An Arizona homeowner says his homeowners’ association foreclosed on and sold his $475,000 house after he fell behind on dues totaling less than $1,000.
Toby Newton, 53, bought the four-bedroom Mesa home in 2022. He told News Media that he later missed quarterly HOA payments after losing his sales job and receiving a diabetes diagnosis. Newton also said his partner has been undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
“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 says his Mesa, Arizona, home was sold after his HOA initiated foreclosure proceedings over less than $1,000 in unpaid dues. (Toby Newton)
Newton’s HOA fees were roughly $170 every three months. As his financial troubles mounted, he said the unpaid balance eventually reached $977.
News Media has contacted the HOA’s attorney for comment.
Newton said he reached out to the Superstition Springs Community Master Association to try to establish a repayment plan and bring his account current. He initially proposed paying an additional $50 each month on top of his regular assessments to reduce the debt.
He said the association rejected that proposal.
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A monthly increase of $200 was also rebuffed, he said. The HOA eventually began foreclosure proceedings.
“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.
Meanwhile, the debt ballooned to nearly $10,000, Newton said, mostly for attorney’s fees for the HOA. The home was sold at a public auction in November 2025 for just $8,172, the Mesa Tribune reported.
“The sale happened and I’m still in the house,” said Newton. “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 of his Mesa, Arizona home. His homeowners association took action against him after he fell behind his quarterly dues by less than $1,000, Newton said. (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.