Add The New York Post on Google Talk about getting burned twice.
Nearly a dozen Texas condo owners whose homes were destroyed in a massive fire more than five years ago are still shelling out hundreds of dollars every month in homeowners association fees — even though their units have yet to be rebuilt.
Eleven owners at Bayfront Towers, a waterfront condominium complex in Nassau Bay outside Houston, have been displaced since a March 29, 2021 blaze reduced their units to rubble, Houston Chronicle reported. Another 26 units suffered heavy smoke and water damage. No one was injured.
But the HOA bills never stopped, despite the tragedy.
Resident Sarah Arends, whose first-floor corner condo was among those destroyed, is still paying $767 a month in association fees — nearly $10,000 a year — for a home that no longer exists.
Arends told the Chronicle that continuing to pay the fees while having no idea when she can return is “absolutely preposterous.”
Another displaced owner, May-Ying Lam, has paid just under $50,000 in association fees since the fire. Lam described paying for a “nonexistent apartment” as “unconscionable.”
And those monthly charges aren’t the only expense.
After insurance proceeds and reserve funds proved insufficient to complete the reconstruction, the Bayfront Condominium Association levied three special assessments totaling $38,249 per unit, raising more than $2.8 million from the complex’s owners, according to the Chronicle.
The rebuilding process has dragged on for years. The association has worked with at least four contractors and consultants, while its current contractor, Sunrise Certified Services, has missed six promised deadlines over two years, residents told the outlet. Sunrise did not respond to the Chronicle’s requests for comment.
The association maintains that even owners who cannot occupy their homes remain responsible for their share of the property’s expenses.
Gwen Curlee, treasurer of the Bayfront Condominium Association, said maintenance and insurance costs have continued — and risen — since the fire. The association’s bylaws also contain no provision allowing it to suspend fees following a disaster, per Chronicle.
The saga has left some displaced owners ready to cut their losses.
Arends said she plans to sell once her unit is finally completed and receives a certificate of occupancy. Two of the 11 destroyed units have already been listed for sale, including one asking $200,000 — more than $50,000 below its appraised market value.
The ordeal comes in a metro where association living is particularly widespread. Roughly 55% of Houston-area housing units are governed by an HOA, according to Census data cited by the Chronicle — nearly 1 million homes, the most of any US metro.
Meanwhile, the 11 Bayfront owners are still waiting for the homes they lost in 2021 to rise again.
