An Arizona man says his $475,000 home was sold by his homeowners’ association after he fell behind on dues totaling less than $1,000.
Toby Newton, 53, bought the four-bedroom Mesa home in 2022. He later lost his sales job and was diagnosed with diabetes, while his partner was undergoing treatment for breast cancer, he told News Outlet. Those circumstances caused him to fall behind on his quarterly HOA payments.
“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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Toby Newton’s Mesa, Arizona, home was sold after his HOA began foreclosure proceedings over less than $1,000 in unpaid dues, he said. (Toby Newton)
Newton’s quarterly HOA payment was about $170. After he encountered financial difficulties, his outstanding balance eventually reached $977.
News Outlet has contacted the HOA’s attorney for comment.
Newton said he contacted the Superstition Springs Community Master Association to negotiate a payment plan. He initially offered to pay an additional $50 each month on top of his regular assessments to reduce the balance.
He said the proposal was rejected.
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Newton said the HOA also turned down his offer to pay an extra $200 per month. Foreclosure proceedings followed.
“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.
The debt later grew to nearly $10,000, Newton said, with most of the increase attributed to the HOA’s legal fees. According to the Mesa Tribune, the home was sold at a public auction in November 2025 for $8,172.
“The sale happened and I’m still in the house,” Newton said. “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.”
Toby Newton sits inside the living room of his Mesa, Arizona, home. He said his homeowners association took action after he fell behind on quarterly dues by less than $1,000. (Toby Newton)
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.
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.
