‘Quite literally unfathomable’: Condo owner says HOA voted to use new legal loophole to charge everyone $11,000

An Orlando, Florida, woman is concerned she'll lose the condo she worked so hard to buy thanks to the homeowners association (HOA) for her property calling for exorbitant payments to make up for a shortfall and a threefold increase in monthly fees.

The alarming nine-minute video comes from creator Britney Brawdy (@britbbooks), whose plea posted to TikTok on Sunday has drawn more than 930,000 views as of publication.

The details she gives correspond with a ClickOrlando story published on Friday. As the lede of that story revealed, "Residents of Regency Gardens Condominiums are worried they'll either lose or have to sell their properties after a recent notice revealing a shortfall of over $17 million in the condominium association's reserves. The announcement, coupled with looming assessments, has left many feeling blindsided and financially vulnerable."

The story notes that a new state law "now mandates that condo boards have fully funded reserves by Dec. 31 to cover maintenance, inspections, and potential repairs," following the tragic Surfside condo collapse in June 2021.

"On April 23, that's when we were provided a letter in the mail that literally pretty much has changed all of our lives and will change all of our lives if it actually passes," Brawdy said. The board of directors for the condo complex has reportedly already raised monthly HOA fees recently; Brawdy reports her free jumped from $414 a month to $651 a month. Brawdy said the measure the board will vote on May 15 asks for an exorbitant amount of money to be paid in a laughable amount of time.

"First, there will be a special assessment fee, which will help to begin to fully fund our reserves," she shared. "And this fee would range from $11,148 to $22,104. My 810 square foot unit home would be assessed at $15,569 … 50 percent of this would be due June 30, and the other 50 percent would be due July 31."

And then, "They also would be raising our monthly HOA dues, effective June 1. These dues would range from $1,486 to $2,590. For my specific unit, 810 square feet, I would go from paying $651 a month to $1,824 a month, and this is effective June 1."

She stated the obvious in reaction: "Obviously, this is distressing in and of itself because who has thousands of dollars lying around to be due in literally two months? Like, I don't know where I personally would come up with the money. I have a full-time job. I work 40 hours a week, but I do not make enough money to have that much money saved up."

Why does the HOA need the money so soon?

In the ClickOrlando story, attorney Keith Skorewicz, representing the HOA, said the fees are being demanded for safety reasons, stating, "The Unit Owners have enjoyed artificially low assessments for years because the law permitted waiver of saving such funds for a rainy day. The rainy day is here."

Skorewicz, speaking to the Daily Dot, said that while he's personally sympathetic to the plight of the homeowners, "The answer to this lies in Tallahassee," referring to the state capital, where the law requiring reserves was created.

"The board would like to roll this out at [a] slower rate, but they can't," he added, citing the coming hurricane season ahead of the Dec. 31 deadline the law specifies.

@britbbooks I’m really hoping this ends up reaching people for not only help but awareness that this is taking place here in Orlando, FL. Several owners have been reaching out to local officals as well but I want to do anything I can to help save mine and my neighbors homes. #foryou #realestatetiktok #lawyersoftiktok #please #help ♬ original sound - britbbooks

What is Brawdy going to do?

Brawdy told the Daily Dot, "I made the video in a very vulnerable state and was hoping in some way to provide additional support to myself and my community. I have received some great insight from people, and reading other's stories has been very heartbreaking to me. I just hope that my story can raise awareness on this issue happening and that there can be a positive outcome for all of the individuals involved in this."

She added, "Since the assessments and dues are not being voted on by the owners, I anticipate the Board of Directors voting in favor of the increases. They have not provided any other options for payment other than the lump sum amount for special assessments and increased monthly HOA dues."

She also assessed, "It doesn't seem like there are many options to fight this, so I will probably be forced to sell. I anticipate the sale being much less than market value."

Viewers suspect something shady

Certainly, this isn't the first time people have felt like their properties' HOAs are overreaching, as an archive of Daily Dot stories will attest. However, Brawdy's situation appears to be an especially alarming case that a number of commenters to the TikTok video reacted to.

"Sounds like someone in the board is a property developer and they are pricing you out of your units to convert to apartments," one said.

Another agreed, adding, "This is it. Once this passes and people can't pay, look for the board to offer to buy you out."

The Daily Dot has reached out to Regency Gardens Condominiums via email.

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