One woman in Georgia's DeKalb County said her condo's homeowners association neglected to send her water bills for months and she ended up with a shockingly high bill.
According to WSB-TV 2 in Atlanta, Cynthia Brentley was astonished when she received a water bill for almost $3,000. She told the news outlet that she hadn't received any water bills for around five months before one came in October. It showed she'd used over 100,000 gallons of water.
Brentley said there was a plumbing issue in her building that the HOA wouldn't let her address. She hired a plumber who found red clay backing up her water system, creating a toilet leak. The plumber said the issue could have begun when the HOA changed the property's water meters.
To investigate the source of the clay, the plumber needed access to the property's water closet. The HOA said the utility company must authorize access, but the utility company said the HOA can grant access, according to WSB-TV.
Plumbing issues can result in hefty water bills, but a property owner can usually address them on their own. In this case, the HOA seemed to be making it difficult for Brentley and her plumber to remedy the problem.
She explained that she lives on a fixed income and the surprise charge was too much for her to pay.
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"If I had known ahead of time, we could have had the plumber out before then," she told WSB-TV.
Brentley added, "I'm just asking them to credit the bill."
The HOA's confusing behavior may cost Brentley thousands of dollars, in addition to wasting enormous amounts of water and creating a safety hazard. Unfortunately, many other people have suffered similar problems.
One homeowner was shocked when their HOA sent them a $4,000 bill for repairing a leak on common property. Another condo owner sought advice when their water bills doubled because the HOA neglected to fix a leaky pipe.
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$200 or more 💰 Brentley was at a loss.
"All I know is I need somebody to come in to assess it to see if there's a problem," she said. "And they won't let me."
A couple of people commented on the story.
"[HOAs] are legalized robbery," one wrote.
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