We were evacuated from our apartment because it is about to collapse – HOA still charges $550 in fees, this is ‘dehumanizing’
A COUPLE had to pay their HOA fees even though their house was falling apart.
Ted Victor and his family, like many others, will be forced to leave their Florida home due to unsafe conditions, yet their HOA still expects its residents to pay their monthly dues.
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Pembroke Pines code inspectors have forced many residents of the Heron Pond Condominium to evacuate due to dangerous structural problems.
Residents of the complex are in a bind as they do not know when they will be able to return home and have not been granted an exemption from their homeowner fees.
“It’s demoralizing,” Victor said local CBS affiliate WFOR-TV.
“It’s very, very sad.”
Victor and his family have lived in the complex for 17 years. He explained that they recognized the problems before the notices were made and had been complaining about the deteriorating building for years.
“The hardest part about total transparency is seeing my wife cry about it at night because she’s worried about finances,” Victor said.
The couple has two children and, despite the impending evacuation, have to pay $550 a month for a house they could not live in.
The struggling father and other residents never imagined it could come to this.
“I really, really believed that someone, maybe management, would be responsible for this,” he said.
While no one knows how long the repairs will take, Victor admitted his family can’t afford to stay away from home for too long.
“They say it could take six months or a year,” Victor said. “I’m not necessarily sure we can survive this.”
In order to support his family, he wants to take a night job in addition to his job as a teacher.
“I don’t think that’s fair and I don’t think that’s right,” he said.
“Someone should have to take responsibility for this. We were never careless. We are hardworking people and should be able to stay safely in our homes.”
“Everyone is afraid of a repeat [the] Surf site [building collapse]. I understand that. But whoever is responsible for the negligence should be able to take responsibility for the situation.”
Property manager Laura Serrano claimed she was working with an engineer to get everything sorted.
However, she insisted to the news channel that it is imperative that homeowners continue to pay their dues to maintain the complex.
The US Sun has reached out to Laura Serrano for comment.
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