HOA & Late fees

[PotRoastMan]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Minnesota

I live in an HOA with an annual payment of $100.
When we moved in, we had no contact from the HOA, so I didn't know where to send any payments, nor did I know when they were due, no idea who the board members are, etc.

About 1.5 years passed, and we got a rude letter in the mail, with a bill for $280 (not itemized, just one line with "HOA Dues" as a description). I paid $200, which is what I think I owe for 2008 and 2009, and I asked for an explanation of the aditional amount.

They have cashed my check, but have not replied to my letter and it has been about 4 months.

So, two questions.
Is it my responsibility to follow up again, or does "no news is good news" apply?

Since I had no address, no contact, no bill, no board member information, can they charge me late fees? I reviewed the governing documentation, and there is no address, no $ amount due mentioned. It does state that dues are due monthly, but the HOA letter said they were due annually.

In their defence, I could have asked a neighbor. But I just assumed I would receive a bill eventually. And I certainly did!

Thank you.

 

[Some Random Guy]

As you already discovered, you are not going to get this problem to go away by pretending that it doesn't exist. Its time to talk to your neighbors and find out who the board members are and when the meetings are. Find out if late fees have been discussed during recent meetings.

Then you need to contact the board and find out why your bill was $280. It may have been late fees or it may be a proration for the year, or it may be for a lot of other reasons.

 

[PotRoastMan]

But the question is, can they leagally charge me interest for a bill they do not send? A past-due bill was my first contact, so I never even had an address prior to that.

I mentioned I have the governing documentation, the previous homeowner gave me that. The HOA literally had zero contact with me until sending this bill.