HOA Fee help needed... (Eden: credit, townhome, neighborhood)

[U120]

Originally Posted by CharlotteAgent

Who is on your HOA? Is it the builder still or the homeowners? Your property management company takes the orders from these guys.

It not the builder, Its a company called Pappas Properties

[CharlotteAgent]

No what I am asking is has the developer handed over the HOA to the residents? If so these are the people that your neighbors elected to do the dirty work for you. They should be telling the Property Management company what they should do. If its the builder then basically you need to go to them with your concerns and tell them to talk to the Lawn company etc about the sprinklers etc.

[U120]

Oh sorry, being that we only have 8 homes occupied, the HOA is in control by Pappas Properties. I assume they do all the managing of utilities for our common areas. Until 75% of the development is occupied they tell us we cant really control the HOA.

Regardless, it is clearly stated in out D of CCRs that the HOA fees cannot exceed $500 per lot annually. They billed me $850 and the other 7 here $850, and sent some outrageous budget with nice large rounded out numbers.

I wonder what a violation of Declaration by Mgt Group is punished by?

[CharlotteAgent]

Actually they just pay the bills on behalf of the developer/builder. I would go to them with your concerns.

[DUKE1989]

It is my understatnding the management of developments can also be boughtout and rate can be changed by the new managers as they see fit. I saw an article on this sometime ago where this was becoming a trend throughout the US. I will try to post a link later. I hate it as I own some property in that is managed under a HOA.

[U120]

Thanks Duke, much appreciated

[Sammy68]

My question is: Do we have to pay dues if we have not received a budget yet?

[Tober138]

Originally Posted by ssdei38

I don't know if all HOA's are so strict, but everything I've heard about them has made me avoid them like the plague....

That's probably because, as with most things, you're going to hear more about the bad than the good. Its like on this forum, if people are having HOA issues, they post about them here. But its a lot less likely for someone to start a thread saying, "I like my HOA".

[Tober138]

Originally Posted by Sammy68

My question is: Do we have to pay dues if we have not received a budget yet?

Once you have signed your contract and bought the house - yes if there are HOA dues you need to pay them. Although I agree you should ask for a copy of their current budget and one should be provided. We have only been in our house for 6 months, but my prior experience (in my old house) was that once a year we would get a copy of the new annual budget, along with a notice of any change (increase in fees). In my old house, they went up one year out of three.

Just since everyone else is talking numbers:

Our HOA fee is $150 per month.

We do have a pool (although you people have small community pools down here I am finding out - does anyone have a pool you can actually do laps in??)
Our fee also covers:
- Landscaping
- Lighting
- All of the common area maintenance
- Water and sewer (we do not have to pay a water bill)
- Trash collection
- Common exterior insurance (we are a townhouse community).

I don't see the fee as excessive, but then, maybe I'm still in that "northeast" mentality where everything still seems less expensive to me down here.

[Mike409]

I would bet the property manager is hoping there will be little to no complaints of the increase in HOA fee. They are looking to get away with it.

Have a get together with all the current residence, hire a Lawyer and send the management company notice that the residence will not stand for such a large increase in the HOA fee.

That is real aggravating