I recently sold a home in a neighborhood managed by Reese, and when I reviewed a draft of the closing statement 2 days before closing, I learned that Reese told the settlement agent that I owed more than $1,300 in past due HOA fees and late charges covering 8 months of dues as far back as 4 years ago, and that amount was being withheld from my sales proceeds and paid to Reese.
I had never received any notice from Reese before that moment that they were showing an unpaid balance, and I could see through my online banking that I had paid on time every single month. But when I called Reese to protest they said the statement in their file showed I owed that amount, but they had switched banks and switched accounting systems and couldn't verify transaction detail that far back. I would have to present them with canceled checks in order to clear the balance and eliminate their claim to $1,300 of my sales proceeds. I don't keep paper records that far back, and only about 18 months of statements are available on my bank's website, so I needed to submit a records request to the bank for evidence of my payments to Reese. That can't happen in 2 days. So I had to sit back and watch Reese use its power to hold up my sale to effectively extort $1,300 from me.
On top of all this, they did a bad job of caring for the grounds in the neighborhood, and showed poor responsiveness to the 2 or 3 requests/issues I had during my years of home ownership there. read more