Hello, my name is Patsy Dishmon, and like countless others, I find myself being taken advantage of without anything I can do about it.  Homeowner Association Fees (HOA) at Sable Ridge Townhomes were a part of the contract where the homeowner's insurance was included in the quarterly payment of $650.  Now, Homeowner's insurance has been dropped by HOA and all homeowners have to obtain homeowner insurance on our own, which means we pay our own homeowner's insurance without a decrease in the HOA fee.  My home, our precious nest, feels more like a burden than the sanctuary it should be because an insurance policy was being taken care of and now it is the burden on the homeowner to get homeowner's insurance. This process is unacceptable and detrimental to the living conditions of homeowners like myself.

HOA fees are designed to fund repairs and improvements that benefit the community, but when these costs become unendurable, it forms a financial wall many homeowners cannot overcome. National data from the Foundation of Community Association Research reveals that the average HOA fee is $200 per month, with fees ranging from $100 to $700 per month, primarily depending on the location and size of the community (The Washington Post, 2015). However, there are cases like ours where fees are well beyond this range without justifiable why the fee remained the same when HOA was paying for insurance and now they do not.

This initiates a call to action. We urge lawmakers to look into the issue as to the fairness of the homeowner.  It is important to remember the very essence of HOA—to create a cohesive community rather than turning it into an unnecessary financial struggle. Let's not forget, our homes reflect our hard-earned achievements and they should not become a nightmare due to the weight of unjustifiably charges of the HOA fees.

Please sign this petition, asking lawmakers to step in and regulate these fees, thereby lessening the burden on homeowners and ensuring that HOA fees truly serve their community-building purposes.