A SINGLE mom has been left battling her homeowners association as she fears the monthly fee might force her out of her home.
Families who once paid $20 fees have been devastated to learn they now might be forking over up to $300 a month.
Homeowners in Kearns, Utah, will soon be forced to pay $300 a month in HOA finesCredit: KUTV
A single mom who lives in the neighborhood has shared her fears that she’ll be forced out of her house because of the price hikeCredit: KUTV
The homeowners were first offered low-income housing through a Habitat for Humanity program that offered 18 families cheap homes.
The program started in 2015 when Salt Lake Valley Habitat for Humanity acquired a two-acre parcel of land in Kearns, just 12 miles outside of Salt Lake City, Utah.
The nonprofit organization set out to create new opportunities for families to own homes at an affordable price.
Now, families in Kearns’ Field of Dreams neighborhood are outraged after they received letters in the mail warning of the price increase.
A single mom of two kids said the recent 100% jump in fines made residents “frantic,” according to CBS affiliate KUTV.
“It’s stressful as a single mother of two kids trying to finish school, it’s hard,” she said.
However, Habitat for Humanity told The U.S. Sun that the management fees are increasing from $10 a month to $20 per household in November.
The organization said homeowners will be determining contracts for shared space maintenance, which are expected to fall between $115 and $150 per home.
“We’re proud to support the families as they step into empowered homeownership, and we’re inspired by the growing sense of community at Field of Dreams,” said CEO Carin Crowe.
The mom, who wished to remain unnamed, said she wasn’t sure what the costs could be for.
HOA fees typically pay for the upkeep of common areas including landscaping and pool maintenance.
“That is mindblowing because we don’t own a pool,” the mom said.
“The grass has died twice.”
However, Habitat for Humanity told The U.S. Sun the costs would include landscaping, snow removal, trash service, and other maintenance for common areas.
The mom told KUTV the letter said homes in the neihgborhood required $350 monthly management fees each.
The HOA also wrote there was a $50 software fee, which would bring each home’s charge to $400 a month.
“What are we to do?” the mom asked KUTV.
“Tell our families they can’t eat this month because we have to pay an extra $200 to the rent?”
She added, “With how they’re running things, we’re not going to be able to afford this. Nobody is.”
The Field of Dreams neighborhood was designed to conserve energy to lower the residents’ utility bills, NBC affiliate KSL reported in March 2024.
Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Ed Blake said at the time that the neighborhood was set up to encourage community between the homeowners.
When homeowners first received their keys, they received a 30-year interest-free mortgage.
Now, it’s unclear if all residents will continue to be able to afford their homes.
The single mom shared her confusion over why the HOA fines were collectedCredit: KUTV
The residents received warning of their increased fines in the mailCredit: KUTV
