HOA dues... is no bill normal?

[HM]

It's erratic from our HOA. The company that does the billing usually sends something in January. Our dues are due quarterly, but we always pay the year at once as remembering when to send them (with no bill each quarter) is too much trouble for me.

 

[Bree]

Our HOA is managed by a company. Our yearly bill and the umpteen violation notices come from them.

 

[lpizzuro123]

We are in a townhouse development. At the end of every year, we get 12 enveloped addressed to our Management Company. It is up to us to send it to them by the first of every month. If we are I believe it is 3 months late - we get a late notice and late fees.

 

[dsanner106]

Ours does not issue a bill, but seems to be able to issue late notices with added penalties.

 

[agavegirl1]

My husband is on the board of our HOA. We do not get a bill. Bills are only sent out for past due accounts with letters. Almost everyone sets up a direct debit or pays through escrow. This saves the association money and paperwork and keeps dues lower.

 

[HopperFan]

1) We get an email that serves as our annual bill. I write a check and mail it to them.

2) After receiving our "welcome" package full of forms I set up our monthly HOA to autopay. Seen nothing since. Assuming a community year end communication will come

 

[LovesTimone]

We had yearly, due in July which was nice, after Christmas and tax time, 450.00 yearly, But what our HOA fee went for is still a mystery. Honestly when asked all you would get is lip service, and we use it for a kids Halloween Party( that we/homeowners provided all the candy and food for) and Family Christmas Party (again homeowners providing all the food, and drinks) ... but never anything about the development.. When the common areas and pool area... looked like.... well you get the picture...

 

[CalDisneyMomof2]

We had yearly, due in July which was nice, after Christmas and tax time, 450.00 yearly, But what our HOA fee went for is still a mystery. Honestly when asked all you would get is lip service, and we use it for a kids Halloween Party( that we/homeowners provided all the candy and food for) and Family Christmas Party (again homeowners providing all the food, and drinks) ... but never anything about the development.. When the common areas and pool area... looked like.... well you get the picture...

Your HOA cost was REALLY low. I wouldn't expect much with that. Ours is just higher than yours was at $600. I know the liability insurance alone is a huge cost. Trash, water, electricity, lawn and pool service. Ours has a small staff(like 2 people daily). We have a monthly newsletter but it's paid for by sponsors in the newsletter. Also, last year our fence was rotted and this was a fence shared with the HOA. You better believe I asked them to pay half and they did. About $5,000 out of their funds. Six months later another neighbor needed their fence done as well. Another couple thousand I'm sure. I'm sure there's miscellaneous fees throughout the year (possibly a security system, pool pump breaks, plumbing issues, exterminator, paying someone to file their taxes etc.)

Other than our clubhouse (which includes a TV, ping pong and some games/library), pool and basketball court, the HOA has no involvement really with our community. All homes are kept up by the owners. $450 a year even multiplied by 1,000 homes isn't much money.

 

[LovesTimone]

Your HOA cost was REALLY low. I wouldn't expect much with that. Ours is just higher than yours was at $600. I know the liability insurance alone is a huge cost. Trash, water, electricity, lawn and pool service. Ours has a small staff(like 2 people daily). We have a monthly newsletter but it's paid for by sponsors in the newsletter. Also, last year our fence was rotted and this was a fence shared with the HOA. You better believe I asked them to pay half and they did. About $5,000 out of their funds. Six months later another neighbor needed their fence done as well. Another couple thousand I'm sure. I'm sure there's miscellaneous fees throughout the year (possibly a security system, pool pump breaks, plumbing issues, exterminator, paying someone to file their taxes etc.)

Other than our clubhouse (which includes a TV, ping pong and some games/library), pool and basketball court, the HOA has no involvement really with our community. All homes are kept up by the owners. $450 a year even multiplied by 1,000 homes isn't much money.

I guess I should have add in....

We paid for our own Trash, lawn, bug man, even having to take our own chairs to the pool, which they never bought even in the beginning as promised by the developers. The second year we all had to pay another 500.00 per house hold to have the pool filtration system completely redone. The next year, light poles that ran another 1500.00 per household, these are the light poles that were suppose to be installed by the developer which never happened. Then we had to have the front entrance signs replaced with adding in lighting another 500.00. Then the next year we were told we had to all put in another 250.00 for holiday decorations for the entrance. Then another 1000.00 for fencing around a drainage pond that was dry most of the time. The thing is when going to the meetings none of these thing were ever brought up or decided or voted on. We would just get a email, or bill so when we asked during a meeting the president would say we are going to have another meeting to talk about this.

When renting the Clubhouse, you had to put up a 500.00 deposit( for damages) on top of the 500.00 to use it supposedly for cleaning, I rented it once, and had to clean it from top to bottom before using it, the bath rooms were disgusting, along with the refrigerator, and the ice machine had mold in it. Then I had to re-clean when we were done which is expected which was not a problem, Thank goodness I took pictures/video of when I went in, called the HOA director 6 of 7 times, and then again how I left it. They said we left it dirty and we broke the ice machine that we did not use, so they were going to keep the deposit, I was like no your not keeping my deposit as I left it in better shape then I got it. I sent the pictures to them, and said I would bring it up at the next meeting with pictures and I did get my money back.

So while seeming low it was very costly for every time we turned around we were being hit with what they called "essential maintenance"...In 3 years 5,100 for the HOA fees.. which seems high to me.

 

[CalDisneyMomof2]

I guess I should have add in....

We paid for our own Trash, lawn, bug man, even having to take our own chairs to the pool, which they never bought even in the beginning as promised by the developers. The second year we all had to pay another 500.00 per house hold to have the pool filtration system completely redone. The next year, light poles that ran another 1500.00 per household, these are the light poles that were suppose to be installed by the developer which never happened. Then we had to have the front entrance signs replaced with adding in lighting another 500.00. Then the next year we were told we had to all put in another 250.00 for holiday decorations for the entrance. Then another 1000.00 for fencing around a drainage pond that was dry most of the time. The thing is when going to the meetings none of these thing were ever brought up or decided or voted on. We would just get a email, or bill so when we asked during a meeting the president would say we are going to have another meeting to talk about this.

When renting the Clubhouse, you had to put up a 500.00 deposit( for damages) on top of the 500.00 to use it supposedly for cleaning, I rented it once, and had to clean it from top to bottom before using it, the bath rooms were disgusting, along with the refrigerator, and the ice machine had mold in it. Then I had to re-clean when we were done which is expected which was not a problem, Thank goodness I took pictures/video of when I went in, called the HOA director 6 of 7 times, and then again how I left it. They said we left it dirty and we broke the ice machine that we did not use, so they were going to keep the deposit, I was like no your not keeping my deposit as I left it in better shape then I got it. I sent the pictures to them, and said I would bring it up at the next meeting with pictures and I did get my money back.

So while seeming low it was very costly for every time we turned around we were being hit with what they called "essential maintenance"...In 3 years 5,100 for the HOA fees.. which seems high to me.

Well then your thoughts are completely justified! However, I didn't mean your personal water, trash etc. I meant the club/facilities/pool.

 

[HM]

We had yearly, due in July which was nice, after Christmas and tax time, 450.00 yearly, But what our HOA fee went for is still a mystery. Honestly when asked all you would get is lip service, and we use it for a kids Halloween Party( that we/homeowners provided all the candy and food for) and Family Christmas Party (again homeowners providing all the food, and drinks) ... but never anything about the development.. When the common areas and pool area... looked like.... well you get the picture...

The association is supposed to provide to all members a yearly report that shows what the expenses were projected to be and what was actually spent for each line item. If there is money left over, that would show on the report as well. You should demand that they provide this after the end of each fiscal year. Definitely start going to the annual meeting that is held to discuss these things. If they don't do that, then it should be added to the association's yearly duties.

 

[Leelo]

We are supposed to get a bill to pay annually but didn't think we received one last year and got the same notice. It turned out the bill was tucked in with a newsletter and we just didn't see it. They did not charge us a fee when we apologized and told them we didn't see it.