Homeowners in a wealthy California community are battling their HOA after it slapped them with a combined $5 million worth of bills for new roofs.

At the 198-unit Villa Moura condominium complex in San Clemente, every single resident was ordered to pay an assessment of $26,000 for emergency roof replacement.

The combined total the HOA is asking for amounts to just under $5.15 million.

Condo owners at the complex say that they have been given just one month to come up with the money and that the HOA board has not been transparent, as the expenses were foreseeable and should not have been treated as an emergency.

They also say that 60 percent of Villa Moura residents are seniors who are particularly vulnerable and have no way to pay the bills, according to a GoFundMe organized by the community.

Homeowner Megan Blanda told ABC7 that the HOA has told residents who said they are unable to pay to take out loans, dip into their retirement accounts or take out equity in their houses.

‘I feel like that’s just unacceptable,’ Blanda said.

Residents have also said that the HOA threatened to place liens on their properties if the bills go unpaid.

An 81-year-old Villa Moura resident named Beverly Albright told ABC7 that the cost of the emergency assessment could force her to move and sell the dream home she worked so hard to purchase.

Each condo in the complex appears to be worth around $1 million, according to Villa Moura realty listings, but the elderly woman said she would not qualify for a loan to refinance because she is retired and single.

Another homeowner named Noah Martin said that roofs in the condo complex are not in a dire enough state that they need emergency assessments under California law.

‘Clearly, it was not an emergency; it’s a deferred maintenance,’ he told ABC7. ‘And so, then we as members should have a vote on how we want to take care of the roofs.’

Residents have argued that full replacement of roofs in the complex is overkill as they are not leaking and just need repairs to their underlayments, the water-resistant barrier underneath the tiles.

They have also questioned the $26,000 price tag of the assessments – a one-time fee to cover unexpected costs.

‘What we would like to do is have multiple bids competitively submitted and actually negotiate those bids in the best interest of the homeowners. As the board should be doing with their fiduciary responsibilities to us,’ homeowner Adam Dubin told ABC7.

Villa Moura residents said that the HOA has given them three options to make the payments.

SoCal condo owners stunned by sudden $26K HOA fee for emergency roof assessment

What would you do if your HOA suddenly sprang a $26,000 fee on you? That’s what a group of condo owners is trying to fight back against in San Clemente. Read more: https://abc7.com/19754573/

YouTube • ABC7

They can either make a full, one-time payment of $26,000, split the bill into two $13,000 payments or add $2,000 to their monthly payments for six months, then $400 per month after that initial period.

The homeowners told ABC7 they are looking into several avenues to dispute the HOA’s demands, including by trying to recall members of the board and filing a claim that the board violated the law. They are also considering a