abc13.com: Grandmother nearly lost home to HOA fees in ‘misunderstanding’

By Jeff Ehling — January 17, 2014

HOUSTON (KTRK) — Depending on where you live, homeowners association dues may be on your list of yearly expenses. If you’re late, or don’t pay them, you could face heavy fines. That’s what happened to one local grandmother whose late fees turned into bigger problems. Those HOA fees almost cost this grandmother of 10 her home. When Sharon Dockery was diagnosed with liver cancer, the late fees on her HOA bill were the least of her worries. “I had paid my fees, and then they start, they’re called chargeback onto my account,” said Dockery.Dockery says she did pay the bill, but didn’t realize she was $41 short. So the late fees built up and up. “They chargeback $8 here, $15 there,” said Dockery. She tells us she didn’t understand what the chargeback fees were, because she paid her assessment fee. And when Dockery called the Southwest Crossing Homeowners Association to find out… “They said they turned it over to the attorney,” said Dockery.  Read more: