Efforts by homeowners and condominium associations to collect overdue charges through property liens increased in 2025, and no state contributed more of those cases than Florida.
Florida recorded 49,447 such filings, meaning more than one out of every six HOA or condo-association liens nationwide came from the state.
Here's what to know
A lien is a legal claim attached to a property when money is owed, and it can lead to further action if that debt goes unpaid. In this case, the debt often stems from unpaid dues or special assessments owed to a homeowners or condo association.
USA Today reported that HOA lien filings across the U.S. reached 284,933 in 2025, up 8.5% from 2024's 262,461 and nearly double the 157,512 recorded in 2021.
Florida led the nation, followed by Texas with 37,506 filings and California with 22,602.
Brian Fox, vice president at real estate data analytics firm Benutech Inc., told the outlet that Florida leads the country because it has an unusually high concentration of HOAs and condo associations, along with "skyrocketing insurance costs" and updated safety mandates after the collapse of a 12-story condominium building in Surfside, Florida, that killed 98 people in 2021.
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More background
Owners are facing higher insurance bills, rising maintenance costs, and repairs that have been delayed for years.
The collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside reshaped Florida's condo landscape. In response, state lawmakers required structural inspections and full reserve funding for buildings at least three stories tall and within 10 miles of the ocean.
Those changes were meant to improve safety, but they also made long-hidden costs much harder to put off.
Bill Hughes, a professor at the University of Florida who also serves in an applied-research role at the UF Kelley A. Bergstrom Real Estate Center, said the new laws mainly bring forward costs that owners had long deferred rather than independently raising the price of condo living.
He said many owners are "being sandwiched between two funding requirements, neither of which was anticipated at purchase."
What can be done?
Attorneys interviewed for the story also said that simply refusing to pay can make a dispute even harder to resolve.
As Fox also mentioned, "Associations don't have the option to run at a loss."
The issue also ties into a broader frustration many homeowners have with HOAs. Around the country, some associations have drawn criticism for blocking money-saving home improvements such as rooftop solar panels or native-plant lawns.
Homeowners looking to push for fairer rules or challenge restrictive bylaws can start by learning more about working with HOAs.
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