The hidden costs of homeownership — things like property taxes, homeowners association fees, and insurance payments — are rising fast.
For the more than 20 million homeowners who pay HOA fees, 2025 was likely a particularly expensive year
After years of holding relatively steady around $500 annually, median HOA dues spiked 44% last year to $757, according to data from Vantaca, an HOA management software company. And while the median costs of special assessments — the sometimes onerous one-time fees that pay for unexpected communal expenses or major repairs and upgrades — haven’t seen a major jump, more associations are levying them. Nearly 10% of HOAs had a special assessment last year, up from 7.8% in 2021.
The median bill was $1,100. 2025 was likely an inflection point for HOAs that had been absorbing the rising costs of insurance, repairs, and natural disaster recoveries without raising regular dues, said Ben Currin, Vantaca’s CEO. While few homeowners like to see their HOA dues go up, holding fees at an artificially low level has its own set of risks. In the long run, that move can leave HOAs with underfunded reserves, leading them to defer needed maintenance or levy hefty special assessments to pay for repairs.