Sued by Homeowners' Association

[dancinfool]

What is the name of your state? Georgia

I own a townhouse and was just sued by my homeowners' association because I was unemployed and was not able to pay my association fees for several months. (I barely dodged foreclosure.) I recently found some work and can make payments, but cannot pay all that's owed at once. Once you've been served with the papers (have 30 days to respond), is it too late try to pay out what I owe in payments, or must this amount be paid in full? And now may I talk directly with the HOA's attorneys to resolve this, or do I have to hire a lawyer myself? What happens if I can't pay the full amount within the 30 days? Thank you.

[Some Random Guy]

Request a meeting with the HOA & their lawyer.

Tell them what you have told us. Make it clear that you intend to get caught up over the next 3-4 months - which will be quicker than the court process. Also, tell them if they try to get a judgment against you, they will never get any money since you have no equity and are just a step away from foreclosure.

Was this the first communication you have had with the HOA? What did you tell them when they contacted you about nonpayment before?

[dancinfool]

Ty, Some Random Guy!

They did contact me before, and I always told them about my lack of employment situation and explained that I was not planning on running away and that I would pay as soon as I could. I also told them that I was dealing with possible foreclosure, and that if I didn't have a place to stay I definitely would not be able to pay association fees.

I will admit that after they continued to call and try to push me into committing to payment arrangements that I kept telling them that I knew I would not be able to keep until I got the foreclosure threat taken care of, that after a while I stopped returning their calls. I know I shouldn't have done that, but they do tend to talk to you like scum sometimes.

Anyway, you've been very helpful. So it looks like there's a possibility that this can still be paid out? That's a relief. Anything else that you can recommend?

Thanks again!

[Some Random Guy]

So it looks like there's a possibility that this can still be paid out? That's a relief

That all depends on the HOA and how reasonable they are. But it would be best to agressively pursue a settlement since they will be suing you for the debt and the cost of collection, which is going up daily.

[dancinfool]

Thank you. Have a good day!