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Who pays for damage when you’re in a homeowners association?

| Apr 4, 2019 | Condo, Townhome & HOA Disputes |

There will likely come a time when your condo is vacant. Perhaps you’ll be traveling for work, or you plan to go away for a month on vacation. Whatever the reason is, if your condo is going to be vacant, you should understand what happens if there is damage caused to your home.

In homeowners associations (HOAs), there are usually certain repairs that are the responsibility of the HOA, while homeowners are responsible for others. In general, the HOA pays the bills for repairs to the outside of buildings. Some will pay for roofing, others will pay for pipelines. Items inside the home, such as your personal belongings, usually fall under your own insurance policy.

A good example of this might be if your home is flooded because of work being done to the pipes. If the HOA causes the damage directly or knows that there is damage to the pipe and does nothing to correct it, then it would likely be responsible for footing the bill. On the other hand, if no negligence took place, and recklessness didn’t lead to damages, then you’ll likely have to pay for any repairs or replacements that aren’t covered by your insurance or the HOA’s insurance policies.

It can be hard to tell what is or is not paid by the association, so it’s a good idea to get it on paper and to have your attorney review what the HOA will and will not cover. That way, you’ll never be surprised by bills that you receive for damage to your home or the surrounding area.