North Topsail HOA refuses to repair leaking roof, couple left with extensive water damage

NORTH TOPSAIL BEACH, NC (WWAY) — After Tropical Storm Debby two months ago, Jeff Wells and Jana Passe discovered water leaking from the roof into their condo at Topsail Dunes Villas on New River Inlet Road. 

The couple contacted CAMS Property Management, and a remediation company set up dehumidifiers to prevent mold. 

The HOA told the couple the roof was patched and inspected, but water continued to leak into their condo.  

The HOA told the couple their homeowner’s insurance—not the HOA’s—would need to cover any damages caused to their condo from the leaking roof, despite roof maintenance being the HOA’s responsibility.   

The HOA also made clear that the couple would need to pay out of pocket for any additional inspections of the roof.

“They were trying to pawn it off on us,” Wells said. “They kept saying ‘well file it under your HO6, that’s what your HO6 is for.’ That’s not what my HO6 policy is for. I made it very clear the roof was their fault.” 

After the HOA filed with their insurance, the claim was denied due to lack of maintenance on the roof. The HOA appealed the decision, but the claim was met with another denial.  

“At that point, the stone wall went up. The communication was a complete breakdown,” Wells noted. 

Wells and Passe said the HOA then refused to repair the roof unless the couple takes them to court, a move that Wells thinks is calculated.  

“They’re hoping that we’re going to run out of money, or they’re going to make us so miserable that we’ll just walk away. Who can walk away from $300,000? That’s our life’s investment,” Wells explained. 

“Even if we had money, and we decided to foot the bill and renovate it, we can’t because there’s still water coming in and nobody is doing anything about it,” Passe added.  

Wells and Passe said their condo is currently unlivable because of toxic mold.  They were told the condo will need to be gutted from floor to ceiling to make it safe again. 

“We’ve paid out of pocket our entire life savings and then we started selling stuff that really, we just had to come up with cash. You shouldn’t have to live like this,” Wells said. 

WWAY reached out to all five of the HOA’s board members, and CAMS Property Management, including the corporate office, but we have not received a response as of Monday evening.