A RESIDENTIAL community forced to live with leaky roofs and windows for years will be forced to pay an additional $240 a month for the repairs.
Nearly 400 residents at the Daybreak Townhome 1 will be forced to foot the bill after their homeowner’s association lost a legal battle with contractors over the damages at the properties.
Residents at the Daybreak Townhome 1 community are outraged after learning they’ll have to pay for repairs after their HOA ost a legal battle with contractorsCredit: KSL
John Lewis will soon be paying an additional $700 monthly in total feesCredit: KSL
Lewis has been dealing with several maintenance issues in his townhome, including leaky windows and chipped woodCredit: KSL
John Lewis has lived at Daybreak in South Jordan, Utah, about 18 miles south of Salt Lake City, for about eight years and has to deal with several maintenance issues in his townhome.
“Under the windows, the wood was popping out,” Lewis told NBC affiliate KSL-TV.
“Water was getting into the whole thing underneath the window, and all the wood was kind of decaying.”
Now, beginning January 1, 2025, residents at the Daybreak Townhomes will be forced to fork over an additional $240 a month over 20 years so their HOA can fix the repairs.
Lewis, who already pays about $440 a month extra for his townhome master and sub-homeowners associations, will soon be paying $700 a month in total fees.
The property owner also has an option to pay a one-time lump sum for the repairs for $31,000.
“It’s just kind of one of those things you come to terms with and realize it’s really the best path forward is to kind of tackle it right now,” Lewis added.
Dave Guiness, who lives across from Lewis, also voiced his frustration with the new fee, adding that no one in the neighborhood is happy.
“But at the same time, I’m glad our units are finally going to get fixed to a sufficient standard,” Guiness told the outlet.
Guiness, whose home already underwent repairs, described how other tenants “may be breathing in mold and that kind of stuff,” adding that the risk was “unacceptable” to him.
“This has been an ongoing safe for many years,” he added.
“It’s nice to be coming up on a conclusion over the next couple years when all the various buildings throughout the sub-HOA will be repaired.”
Meanwhile, the property builders, Holmes Hones and Hamlet Homes defended their work but told KSL-TV they had not built any homes in Daybreak since 2008 and were under new management.
“The quality of work was affirmed through comprehensive independent inspections during construction and by South Jordan City at completion of the townhomes in question,” the company said.
“As part of the litigation in which we prevailed, experts stated that our work was consistent with a reasonable standard of care for general contractors and that there was no evidence of defect in the design of the townhomes.
“It is important to note that all buildings require maintenance.
“The townhomes in this litigation include units that were built more than 17 years ago.”
Dave Guiness also voiced his frustration with the new feesCredit: KSL
John Lewis described how water would get in his unit through the window, and all the wood was in decayCredit: KSL
