(Feb. 18, 2016) Looking to recoup unpaid assessments from the previous year, Ocean Pines has filed 66 separate lawsuits against association members who apparently owe more than $100,000.
All of those cases were filed in Worcester County District Court in Snow Hill.
General Manager Bob Thompson said the majority of the suits were against homeowners whose assessments were overdue by more than a year. Several of the cases had damages totaling thousands of dollars.
Last year’s annual assessment was $921.
“What happens is, we file liens against the properties. That’s the way we protect ourselves,” Thompson said. “Through that lien process, we can then go to court and see if there is a way to collect.”
Thompson said the cases rarely go to trial. Of 53 similar cases filed last year, he said 27 resulted in full payment of derelict funds. Another 16 are repaying assessments on installment plans.
Both instances included repayment of all legal fees, and only 10 cases did not result in some form of restitution for Ocean Pines.
“The majority of them, when we go through this process, actually work toward a resolution, which is very nice,” he said. “It’s a process we started a few years back, carrying it to this level, but that’s also why our collection rates are up.
Although the Ocean Pines Association filed 13 more cases in court this year versus the previous year, Thompson said that did not necessarily indicate an upward trend. Still, he said the association takes overdue assessments very seriously.
“Protecting the association has to be a priority, and protecting ourselves from our overdue assessments is one of the things we focus on,” Thompson said. “With that being said, we do try our very best to work our way through this in a reasonable way.”
All of those cases were filed in Worcester County District Court in Snow Hill.
General Manager Bob Thompson said the majority of the suits were against homeowners whose assessments were overdue by more than a year. Several of the cases had damages totaling thousands of dollars.
Last year’s annual assessment was $921.
“What happens is, we file liens against the properties. That’s the way we protect ourselves,” Thompson said. “Through that lien process, we can then go to court and see if there is a way to collect.”
Thompson said the cases rarely go to trial. Of 53 similar cases filed last year, he said 27 resulted in full payment of derelict funds. Another 16 are repaying assessments on installment plans.
Both instances included repayment of all legal fees, and only 10 cases did not result in some form of restitution for Ocean Pines.
“The majority of them, when we go through this process, actually work toward a resolution, which is very nice,” he said. “It’s a process we started a few years back, carrying it to this level, but that’s also why our collection rates are up.
Although the Ocean Pines Association filed 13 more cases in court this year versus the previous year, Thompson said that did not necessarily indicate an upward trend. Still, he said the association takes overdue assessments very seriously.
“Protecting the association has to be a priority, and protecting ourselves from our overdue assessments is one of the things we focus on,” Thompson said. “With that being said, we do try our very best to work our way through this in a reasonable way.”