Maybe not this company's fault, but I let my HOA Silverview Terrace, Invoice 25248) know that my…read morechimney was leaking, so they had ARS come take a look because they're contracted to do the association's roofs.
I didn't realize that chimney repairs weren't covered under the HOA, so when the ARS employees came and noticed an exposed opening at the top of the room, they repaired it with some stucco, which was about 2-3 hrs of work. My HOA then told me I was billed for around $1,000. I was shocked that the small exposed area costed so much, and it was also then that our HOA manager told us it was our responsibility to pay. Had I known this before, I would have tried to repair it with contractors elsewhere. I'm not saying they did a bad job, I just had no idea a roughly 1ftx1ft area of repair was going to be $1,000, and that we had to cover it. It was my ignorance as the HOA manager then pulled up the HOA handbook to say that only roofing , and not chimney repairs, were covered. I felt pretty stupid, but I figured (again my ignorance) that if my HOA elected to assist in scheduling ARS to come take a look, that it would at least be partially paid for.
I tried to at least ask my HOA manager to reach out to ARS to get an itemized bill to detail what exactly costed $1,000 for the few hrs of work, and they agreed, but I never heard back from them. Next thing I know, I see the $1,000 cost added to my monthly HOA fees, with a $20 late fee added on top of it. Like I said, at the end of the day it was probably my fault, and I will make sure what the HOA covers next time. I just wish my HOA manager actually followed through on my request before simply adding the bill to my monthly fees. They said they would be talking to ARS the day they agreed too. I assume they probably thought I was being unreasonable. I'm honestly not the kind of person to complain or write these kinds of reviews, but I guess I'll just be more aware next time. It's better to not authorize people to work on your house when it is through the HOA. The fees increase almost every year, but people in HOAs just have to realize the policies and not necessarily believe the HOA is looking out for your best interest financially. Just how things go I suppose.