metal or doing anything large landscape-wise you have to request permission prior to doing it).

 

[NinaBella]

We moved in to our community (which is new) June of last year. We were told our HOA dues were paid in our mortgage for like 18 months (I need to recheck the paperwork when we get home). I just got an email from the head of our association saying that we owe 3rd quarter dues and that we'll incur late fees if we don't pay them by September 15th.

Question... is it normal not to have a bill for something like this? I can't think of anything I pay in my life that I don't receive a bill for, even things that are paid automatically! I'm obviously going to check up on what we've paid, etc but I just found it weird to just get this email from him telling me I'd have to pay a charge if I'm late and I've never gotten a bill for it.

The HOA is still run by the developer. It will move over to someone in the neighborhood once we elect one after the developer is done.

I find it odd that you were told your mortgage company pays it. Mortgage companies pays homeowners insurance and property taxes, never heard of them paying HOA. Maybe the TITLE COMPANY collected the first quarter or first year in the closing costs and your TITLE COMPANY paid the HOA from the closing cost, but I wouldn't expect the mortgage company to pay.

Just like the title company collects the first year of your homeowners insurance premium and property taxes during closing and in-turns pays them in full right after closing. What the mortgage company collects in the mortgage payment for homeowners and property taxes is collecting for the upcoming year (not current year). For example if you closed on your home in March 2016, your closing cost included your 2016 property taxes and 2016 homeowners insurance. What you are paying in your mortgage this month is going towards your 2017 homeowners premium and property taxes so the mortgage company can pay that in full upon renewal.

The other part of your questions, I have been on autopay for my HOA fees for 13 years. I only get a letter each year that also tells us that years HOA (most years it hasn't changed). I have seen on our community facebook page some talking about not getting a payment book and others staying to contact the HOA to get one sent to them. So for folks who pay month to month there is a payment book options. I actually DO NOT like that they have the option for payment books. I feel like there administrative/overhead costs for sending out payment books or monthly statements is absorbed in our fees somehow and not needed when the amount is the exact same month to month. I am also about 90% paperless in all of my bills. I only get paper bills from my utility, electric, and gas company. Honestly, I should look at a way to have those turned off. Those are the only accounts that vary month to month, but they also have a website I can look at what is due monthly and save paper. I pay every bill through my bank's bill pay service (which is free and keeps track of all my past payment history, etc.).

 

[aretha30]

We get a paper statement/bill once a year. They send it in February but it isn't due until April.

 

[wenrob]

We get a monthly payment book towards the end of the year. I just rip out all the coupons, staple them together and pay the whole year. I'd rather an electronic statement as well. At the very least you should have something in your paperwork that says when your payments start, how much they are and when they are due. In my experience with our last HOA, that was essentially my bill and it was on me to remember it.

 

[supersnoop]

The vast majority of HOAs are self-managed. That means that one of your neighbors is volunteering to be the accountant min order to save everyone some money. Some are run more professionally than others.

 

[dhardawa]

The first year I lived here, the dues were supposed to have already been paid by the previous owner. They weren't. I started receiving late notices that didn't include an address to send payment. There was a phone number that I left messages with, but never heard back. This went on for months. I finally had to go to an HOA meeting to find the lady who I left messages with. She waived the fee. Then, at the meeting, they had a drawing for free dues for the next year and I won. Kind of funny. But, anyway, yes, we get a statement in January.

 

[KarenAylwood]

Thanks for all the replies!

Wouldn't that e-mail be the bill?

The email said "you're late, pay by Sept 15th" - no address, or amount. So I didn't consider that the bill. We get our daycare bill electronically through email as an attachment and everything else is electronic or paper if I couldn't get them to go only to electronic billing.

I find it odd that you were told your mortgage company pays it. Mortgage companies pays homeowners insurance and property taxes, never heard of them paying HOA. Maybe the TITLE COMPANY collected the first quarter or first year in the closing costs and your TITLE COMPANY paid the HOA from the closing cost, but I wouldn't expect the mortgage company to pay.

Just like the title company collects the first year of your homeowners insurance premium and property taxes during closing and in-turns pays them in full right after closing. What the mortgage company collects in the mortgage payment for homeowners and property taxes is collecting for the upcoming year (not current year). For example if you closed on your home in March 2016, your closing cost included your 2016 property taxes and 2016 homeowners insurance. What you are paying in your mortgage this month is going towards your 2017 homeowners premium and property taxes so the mortgage company can pay that in full upon renewal.

The other part of your questions, I have been on autopay for my HOA fees for 13 years. I only get a letter each year that also tells us that years HOA (most years it hasn't changed). I have seen on our community facebook page some talking about not getting a payment book and others staying to contact the HOA to get one sent to them. So for folks who pay month to month there is a payment book options. I actually DO NOT like that they have the option for payment books. I feel like there administrative/overhead costs for sending out payment books or monthly statements is absorbed in our fees somehow and not needed when the amount is the exact same month to month. I am also about 90% paperless in all of my bills. I only get paper bills from my utility, electric, and gas company. Honestly, I should look at a way to have those turned off. Those are the only accounts that vary month to month, but they also have a website I can look at what is due monthly and save paper. I pay every bill through my bank's bill pay service (which is free and keeps track of all my past payment history, etc.).

You may very well be right. I just remember it being in our downpayment, to go to the HOA ahead of time. I thought they had set this up as a standard for all who were purchasing but a neighbor who closed the week after us only paid the first quarter which I thought was odd. We were told 18 months but now he's saying we're late for 3rd quarter dues and when I did some searching I found those were due July 1.

The vast majority of HOAs are self-managed. That means that one of your neighbors is volunteering to be the accountant min order to save everyone some money. Some are run more professionally than others.

Not currently, it's the developer right now. It will be a neighbor once the developer is gone (can't happen soon enough!). Our old neighborhood was a huge company so we had the payment coupons which I found kind of silly and a waste of paper but it was at least something to keep track of.

Our HOA fees literally cover trash and landscaping in the one common area- $37/month. Nice relief after paying over $400/month at our last place!!! Thanks for all the replies- I was curious if this was the norm, I felt bad being late but also was very confused since I hadn't dealt with this before.

 

[angierae]

The condo my MIL lived in (that we are now maintaining while it's on the market for sale) has HOA fees due monthly and there's no bill. You just pay your $250/month.