An 81-year-old California homeowner says she will be forced out of her longtime home after her condo association slapped each resident with a $26,000 emergency assessment — as furious neighbors fight back against the massive bill.
Owners at the 198-unit Vilamoura at Rancho San Clemente condominium complex were hit with the special assessment to fund a major roof replacement project, according to ABC7.
“Retired, single, what, lose my house? I wouldn’t qualify for a loan to refinance. So where do you go?” Beverly Albright told ABC7.
Albright, who lives on a fixed income, told the Los Angeles Times that her children have already had to help her financially and that she is considering borrowing money to cover the charge.
“I will have to move,” she told ABC7. “I’ve worked very hard to make it so that I could be here.”
Residents say they were given several ways to cough up the money: pay the more than $26,000 bill outright, split it into two payments or enter a payment plan that initially adds more than $2,000 to their monthly costs.
That comes on top of regular HOA dues, which resident Megan Blanda said already run more than $500 a month.
“They can’t throw a $26,000 bill at us because the roof has been neglected all these years,” Blanda, 42, told The Times.
The homeowners aren’t just fighting the price tag — they’re challenging the HOA’s decision to classify the work as an emergency.
Residents contend the roofs were a long-known maintenance issue and therefore should not qualify for an emergency assessment that can be imposed without a homeowner vote.
“It was not an emergency; it’s deferred maintenance,” homeowner Noah Martin told ABC7. “And so, then we as members should have a vote on how we want to take care of the roofs.”
Some residents also argue that the roofs are not currently leaking and say they want the association to seek multiple competitive bids before moving ahead with the project.
The HOA, however, maintains that replacing the roofs is necessary to prevent potentially severe damage.
James R. McCormick, an attorney representing the association, told The Times that an independent expert found deteriorated waterproofing and problems with the original tile installation and warned that delaying replacement could lead to serious interior damage.
McCormick acknowledged that roof maintenance “should have been planned for and performed in prior years,” but said the work now needs to be done.
The overall project is expected to cost a combined $5.2 million, including about $500,000 for fire-suppression system repairs.
Residents who fail to pay could face even bigger consequences. The association has sent lien notices warning delinquent homeowners that the process could ultimately lead to foreclosure.
Now a group of residents is attempting to recall members of the HOA board and take control of the association.
Blanda and other homeowners involved in the effort say they obtained an estimate for a temporary weatherproofing plan costing roughly $400 per owner, which they believe could protect the roofs through the winter while a longer-term replacement is planned.
The association disputes that delaying the full replacement is a viable solution.
“The unfortunate reality is that this recall process will not change the status of the roofs or otherwise obviate the need for immediate roof replacement,” McCormick said.
The San Clemente fight comes as steep special assessments become increasingly common at aging California condo developments, where associations are grappling with major maintenance bills, rising insurance costs and new safety requirements.
