Home Owners Associations & HOA Fees in Naples, FL
What is a HOA?
A HOA, or a Home Owners Association, refers to the governing body responsible for the maintenance and accounting for a community. HOAs come with a cost to operate, or a HOA fee. There are sometimes multiple fees. For example, there may be one fee for the use of the community (master or development) and a separate fee for your condo (subdivision). This is more common when there are different types of residences. For example, The Vineyards is a popular, central Naples diverse community. There are many subdivisions within the development Vineyards that offer different amenities. Residents of these subdivisions, depending on the cost of their respective amenities, pay different HOA fees to their subdivisions, but all have an obligation to pay a master fee. This is also the case for other communities that offer many different subdivisions with different building designs (condos, villas, coach homes, single family homes, etc.) and amenities (pool, fitness, golf, landscaping maintenance, etc.)
What is included in HOA fees?
This one of the most commonly asked questions that must be broken down into two parts: Condo & Single Family
Condo Communities
In a condo association, Structural Insurance, Exterior Pest Control, Water, Sewer, Trash, Lawn & Land Maintenance and Streetlights are typically included. Some communities offer the additional amenities of automatic card access or manned guarded gates, recreational facilities, and basic Cable TV.
Single Family Communities
In a single family community, coverages come in many options. In most cases, the insurance, pest control, water & sewer are NOT included. Depending on the fees, the other items may or may not be included. Typically, the largest part of a budget in a single family community is the landscaping. If the fees seem low then this is probably NOT included.
In Naples, buyers have many options. Each community is designed with different buyers in mind. Some residents prefer lush landscaping and elaborate flower, tree and shrub designs, while others prefer a nice cleaner feel with not as much emphasis or cost associated with the grounds. Generally speaking, buyers get what they pay for. Nobody profits from an HOA. Board members are generally made up of residents and are elected. There are items that need to be paid for. In the case of landscaping, the HOA gets local landscapers to bid the work that needs to be done. The company that is selected will have their fee added to the budget. That is then divided by the number of owners.
Fees can be higher or lower for many different reasons. Most older developments have higher fees because they need to embark on larger maintenance projects. Some fees are high because of delinquency. Some communities like lush, expensive landscaping, as you get closer to the Gulf, fees are higher because of higher insurance costs for the association. Fees could go up for something as abnormal as ridding the community of all plants that aren’t indigenous to the area or installation of ADA ramps, or irrigation system replacement. The point is, it could be anything. It’s important to know that homeowners have a vested interest on the affordability of the fees. Homeowners want to keep their own costs down, but at the same time, cover all costs and maintain a healthy reserve. This is a tough balancing act. With condos here is what is paid generally:Structural Insurance, water & sewer, grounds and lawn maintenance, recreation facilities, basic cable TV (nothing extra, no premium, no internet), management costs, trash. Many single family communities that are gated will often include all the above items except – water & sewer, and structural insurance.
Sometime, fees cover additional amenities like : BBQ - Picnic, Bike And Jog Path, Billiards, Clubhouse, Community Pool, Exercise Room, Play Area, Putting Green, Sauna, Sidewalk, Streetlight, Underground Utilities, Basketball, Community Spa/Hot tub And additional maintenance, if required: Cable, Irrigation Water, more advances Lawn/Land Maint Typically, master assn. fee Included, Pest Control Exterior, Rec Facilities, Security, Street Lights, Street Maintenance Golf communities fetch much higher fees, bundled typically $600+ mo, due to maintenance of course and golf staff. Luxury golf are much more. Waterfront and boating communities are more due to water hazards and insurance. Some communities like Island Walk, Verona Walk, Village Walk, Bridgewater Bay, etc have nicer amenities – larger pools and fitness centers, more athletic facilities. Fees are typically paid on a quarterly basis. Most non-gated communities with typical amenities in the $100k-$300k range will cost around $250-$400 mo.
Gated communities, especially those with man-guard gates will fetch $400+ mo. Golf, waterfront, luxury amenities, resort style can get into $500+ and with special amenities and club/dining fees, much more. Fees differ from community to community. It is difficult to understand why they are as high or low as they are. One would have to attend each Homeowner Association Meeting to really know what is driving expenses in their respective community.
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