True? HOA fees not paid @ Windsor Hills?

[snickerboo]

I've always used homeaway before but thought I'd try windsorhillsrent this time (if you use it be prepared for a full inbox!). A few of the homeowners are writing,

"IMPORTANT - Please Read Carefully
Please use caution with owners who are charging very little for thier units. Some owners are VERY far behind on the association dues and you will not be able to use the pool, clubhouse or the gated playground. You also may not have cable TV in your unit."

Has anyone found this to be true? Gotten to WH and couldn't use the ammenities because the homeowner hadn't paid their HOA fees?

 

[vicki_c]

I can't speak to WH specifically or rentals, but in my experience HOAs in Florida communities do not mess around with late payments. They can actually foreclose on your house if you don't pay in many (maybe all) HOA agreements. So it would not surprise me at all if you were prohibited from using the community's amenities if the homeowner is behind on their payments.

 

[sjanus]

I haven't heard of anyone on here reporting they have had the experience, but I do know that it is true. Not only of Windsor Hills, but many other HOA's following suit. There are owners out there not paying the high HOA fees and renting their homes at lower costs so the HOA's have to take action. If they are not paying their HOA's, they are not paying for the common areas, or their share of the upkeep of the common areas, therefore, they or any guests they have do not get the priviledge of using. Also the HOA at WH pays the Basic Cable, so their cable will be disconnected.

I can say that all the homes on www.windsorhillsbest.com have their HOA fees paid, as it is a condition of being on the site, and owners have to get verification from the HOA that they are paid up. This is the site that the Masters Association promotes as the owners site as all are verified owners and also a check that their taxes are paid up. There are also periodic checks on this.

I always like Home Away and VRBO, www.homeaway.com and www.vrbo.com too as they have a protection insurance for the guest, and also it is very expensive to advertise on these sites, so it kind of weeds people out if you know what I mean, especially those in bad financial shape.

Having said that, windsor hills rent, www.windsorhillsrent.com, has many great owners on it, but you do have to try to discriminate there. There are some "verified" there and what that means is they have shown the administrator a utility bill when placing the ad. It doesn't really tell you anything beyond that.

So it is not a common occurrence, but it could and does happen, so just be careful and interview the owner for sure before makling a choice in whatever resort you choose.

Sandy

 

[Brian Noble]

It's likely a mixture of truth and FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt). As I understand it, there are two schools of thought among owners on rentals at WH. One is: "lower the price to move it." The other is: "This is a top-notch resort and should command better rents." Naturally, the latter is not too fond of the former.

 

[sjanus]

It's likely a mixture of truth and FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt). As I understand it, there are two schools of thought among owners on rentals at WH. One is: "lower the price to move it." The other is: "This is a top-notch resort and should command better rents." Naturally, the latter is not too fond of the former.

Everything in my post is true, but you always have these two schools of thought in any business I'm sure. These owners that are denied use of the Clubhouse are not just a week late on their dues, etc., these are chronic cases, and some of them do end up in foreclosure.

Sandy

 

[Brian Noble]

I'm not disputing that it's true in some cases. But, the WHR owners are taking the opportunity to paint all "low-priced" rentals with the same broad brush.

It would be interesting to know whether the folks staffing the clubhouse at WH would tell you the status of any particular unit.

 

[4forMe]

I've always used homeaway before but thought I'd try windsorhillsrent this time (if you use it be prepared for a full inbox!). A few of the homeowners are writing,

"IMPORTANT - Please Read Carefully
Please use caution with owners who are charging very little for thier units. Some owners are VERY far behind on the association dues and you will not be able to use the pool, clubhouse or the gated playground. You also may not have cable TV in your unit."

Has anyone found this to be true? Gotten to WH and couldn't use the ammenities because the homeowner hadn't paid their HOA fees?

I wouldn't be surprised as it seems more and more homes are also going into foreclosure status. Also, someone could be paid up on their taxes but not paying the HOA fee.

If you're very worried about this, I would suggest going through a management company. They will not rent out units that are behing in HOA fees. If the owner does fall behind on a unit you rented out, I would think the management company would give you a different house/unit; whereas, if you rent privately, you're stuck with no services.

The only management companies I would recommend for Windsor Hills are:

www.floridasunvacationhomes.com
www.ovhfl.com
www.allstarvactionhomes.com

 

[sjanus]

I'm not disputing that it's true in some cases. But, the WHR owners are taking the opportunity to paint all "low-priced" rentals with the same broad brush.

It would be interesting to know whether the folks staffing the clubhouse at WH would tell you the status of any particular unit.

I know there are privacy laws with HOA's where they are not allowed to post this information. Even with the WH Best website, the owner has to get the letter from the HOA that they are paid up on the dues. I agree that it would be good if this information could be public knowledge. Inadvertently, you can find out for some through looking through the foreclosure records, which are public knowledge.

I don't think it is a common occurrence though, and just because someone gets a good deal doesn't mean the dues won't be paid up. I personally would go with my own intuition on this one and not worry too much about it. Should it happen, I definitely would be right on the phone with the owner or management company!

Sandy

 

[kaseymolly]

It's likely a mixture of truth and FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt). As I understand it, there are two schools of thought among owners on rentals at WH. One is: "lower the price to move it." The other is: "This is a top-notch resort and should command better rents." Naturally, the latter is not too fond of the former.

Actually there are three schools of thought at WH. The third one, which is a 'marketing tactic' used by unscrupulous rental agents and a certain owner who has been mentioned on Disboards a number of times is 'undercut everybody else drastically, ruin the community's reputation by attracting an undesirable element, push other owners into throwing in the towel because they can no longer cover their expenses (and HOA dues), and take what you can while the taking is still good'. Then move on to the next new community leaving the old one in a shambles.

In spite of the destructive business models that I see some owners using in their adverts, WH is still a top notch resort in my book but I fear that what happened to Rolling Hills and other area rental communities will eventually be the same end game here. I have been renting for years in the Kissimmee area and have seen the best communities turn into the worst. History tends to repeat itself.

 

[Brian Noble]

Except that if said owner really is renting below cost, s/he isn't exactly making it up in volume. The only way that works is if the owner plans to bankrupt the business entity holding the rental properties. And, even in Florida, where the State Criminal is "land speculator", you can only get away with that for so long before The Authorities get wise.

 

[crusoe2]

Actually there are three schools of thought at WH. The third one, which is a 'marketing tactic' used by unscrupulous rental agents and a certain owner who has been mentioned on Disboards a number of times is 'undercut everybody else drastically, ruin the community's reputation by attracting an undesirable element, push other owners into throwing in the towel because they can no longer cover their expenses (and HOA dues), and take what you can while the taking is still good'. Then move on to the next new community leaving the old one in a shambles.

In spite of the destructive business models that I see some owners using in their adverts, WH is still a top notch resort in my book but I fear that what happened to Rolling Hills and other area rental communities will eventually be the same end game here. I have been renting for years in the Kissimmee area and have seen the best communities turn into the worst. History tends to repeat itself.

I was just wondering if you could elaborate on this. I would have thought that buying into a community like WH would be such a huge investment that it would take years to start to see a significant profit. How would someone make a profit by ruining the community in which they themselves have invested so much money? Mind, I'm not questioning whether it's true or not. I just don't follow how that works.

 

[Luv2Roam]

Most likely the HOA has in their documents that owners not current on their dues cannot use community facilities.
I believe beginning last June FL laws also came up with HOAs can garnish income from owners who are delinquent on their dues. (Don't know the specifics on how this is done. But basically there have been too many owners changing and collecting rent, but not paying HOA dues.)
Our HOA follows both of these policies. And I think they are standard.
I guess the worrier in me would also be concerned the property will be foreclosed on before, or during my arrival.
I do know of a house in our subdivision being foreclosed on by our HOA. But that is the extreme last ditch chance to get money that is several years past due. And I think generally that is the case with HOAs.

 

[kaseymolly]

I was just wondering if you could elaborate on this. I would have thought that buying into a community like WH would be such a huge investment that it would take years to start to see a significant profit. How would someone make a profit by ruining the community in which they themselves have invested so much money? Mind, I'm not questioning whether it's true or not. I just don't follow how that works.

That's a good point. Personally I don't believe that these owners or agents care about anything long term including the property or the community itself. My opinion is that they are hit and runners ie make the quick score at minimal cash outflow and then get rid of the property and move on to the next new and desirable community. If and when one ever gets built in today's economy.

Marathon renting at well below average rates would generate a lot of quick income for the individual but I feel it totally detracts from the reputation of the community itself by attracting an undesirable element. Like you say, why would anyone who actually cares about their big investment deliberately try to run the community into the ground? This is like shooting oneself in the foot.

I was at Windsor Hills when a very large group of young people attending some kind of sporting event at Disney ran amok throughout the resort, causing issues. Throwing rocks, breaking windows, terrorizing young children. The pool had to be shut down and drained after one was seen allowing a child with a dirty diaper to go into the water. Who rented to these people? Obviously not an owner who cares.

Being just a guest looking from the outside, I can't elaborate as to why some owners and rental agents feel that they must practically give away a prime location property minutes away from WDW to entice someone to rent it. How does an owner offer a Windsor Hills condo for $199.00 a week and not go bankrupt? They certainly do it, the ads are all over the web.

It probably goes back to what this thread was all about in the beginning and that is they can't be paying their HOA fees and county or federal taxes to be able to charge rates like that. I always considered way below average rates to be a red flag to avoid. I don't mind paying a little more to get a place that is not a poorly maintained dump and so far my philosophy has worked well for me.

 

[MamaJessie]

Being just a guest looking from the outside, I can't elaborate as to why some owners and rental agents feel that they must practically give away a prime location property minutes away from WDW to entice someone to rent it. How does an owner offer a Windsor Hills condo for $199.00 a week and not go bankrupt? They certainly do it, the ads are all over the web.

The 199 weeks are advertised as last minute deals when condos are empty at the last minute.

I am renting a condo at a good price but the same condo is not always that price, it is just because it is off peak when I go.

I hope the owner is current on all fees though, that would be very disappointing

 

[dougsmom98]

Has anyone found this to be true? Gotten to WH and couldn't use the ammenities because the homeowner hadn't paid their HOA fees?

This happened to me, but not at WH. Three years ago we rented a beautiful home in the Solana Resort and the HOA turned off our owner's cable bill. We couldn't get the cable turned on for 4 full days. It was very disappointing.