Real Estate Q&A – Collecting Homeowner Association Dues

RISMEDIA, July 6, 2009-(MCT)-Q. I belong to a homeowners association. We have a difficult time collecting the Dues from some homeowners. What would you suggest? We file liens after giving them ample warnings, but we can collect only when and if they sell their house. We thought about denying them privileges of swimming and tennis court use, but we would have to have someone enforcing them. Thanks for your thoughts.

A. Denying privileges is a good idea, as would be denying them other things, like their ability to rent the unit. The latter measure was used on a Florida condo owner who wrote to me recently. The writer didn’t like that at all. Denying use of the swimming pool and tennis courts seems more in line with the reasons unit owners pay dues.

Dr. Charles Carter is an assistant professor of real estate in the Barry Kaye College of Business at Florida Atlantic University. His areas of expertise include urban economics, mortgage-backed securities, appraisal methodology, and law and economics.

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