When Your HOA Doubles Fees Overnight, Homeowners Deserve Answers

The Sticker Shock Nobody Saw Coming

You open your quarterly statement and nearly drop it. Your HOA fee didn’t go up ten percent or even twenty. It jumped more than a hundred percent overnight. No prior notice. No explanation. Just a new number staring back at you.

It feels outrageous because it is. Sudden increases shake trust in a board instantly. And when homeowners ask for reasons and get vague answers, you start wondering whether rules were broken.

What Florida Law Actually Says About Big Increases

Here’s the part that surprises a lot of people. Florida’s HOA Act does not include a rule limiting increases to five percent. That number gets repeated in communities all the time, but it simply isn’t in Chapter 720.

What the law does require is that the board adopts an annual budget and provides a copy or a notice that it is available. The statute does not cap percentage increases unless the HOA’s own documents do.

If your bylaws include limits that require a membership vote, then you may have grounds to challenge the increase. Homeowners can learn more about proper procedures by reviewing resources like HOA meeting requirements and annual meeting guidelines.

If the Board Won’t Explain the Increase, Here’s How You Find Out

While HOAs don’t have a formal inquiry process like condominiums, homeowners aren’t powerless. Most of the answers are in last year’s and this year’s budgets. A one hundred percent increase always shows up in the numbers.

Compare budget to budget. Look for jumps in landscaping, insurance, security, or new vendor line items. Once you spot where money is going, request to inspect the associated records such as contracts or proposals.

Understanding meeting documentation can help too. This guide on HOA meeting minutes explains what should be recorded and accessible.

What If the Board Voted Improperly?

If your governing documents require a membership vote for major increases and the board approved the budget without one, you may challenge the budget or even replace the board.

The first step is determining whether the majority of owners support the decision. If most people were blindsided, it’s often simpler to organize, recall the board, and adopt a new budget.

Guides like meeting notice rules and quorum requirements outline how votes must be handled properly.

The Most Likely Explanation: Deferred Maintenance

Nobody wants to hear it, but many communities wait too long on repairs. Roads, roofs, insurance, utilities, and landscaping can rise quietly until they hit all at once.

When long term planning is ignored, sudden increases happen. This is why capital improvement planning is essential.

Final Thoughts

An unexpected 110 percent increase without proper notice is more than a communication breakdown. It’s a transparency failure. Homeowners deserve clear explanations, accessible budgets, and boards that follow their own governing documents.

When something doesn’t add up, start with the documents, compare the numbers, and follow the paper trail. Big jumps always leave big clues.