Many people live in a homeowners association. When living in a homeowners association, they would likely need to follow a set of rules or conditions as instructed by the homeowner. If you are familiar with how a homeowners association works, you would know those specific fees are needed to be paid.
If you face difficulties in dealing with HOA fees or dues, you could contact gilbert az hoa management as they could assist throughout the process. While some of you might be familiar with living in HOA, there are chances that you might be confused with HOA assessment and fees. It would benefit you to learn the differences as they are significant.
What is HOA Assessment?
Before becoming familiar with the differences, it is essential to know what exactly HOA assessments are. HOA assessments are also addressed as special assessments. HOA assessments are a fee charged by the homeowners to the community members. The fees are collected to compensate for unexpected or unbudgeted costs.
Let us take an example to get a precise idea of what precisely an HOA assessment is. Let us assume a disaster occurs in your homeowners’ association. The disaster might result in severe damages. You would likely rely on insurance instantly. However, if your insurance lacks coverage for the disaster, you will need to turn to the homeowners association. As a result, you will be required to charge homeowners a special HOA assessment.
What are HOA dues?
HOA dues are generally monthly fees homeowners pay to the association. The monthly payment is paid to cover or compensate for the day-to-day operations. For instance, HOA dues might include maintenance expenses, landscaping expenses, management fees, insurance premiums, etc.
You should also know that a part of the monthly dues goes to an association’s reserve fund. The HOA might maintain these funds to pay for future damages, significant repairs, replacements of common elements, and a lot more.
Difference between both terms:
HOA dues are a recurring fee to pay for the day-to-day expenses of the HOA. On the contrary, HOA assessments are a one-time fee. The one-time fee generally covers the cost of unexpected expenses. The calculation for HOA dues occurs before the beginning of each year.
The calculation for HOA dues consists of expense projections and accounting for reserves. HOA assessments are calculated only when there is a need for the latter. You must know that HOA assessments and HOA fees are both calculated by the HOA board.
