B.O. from Fairfield County writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
What is the maximum months of common fees an association can collect in a bank foreclosure? What is the maximum an association can collect when they foreclose?
Mister Condo replies:
B.O., the answer is not as clear as you might expect. The actions taken by the association in advance of the foreclosure can have an effect on the outcome. For that reason alone, many associations turn to either a collections expert or an attorney for assistance in collecting as much as they possibly can. The other variable is the ability of the owner being foreclosed upon to pay. If they file a bankruptcy at the right time, the debt to the association may also be included in the discharge of debt, leaving the association with a claim for which they cannot collect. In Connecticut, there are various liens and lien procedure that seem to have the best yield. There is an evergreen lien that, in theory, ensures the association will collect ALL of the past due fees when the unit is finally sold or auctioned off at foreclosure. This type of lien is filed repeatedly until the unit is liquidated. A more common lien is a 6-month lien. Filed once, the association collects up to 6 months of owed fees and reasonable collection costs. This is quite common when a mortgage holder is involved in initiating the foreclosure action and the association “goes along” with the bank. The bottom line is that banks typically initiate foreclosure far more often than associations do. However, that is not always the case and in a soft real estate market, the bank has little incentive to take over the unit (and the common fee payments and liability of owning the unit) and the association needs to think creatively before foreclosing and finding there is little or no money left for them when the foreclosure is over. I think the best policy is to work with a collection professional or association attorney to make sure the association is doing all that it can to protect itself from the loss of income. The good news is that the vast majority of unit owners pay their fees on time and that the drastic measure of foreclosure only surfaces when all else has failed. All the best!