Altadena Homeowners Still Rebuilding From Fire Battle HOA Over $23,000 ‘Special Assessment’ Fee

Altadena, CA, homeowners spent much of 2025 in a state of shock and disbelief, and now one neighborhood there is fighting back after being hit with a hefty HOA bill.

In January 2025, a deadly fire roared through the area, destroying more than 17,000 buildings and leaving 31 people dead. Thousands of residents fled their neighborhoods, not sure whether they'd have a home to return to.

The fire did not discriminate; wealthy enclaves were just as badly hit as more affordable areas. The luxury neighborhood of La Vina—where the median home price is $1.78 million—lost 52 of its 272 homes in the blaze.

Homeowners did their best to recover and began rebuilding.

And then, last summer, La Vina's homeowners association sent out a bill to residents. The $23,614 fee, it said, was for a "special assessment" related to the fires. Residents were given 34 days to pay the fee, and were charged 12% interest if they failed to meet the Sept. 1 deadline.

Arguments over assessments

Many residents of La Vina were shocked by the fee, such as Ryan Harmon, who was forced to move out of his home due to smoke damage.

"I think a catastrophe like this normally brings a community together. We’ve definitely seen that in Altadena—it’s a pretty close-knit, older community. People put up signs saying 'Altadena’s not for sale,' and people have been helping each other. It’s been really heartwarming to see that kind of humanity," Harmon tells Realtor.com.®

"When that kind of thing happens, which none of us have ever experienced before, you kind of want your community to be there for you, to help you, to come together because you’re dealing with so much anguish and heartache."

That's why he and others were shocked that the HOA so aggressively pursued the settlement fees.

"They say there is no payment plan, there’s no zero interest; they’re going to charge 12% interest annually if you don’t pay it on time," he said. "They’re also going to levy fines and late fees on you. And ultimately, if you don’t pay it, they’re going to auction off your house."

"The fire brought everyone together until that HOA letter went out," he said.

Harmon attended the HOA meeting where the fee was announced. The board told residents the $6.4 million it was collecting would go toward replacing the community's irrigation system, fencing, and landscaping.

But Harmon and others say the HOA has yet to prove that the items that need replacing actually cost as much as it's charging.

He and several other homeowners initially refused to pay the fee. After several months, and the threat of a lien on his home, Harmon finally capitulated. He used an insurance payout to cover the fee plus the ballooning interest, which came out to $29,000.

One reason for the relatively quick turnaround on the fee may be that the HOA wasn't especially solvent. According to Transparency HOA, a nonprofit that evaluates HOA health, the La Vina HOA was in poor shape. The HOA's monthly fee of $513, said the nonprofit, meant there was a high probability of special assessment fees and an increase in dues.

While Harmon is leading up the contingent of angry homeowners, others in the community say the fee is reasonable. Rande Sotomayer told the Los Angeles Times the HOA brought in an accounting firm to evaluate the fee.

“It can’t all be collaborative. At some point, the board has to sit down and decide what to do," she said.

'An obsession with property values'

In early March, the HOA filed a lawsuit against one homeowner for failing to pay both the special assessment and regular HOA fees. The HOA is seeking to foreclose on the property, which is now an empty lot.

A different resident, Cassie Coleman, believes that the desire to clean up these lots—to beautify the neighborhood—is driving the push to collect these fees quickly.

“In the aftermath of a fire, you’re thrown into an administrative nightmare. Insurance claims, figuring out housing,” she told the Times. “There was no time to review post-fire beautification plans for La Vina. Beautification was at the bottom of my list.”

Both Coleman and Harmon believe that concern over property values is pushing the special assessment fee, and the aggressive litigation of noncompliant homeowners, especially as real estate developers edge in to rebuild the neighborhood.

A developer named PLC Communities is in the midst of an 18-home build in La Vina, and Harmon says that's motivating the HOA to aggressively push for renumeration.

“There’s an obsession here with property values, and we know they need to sell those ASAP,” Coleman told the Times. “So why burden people with a huge fee? I wonder if that’s why: to get this place spick and span.”

Harmon says he and his children still aren't back in their La Vina property. He continues to fight with insurance adjusters to be compensated for the damage.

"I’m obviously anxious to go home," he said. "I have two kids. It’s an expensive house, I’m paying a mortgage on it and property taxes, and I just want to go home."