Can A Homeowners Association Take Your House ?

Definition of "Can a homeowners association take your house ?"

Angelica Vazquez real estate agent

Written by

Angelica Vazquezelite badge icon

Ez Choice Realty

Falling behind on your payments is a significant issue for many homeowners. Not every unpaid bill leads to foreclosure, especially if there is no lien on your house. If you have a mortgage on your home, that is usually your first lien, but did you know that a Homeowners association (HOA) can put a lien on your house too? So what happens if you don’t pay your fees to the HOA? Can they take your home? Let’s find out!

The short answer is, yes. The Homeowners association can take your house if you miss your payments and there is a lien on your home. An HOA can foreclose its lien if the conditions, covenants, and restrictions (CC&Rs) allow it to do so, and they typically do. The fees owed to the HOA usually cover several services such as insurance, lawn care, pest control, amenities, maintenance, and many others. If you check the HOA’s rules and regulations, you can become familiar with HOA fees and know what kind of services to expect your monthly dues to cover.

Typically, if you miss one payment, you will be notified by the HOA that you have an outstanding debt. It is most likely that they will make you aware of missed payment consequences, such as being charged interest until you pay or incur a late fee. If you remain delinquent or fail to make payments regularly, they might warn you of legal actions that will be taken against you. But how much power does an HOA have? Can they go as far as to foreclose and take your home?

They definitely can process a foreclose and take your home. When can they take your house, or how far can you go without paying your bills? That depends on the state regulations. Some states have more restrictions as to when an HOA can initiate a foreclosure. In contrast, others don’t have any restrictions, and the homeowners association can foreclose on a home for as much as a few hundred dollars. Do check with your local real estate agents if you want to learn more about HOA’s near you.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Questions

Popular Real Estate Glossary Terms

(1) Temporary and symbolic payment showing good faith and obligating two or more individuals until a final transaction takes place. The binder is typically returned if the final agreement ...

A cooperating broker or agent defines a real estate broker who helps another broker in a private property transaction. Typically, the cooperating broker represents the seller and is ...

A legally transferable debt instrument by which the issuer agrees to pay the payee within a certain time period. Note usually pay a specified rate of interest tied to the market rate of ...

(1) Type of loan where the final payment is substantially greater than the previous payments; also termed partially amortized loan. A debt agreement might stipulate a balloon payment when ...

Earthquake insurance is the type of insurance policy that specifically covers damages to your real estate caused by seismic activities. It can refer both to the rare coverage against ...

Latin: now for then. Descriptive of actions which are performed after a deadline has elapsed, but retroactively have the same effect as if they were carried out in a timely manner. For ...

(1) Methods that involve discounting the future cash flows generated by an income property. These techniques are used primarily for valuation. (2) Methods of selecting and ranking ...

Approach to appraise rental property based on anticipated future earnings to be derived from it plus the estimated selling price at the end of he period held. ...

Landowner's legal right to the water found on his property. For example, there might be a stream of water adjacent to the land. The water might be used for irrigation or other purposes. ...