An Arizona man had his $475,000 home sold from under him by his homeowners’ association (HOA) after falling behind on his dues, which amounted to less than $1,000.
Toby Newton, 53, purchased the four-bedroom home in Mesa in 2022, but fell behind on his quarterly HOA dues after losing his sales job and being diagnosed with diabetes, he told Fox News Digital. In addition, his partner has been battling breast cancer, he said.
“I was a year and a half behind because of the situation I found myself in with my girlfriend and myself getting sick,” Newton said. “That’s how it started. I called the HOA to make an arrangement with them to get them paid and they wouldn’t talk to me. They told me I had to talk to their attorney and that’s when it blew up.”
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Newton paid about $170 to the HOA every three months, eventually owing $977 after getting into financial trouble.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the HOA’s attorney.
Newton reportedly contacted the Superstition Springs Community Master Association in an effort to work out a payment so he could catch up on his dues. Initially, he offered to pay an extra $50 per month on top of his monthly assessments in an effort to chip away at his debt.
That was denied, he said.
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A monthly increase of $200 was also rebuffed, he said. The HOA eventually began foreclosure proceedings.
“I just don’t understand how an HOA that’s supposed to be there for the community doesn’t work with the community at all,” Newton said.
Meanwhile, the debt ballooned to nearly $10,000, Newton said, mostly for attorney’s fees for the HOA. The home was sold at a public auction in November 2025 for just $8,172, the Mesa Tribune reported.
“The sale happened and I’m still in the house,” said Newton. “I haven’t been kicked out yet. That’s what I’m trying to avoid. I’m just trying to save it because I don’t know how it could go from owing them $977 to $10,000.”
Newton said he wasn’t aware of the auction until two days before. He said he has no plans to leave the home, which he purchased to spend his golden years after retirement.
“We are holding on to hope that we may still have a chance to buy our home back,” an online fundraiser created by Newton and his partner states.
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HOAs have long been accused of abusing their authority and fining, or even foreclosing on homeowners, for committing even the most mundane violations.
Across the country, many HOAs are taking a tougher stance on unpaid dues amid mounting financial pressures. Real estate experts have said the aggressive collection efforts are being driven by rising operating costs, shrinking reserve funds, and concerns that unpaid assessments could leave associations unable to cover essential expenses, FOX Business previously reported.
HOA-related foreclosures have jumped nearly 40% compared with two years earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported in August.
FOX Business’ Bonny Chu contributed to this report.
