Charlotte HOA Wants $10,000 Back After Paying Wrong Community’s Water Bills for Two Years
A mix-up in Charlotte, North Carolina left one HOA paying $10,000 in water bills that belonged to their next-door neighbors. Now they’re trying to get their money back.
Board member Andrew Page discovered the mistake while reviewing accounts. The Bennington Place II HOA had been paying water bills for Bennington Place I, a completely different community.
With their funds depleted by this expensive mistake, the Steele Creek neighborhood can’t repair broken facilities. Charlotte Water won’t budge on giving the money back, pointing to strict rules about customer information.
While the utility typically allows three-year refunds, they’ve remained silent about this situation. Since spotting the error, HOA leaders have been pressing for answers from the city council and water officials.
As the investigation goes on, residents wait nervously for news about their money. The utility’s three-year limit on refunds could make a big difference in their case.
Efforts to figure out which homes received free water have stalled. The utility’s strict privacy rules prevent access to individual account information.
This hit to their savings has hurt basic maintenance and stopped planned improvements. The mistake went unnoticed during regular financial checks month after month.
These billing issues trouble HOAs across the country. In one serious case, a homeowner even lost their house over unpaid HOA fees.
The situation shows hidden problems with shared utility arrangements. When properties are next to each other with similar names, mix-ups can go undetected for years.
This expensive lesson shows why careful bill checking matters, especially between neighboring communities. Regular accounting reviews might not catch switched accounts between similar properties.
