August 29, 2026 | Mark Luis Foster

Not surprisingly, the number of liens against HOA properties in the US is skyrocketing. As reported by Newsweek:

Nationally, HOA liens—a legal notice that says a homeowner owes money to their homeowners association and must repay it before the home can usually be sold—rose 41.7 percent between 2022 and 2025, new research by property data platform Cotality found.

According to the story, just three years ago there were 177,260 HOA liens across the country. In 2025, the number reached 250,951. That’s a concerning spike.

We’ve all seen HOA fees increase over the past five years, due largely to rising insurance premiums, labor costs, and inflation. Our own very unscientific Pop Up quiz for September from HOAs reveals an average monthly fee of $462. Some homeowners are having trouble keeping up.

But homeowners normally do not consider HOA dues a priority, putting mortgages and utilities first when their disposable income is squeezed to prevent bank foreclosure and keep the lights on. In doing so, they undermine the importance of HOA fees, which can remain unpaid when a household budget is tight.

The HOA industry is only growing, with HOAs comprising some 84% of new construction in the USA.  The average number homes with fees across the country is rising too.

Homes with HOA fees attached used to be a minority in the U.S. housing market, but that is no longer the case. According to a January report from Realtor.com, nearly 44 percent of homes for sale across the country were subject to a monthly HOA fee in 2026, up from only 34.3 percent in 2019.

The article includes two interactive maps that are worth exploring where you can hover over a state to see the number of liens and the percentage increase over time. In Minnesota, the map shows 1854 liens in 2025, with an increase of nearly 89% since 2022.

You can read the article and access the maps HERE.