Can HOA board change assessment amounts set by the developer?

Hello for the past 10 years I was paying $250 for assessment for my 1100 sq feet unit

There are 15 units in the building. 6 are 2 br, 9 are 1 br.

There are 3 entrances so there are some variations in the shape and the size between 2br units and small variations between 1 br units.

for the past 10 years, 2br units were paying $250, and 1br units were paying $223 per month for assessment.

Now we got the new board president who recently moved in and who figured out that the assessments were not calculated based on the percentage of ownership.

Now he increased assessments for all 6 2-br units to $275 and increased some 1-br units from $223 to $245 and decreased the rest of 1-br units from $223 to $202.

Can the board do that without any official documents from lawyer etc?

Echoing what Tim said, check the section(s) of your CC&Rs that talk about the types of units and their par value (essentially the percentage of ownership each unit has).

It's very common for the par values to vary according to the sizes of the units and possibly other characteristics as well (for example, certain locations such as corners or top floors may be more desirable).

The assessment amounts should also vary by par value.

Not only *may* the board change assessment amounts, they *must* do so in order to pay the bills, which in a condo building can include things like water, electricity, and trash collection. In some states such as mine, the law also states that the assessments must include contributions to the reserve accounts for future replacement of things like roofs. By paying into the reserve, owners are essentially paying for their fair share of useful life of components such as roofs. It's also much more affordable to pay into this reserve gradually over the years, rather than being hit by a huge special assessment when the roof suddenly starts leaking everywhere and must be replaced asap.

Almir,

You didnt discuss the financial situation ... is it solid? Are reserves fully funded? Does the ops budget keep everything looking and operating right?

"Now we got the new board president ... recently moved in ..." - with Augustin - perhaps this new person read and understands the docs and sees a financial problem? Or, is simply responding to another member who believes they are paying too much for a small 1 BR?

The math - and, I guess at 5 larger 1 BR and 4 smaller: currently assessments total $3507, and the new total is $3683, only a $176 difference. So, not much difference.

When was the assessment last changed? From what? What was it when it was turned over from the developer?

You didn't note whether or not you agreed with the changes?

There are other Board members - what do they think?

Thank you all so much for such a great responses. I will keep you informed.