Country Club Hills condo owner forced to sell after association fails to reimburse bills for leaky roof
A condo owner in Country Club Hills says he's forced to sell his home after his condo association failed to reimburse him for repairs to his leaking roof.
Edward Hadnott's condo has sat empty since a major roof leak in 2022. He says his condo association told him to keep receipts while they changed management, so he paid to fix the roof himself.
Now, two and a half years later, he still hasn't been reimbursed. Because of that, he says he's forced to sell his property, much like Nicholas Anderson in Homewood. CBS News Chicago covered Anderson's case recently, after a small leak in March left his home unlivable. His HOA admitted responsibility, but nearly eight months later, repairs still haven't been done.
Hadnott said he is frustrated to hear of cases like what he and Anderson have endured.
"I think there's probably 1000 other people that are going through the same thing," he said. "There's got to be a better way to have condominium owners treated fairly."
Real estate attorney Valerie Trabaris says owners must stay on top of association finances by attending meetings or reading minutes, and act quickly when problems arise. She also recommends trying to contact the association's insurance directly, if possible.
"I would just start picking up the phone and dialing myself, because I'm the one who has the most to lose," Trabaris said.
In 2019, CBS News Chicago covered a very similar situation involving a leaky roof at the same condo building as Anderson's unit, and that time it took a full year for the association to fix it.
Anderson says that the repairs have been too expensive to cover on his end, leaving foreclosure as his only recourse.
"There are other people in this community, and I want to make sure that they're aware of what they're getting themselves into and what is going on behind the scenes, or what's not. Because if this can happen to me, it can happen to anyone else," Anderson said.
A September email from Anderson's State Farm agent noted the HOA would cover mitigation, drywall, and paint — but the condo still sits damaged, and Anderson is staying with family.
The property manager tells us the HOA took out a loan to replace roofs on all three buildings, but now blames defects in the new roofing. They did not explain why Anderson's unit still hasn't been repaired.
This week, the Village of Homewood's Chief Building Inspector told us he cited the condo association for "failure to keep their roof in good repair."
As for Hadnott's situation in Country Club Hills, when he was never reimbursed for the repairs, he acknowledged that he stopped paying assessments. He was then sued by the HOA and the new property manager.
"Both parties had their day in court," Blackstone Property Management told us in a statement, referring to the fact that Hadnott was required to pay the assessments back. But the management company would not comment on the outstanding bills for the roof.