GREENSBORO, N.C. — James Joyce walks out of his condominium, strolls across the parking lot, and shows us where he parks. The asphalt has eroded in several areas. Joyce brushes his foot on the ground, and you can see tiny pieces of gravel and sand pop up.
“Out there where I park my truck there isn’t (any) pavement, when rains it's mud,” Joyce said.
The asphalt parking lot is cracked in several sections, potholes are popping up all over and many of the parking lot lines are faded to the point it’s tough to tell where to park.
“It’s bad, it’s deteriorating, pebbles pop up, it needs repaving big time,” Jennifer Dorsett said.
Joyce has lived at the complex for 37 years, he tells WFMY News 2, that he has never seen the complex look this bad.
“I don’t know what we are paying for, because like I said, we don’t have a pool, there’s no tennis court,” Joyce said.
To be clear the complex does have a pool and a tennis court, but neither are operational. The tennis court doesn’t have a net up and the surface has grass growing through several cracks.
Dorsett tells us she has lived in the complex for about three years and the pool has never been open.
The gates are locked with a chain and the main pool is covered with a tarp. A brown swampy-looking water from recent rains sits on top of the tarp. The jacuzzi isn’t covered and the water inside is that same brown swampy color.
“It’s disgusting,” Dorsett said.
Earlier this year Dorsett, Joyce, and some other residents complained about the conditions of the complex and wanted to know where the monthly HOA fees were going and why there doesn’t seem to be enough money to make some of these repairs.
The HOA provided a balance sheet that showed the money being spent and the amount in the budget.
In February the complex had about $25,000 in its account. Monthly fees are around $240 and there are approximately 250 units.
The monthly fees should generate around $60,000 if all the homeowners pay.
“I don’t see where that money is going I really don’t,” Joyce said.
The HOA board has recently paid to have the siding on several of the units replaced and painted. The complex has also made some smaller repairs to individual units.
Joyce and Dorsett are confused about why the account had only $25,000 in it.
The bigger issue moving forward is what happens if major expenses like roofs needing repairs start popping up.
When WFMY News 2 reached out to the management company, an attorney called us back. We asked about the seemingly small amount of funds in the account and what the plan is moving forward to repair the parking lot, the tennis courts, and the pool.
We were sent an email summarizing the situation and were told when the funds were available those items would be repaired. As for why the account seems so low on funds we were told that the board carefully weighs the competing need to fund repairs with the economic realities of the owner. The association has been careful to avoid large assessment increases and special assessments which will impose a significant burden on homeowners.
We were also told that if the homeowners have any issues with how the board or management company operates, they could run for a board seat themselves.
The concern for Joyce and Dorsett is that the complex needs repairs and apparently there isn’t enough money to make those repairs. Neither is looking to sell and move right now but the needed repairs would almost certainly impact the sale price.
The value of the units is not nearly as high as it would be if the parking lot was in good condition and the complex had a usable pool and tennis court.
“It’s always we don’t have the money, we don’t have money, and you’re just sitting there perplexed,” Dorsett said.
Unfortunately for Joyce and Dorsett, there is little they can do unless they want to run for a seat on the board. While neither want to see their monthly fees go up at this point that might be one of just a few options if they want those repairs done sooner rather than later.
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