Charlotte HOA tries to foreclose on ex-president’s condo. He asks courts to stop it
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- McAllister sues HOA, alleges that a $2,400 special assessment lacked votes.
- HOA pursued collection, placed lien and triggered foreclosure after nonpayment.
- Lawsuit seeks $35,000 damages, decade audit and challenges board procedures.
A former Charlotte HOA president has taken his neighborhood association to court, alleging it improperly approved a $2,400 special assessment and sought to foreclose on his home when he refused to pay.
Rodney McCalister, former president of the Reflections I Homeowners Association in east Charlotte, said the board violated its governing documents by approving a $2,400 per year special assessment in 2021 without securing the required homeowner votes. McCalister said he objected to how the fee was approved and billed, but the board and its management company ignored his concerns. When he refused to pay, McCalister said the HOA restricted his account access, sent his balance to collections and eventually filed a lien that led to foreclosure proceedings on his property.
McCalister, who has led three HOAs and currently serves as president of another, said the dispute began shortly after he stepped down from the Reflections I board. The new board sought extra funds for exterior work on the building, he said.
“I wasn’t against the assessment itself,” McCalister told The Charlotte Observer. “But I said, ‘the procedures got to be followed here.’”
His lawsuit, first filed in Mecklenburg Superior Court in May, seeks more than $235,000 in damages and a full audit of the HOA’s finances from 2014 to 2024, according to court records. It also accuses the association of “unlawful actions” and “a lack of transparency,” including withholding financial records, mismanaging payments and removing his working fireplace in 2024, which he said reduced his property value.
A hearing on the case is scheduled for Oct. 14
A lawyer for the HOA said in an email the association had no comment while the matter is pending.
Cynthia Dickerson, a former homeowner in the community, said she was charged the full $2,400 assessment when she sold her unit and later filed a small-claims case seeking reimbursement. The case was dismissed after she missed the statute of limitations by about three weeks, Dickerson said, and the HOA has not refunded the money.
McCalister estimates he’s spent about $15,000 fighting the foreclosure, and has filed an appeal that has paused the sale of his unit at Cedar Glen Drive.
“It’s cost me way more than the $2,400 they said I owed,” he said. “But it’s about doing what’s right. This never should have happened in the first place.”
Motion to dismiss
The HOA filed a motion to dismiss the case in September, arguing that McCalister lacks standing. His property is owned by his company, Blockum Investments LLC. The HOA’s motion argues McCalister cannot represent his own company under state law because he is not a licensed attorney.
McCalister said he has since hired an attorney to help overturn the HOA’s motion to dismiss.
“Their argument hinges on the fact that my property is titled under an LLC,” he said. “I’m optimistic that with representation, I can effectively challenge this procedural barrier and assert the harm I’ve experienced.”
Not unusual for HOAs to foreclose
In North Carolina, it’s not unusual for HOAs to initiate foreclosure proceedings on homes.
A 2023 investigation by the Observer found that since 2018 HOAs in the state filed to foreclose on over 5,500 homes. In recent years, multiple bills by legislators to protect homeowners have stalled, including House Bill 542 in 2023. A recent bill that would require mediation and hearings before foreclosure, Senate Bill 378, passed through the Senate this year and has been sitting in a House committee since May.
McCalister said he doesn’t want to get rid of HOAs; he just wants them to act legally and appropriately.
“I’m not against HOAs. They serve a purpose,” he said. “But there needs to be guidance. Board members need training, and people need to be treated fairly.”
This story was originally published October 10, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
