US owners pay HOA fees despite eviction 5 years ago

More than five years after a fast-moving fire destroyed their condominiums, nearly a dozen Texas property owners are still paying hundreds of dollars in monthly HOA fees and special assessments on their uninhabitable units while rebuilding drags on. The blaze ignited in March 2021 at Bayfront Towers, a 75-unit complex nestled in the Houston suburb of Nassau Bay, Texas, Realtor reports. According to ABC13, officials ruled the fire accidental after determining that it originated on a top-floor balcony, yet no specific cause was ever identified. By the time firefighters extinguished the flames, 11 condos lay in ruins and 26 were left with smoke and water damage requiring remediation. Sarah Arends’ first-floor unit, which she purchased three years earlier for her retirement, was among the 11 that were destroyed in the fire. Despite being unable to live in her condo, Arends has been paying close to $US800 ($A1,100) a month in HOA fees to manage and maintain shared community spaces, totalling $US10,000 ($A14,000) a year. Speaking to Fox 26 Houston in August, Arends revealed that she was also hit with $US38,000 ($A53,000) in special assessments imposed by the board to finance the reconstr...