Civic Club Transfer Fees

I recently sold some property in a subdivision that does not have a mandatory POA. Participation is 100% voluntary and the association is not a real POA despite having Property Owners Association in the name. There is nothing in the CCR's that give the association any power to do anything. Actually there is no mention in the CCR's of a POA. This year the association has 15 members out of 600 homes. Yearly dues are $30 and they do not employ, because they cannot afford, outside help. My question is how are these guys able to charge a mandatory $100 transfer fee? Several real estate agents from the neighborhood say they have been seeing these charges for years but don't know why they are being charged. The title company officer said she didn't know either, just that the charge showed up on the Tax Certificate from an outside agency they use.

It is post closing and the fee was charged to the buyer. I'm not trying to recover the fee and the association isn't trying to collect. What I'm trying to understand is what is enabling them to collect the fee. Like I said, I can't find a Management Certificate or any other papers filed with the County. I did ask the VP of the association and he declined to answer.

Closing fees are quite common. Usually cited are the associations cost to prepare all necessary documentation such as an Estoppel letter. I have seen some as high as 1-3% of the purchase price.

Be the association voluntary or not, there are overhead expenses.

If you aren't being charged and the buyer hasn't come after you, why do you care about the transfer fees? You're not in that association anymore, so it's up to current homeowners (the ones in the HOA, anyway) to talk to the board about changing it if that's what they want