Rep Helps People Facing Foreclosure

CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — Eyewitness News discovered many Charlotte homeowners are at risk of losing their homes, even though they have no trouble paying the monthly mortgage.

One local lawmaker said it's a growing problem in the area, and he's working on a bill to stop it from happening.

State Rep. Rodney Moore said just because you can afford your mortgage doesn't mean your home is safe. If a homeowner belongs to a homeowner's association and falls behind on his dues, the HOA has the legal authority to start foreclosing proceedings.

"It rubs me the wrong way, because I think it's a little more authority than I think a private entity should have over a homeowner," Moore said.

Eyewitness News called Legal Aid's Charlotte office on Friday. It said it usually gets a phone call a week from someone concerned about falling behind on HOA fees.

Heather Walling is a single mother living in South Charlotte. She said she was laid off from Wells Fargo last year and collects a monthly unemployment check. She said she's been able to pay the mortgage but still faces foreclosure because she's two months behind on her HOA dues.

Walling showed Eyewitness News a letter from her housing association threatening legal action at the end of the month. "It angers me, it hurts, it upsets me," Walling said. "My home is my investment, my future, and I pay the mortgage."

She said her HOA fees have gone up every year. She now pays $500 a month.

Eyewitness News called the Quail Hollow East Condominium Association, but the office was closed and a reporter left a message at the office. "Especially in this economy, people are not making the same amount of money that they were making, or are unemployed, so they're just trying to get by, they're trying to survive," Walling said.

Eyewitness News brought that concern to State Representative Rodney Moore. "That's my primary concern, is how the homeowner is protected in these difficult times," Moore said.

Moore wrote a bill that would forbid HOAs from forcing homeowners out of their homes over unpaid dues.

His bill will be debated in a House subcommittee next week. He hopes to have the bill passed in a few months.

There are 11 homeowners in Walling's South Charlotte neighborhood who are at least two months behind on their HOA dues.

The Quail Hollow East Condominium Association sent out a letter Friday, informing homeowners it could no longer afford to do air-conditioning repairs.

Walling said she wants to pay her dues but just can't afford the full fee at this time. She said its no reason for her to possibly lose her home. "The amount of power that they have, it should be unlawful. It really should," she said.

Eyewitness News called the North Carolina Attorney General's Office. A spokeswoman said the it doesn't have the authority to handle complaints between homeowners and homeowners' associations.

WSOC