A first-time homeowner in DeKalb County, Georgia says she put her life savings into a condo, only to be hit with a bill she didn’t know existed until after closing—and now her HOA is trying to foreclose. The case out of Whitehall Forest East is a reminder that when an association says you owe, the numbers can snowball fast, and the fight can land you in court before you’ve even finished settling in.
Details were reported by Atlanta News First in the original post, which describes how homeowner Tatiana Pimentel and her fiancé, Obren Cicmil, are asking a judge for a jury trial while challenging thousands of dollars in claimed dues and legal fees tied to the Whitehall Forest East Condominium Association.
A new homeowner says the dues weren’t disclosed before she signed
Pimentel bought her first home in 2024, using what she described as her life savings. Less than a year later, she said the Whitehall Forest East Condominium Association moved to foreclose, claiming she owed nearly $8,000 in association dues that she said were not disclosed when she purchased the property. That foreclosure filing came in October 2025.
By the time the dispute reached court again in 2026, the couple said the claimed balance had climbed—driven by ongoing monthly dues and the HOA’s attorney’s fees. Pimentel told Atlanta News First, “They say we owe like $20,000,” adding that she didn’t understand how it got that high.
Attorney fees and monthly charges turned a dispute into a crisis
If you’ve ever dealt with a late fee or a surprise bill, you already know the pattern: once a matter gets handed off to lawyers, the meter tends to keep running. In this case, the couple said they called “every lawyer they could” looking for help but couldn’t find anyone to take their case…