In almost every case, HOA fees are not included in your mortgage payment. Your monthly payment to the lender covers principal, interest, property taxes, and homeowners insurance, while dues owed to a homeowners association are billed separately by the association itself. A servicer can escrow HOA fees in limited situations, but that arrangement is the exception, not the rule.
Why HOA Dues Sit Outside the Mortgage
A mortgage payment satisfies a debt you owe to the bank that financed the home. The four standard components — principal, interest, taxes, and insurance — all flow through that lender relationship.1Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Is PITI? HOA dues are owed to a different entity entirely: a private association created by the community’s founding documents, the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&Rs). Those dues fund shared costs like landscaping, pools, private roads, and security.
Because the association and the lender hold two separate legal claims on your property, each one bills you on its own. Miss enough mortgage payments and the bank can foreclose. Miss enough HOA payments and the association can file its own lien and pursue its own collection. The association’s authority to charge you comes from the CC&Rs recorded against the property, not from anything in your loan agreement.
When a Lender Might Include HOA Fees in Your Payment
Federal rules allow servicers to escrow HOA dues when the borrower and servicer agree to it. Under RESPA, an escrow account can hold funds for taxes, insurance, and “other charges” — including condominium or HOA dues — as long as the arrangement is part of the loan terms or a voluntary agreement.2eCFR. 12 CFR 1024.17 – Escrow Accounts Most servicers still don’t. You’re more likely to see HOA fees bundled into the monthly payment in a few specific situations.
FHA-backed loans are one. FHA underwriting counts HOA fees as part of your total housing expense when calculating debt-to-income, and the FHA Single Family Housing Policy Handbook lists HOA and condominium fees alongside principal, interest, taxes, and insurance in defining the total mortgage payment.3U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Borrower Qualifying Ratios4U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. FHA Single Family Housing Policy Handbook Because those fees are already treated as a core housing cost, some servicers escrow them to make sure they stay current.
A high loan-to-value ratio is another. Borrowers who put down less than 20 percent represent more risk to the lender, and an unpaid HOA lien can threaten the collateral, so some servicers collect the fees through escrow to keep the account current.
You can also sometimes ask for it. Not every servicer offers voluntary HOA escrow, but if a single monthly payment fits your budgeting better, it’s worth asking. One thing to remember if your dues are escrowed: the servicer runs an annual escrow analysis, and when the association raises fees, your monthly mortgage payment goes up to match.
How to Check Your Own Loan
Two disclosures tell you exactly what your servicer will and won’t pay on your behalf. Both are required under the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure rules.5Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosures
The Loan Estimate
Your lender must deliver a Loan Estimate within three business days of receiving your mortgage application.6Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure FAQs Find the Projected Payments table and look for the line labeled “Estimated Taxes, Insurance & Assessments.” That section lists property taxes, homeowners insurance, and any HOA or condominium fees. Next to each item, an “In Escrow?” indicator shows whether the lender will collect and pay it on your behalf. “Yes” means it’s built into your monthly payment. “No” means you pay it yourself.7Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Guide to the Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure Forms
The Closing Disclosure
Before closing, you receive the Closing Disclosure, a five-page document that serves as the final record of loan terms and costs. You must receive it at least three business days before the closing date.6Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure FAQs Page 1 has a Projected Payments section like the Loan Estimate. Page 4 goes further, with an Escrow Account section listing every item the servicer will pay from escrow and confirming whether association fees are among them.8Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Closing Disclosure Sample Form If HOA fees don’t appear as escrowed on either page, you’re paying them directly.
Paying HOA Fees Directly
When dues aren’t escrowed, you pay the association or the property management company that handles day-to-day operations. Payment methods vary by community. Most accept online portal payments, mailed checks, and automatic bank transfers, and some accept credit or debit cards, though card processing fees typically run 1.5% to 3.5% of the transaction.
Billing schedules vary too. Some associations bill monthly, some quarterly, some annually, and the schedule set by the governing documents may not line up with your mortgage due date. Autopay through the HOA portal or your bank helps you avoid missed deadlines. Keep records of every payment — confirmation emails, bank statements, canceled checks — in case a balance ever gets disputed.
For scale, the national median HOA fee was roughly $135 per month as of 2025, though the range is wide depending on the type of community, its location, and the amenities it maintains. Condominium buildings and communities with extensive shared facilities tend to charge substantially more.
What Happens If You Fall Behind
Unpaid HOA fees carry consequences many homeowners underestimate. Late fees kick in once a payment is overdue, at amounts set by the governing documents and applicable state law. If you make a partial payment while carrying a balance, many associations apply it first to late fees, interest, or legal costs, so your dues balance may not shrink as quickly as you’d expect.
Liens and Foreclosure
When dues stay unpaid, the HOA can record a lien against your property. That lien turns your home into collateral for the debt and blocks a clean sale until the balance is paid off, including penalties, interest, and often attorney fees. If the delinquency continues, the association can foreclose on the lien and force a sale.
In roughly half the states, HOA liens carry “super lien” status, meaning a limited portion of unpaid assessments takes priority over even the first mortgage. That’s part of why lenders watch delinquency rates in condominium and planned-unit developments so closely.
Credit Reporting
HOA debt can also reach your credit report. Most associations don’t report directly to the credit bureaus, but they often send overdue accounts to a collection agency, and collections do appear on your file. Some states require associations to give you advance notice and a chance to set up a payment plan before that happens. If a delinquency notice arrives, contact the association before the account escalates.
Special Assessments Are Separate Too
Regular dues aren’t the only bill an HOA can send. Associations can also levy a special assessment, a one-time charge to cover a major expense like a roof replacement, road repaving, or emergency repair. Special assessments are almost never included in a mortgage escrow account. The association bills and collects them separately, and the amount can range from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands depending on the project. If you’re buying, reviewing the community’s meeting minutes and financial records can flag whether one is on the horizon.