Glossary
What is an assessment?
The owner's share of the association's budget, charged on a schedule. Dues is the everyday word; assessment is the one in the declaration and the statute.
Also called HOA dues, regular assessment, common expense assessment.
In Havn
Enter the annual budget and Havn computes dues per unit per period, posts them on schedule, and sends statements and payment coupons.
Dues, autopay, and statementsEach year the board adopts a budget for operating costs and reserve contributions. The total is divided among the homes, equally or by each unit's allocated interest, and billed monthly, quarterly, or annually. That charge is the regular assessment.
The obligation to pay comes from the declaration, which also gives the association a lien on the home for what goes unpaid. Late fees, interest, and collection costs are added as the governing documents and state law allow.
Keep Reading
Guides
- HOA Special Assessment RulesA special assessment is the charge nobody budgeted for.
- How to Create an HOA BudgetAn association budget is a short document with one hard number at the end: the assessment per home.
- HOA Online Payments: Fees, Autopay, and SetupOnline payments cut late dues more than any letter.
Templates
- HOA Dues Increase and Special Assessment Notice TemplateA free HOA letter template for a dues increase or a special assessment: the new amount and when it starts, why, the payment schedule, how to pay, and where to ask questions.
- HOA Welcome Letter TemplateA free HOA welcome letter template for new owners: who runs the community, how dues work and how to pay, the rules that matter most, and how to reach the board or the office.
Laws and Documents
- HOA laws by stateEvery state's association statutes and resale rules on one map.
- HOA letter templatesFree notices, ballots, and letters a board can copy and send.
See how Havn handles it with your own community.
HOA management software with a homeowner portal owners actually use. Resale documents are included; the requester pays for each one.