California condo owners are fighting back after their homeowners association approved a multimillion-dollar emergency assessment that they say could financially cripple them.

The uproar comes from a Torrance condominium complex, where residents were hit with assessments of more than $49,000 each to help pay for sweeping repairs, ABC7 reports.

The 499-unit property is facing at least $19 million in work, including a $13 million overhaul of the building’s podium, along with re-piping and elevator repairs.

It follows a similar battle in San Clemente, where owners at the 198-unit Villa Moura complex were ordered to pay more than $26,000 apiece for an assessment — totaling more than $5 million.

Stephen Wang, who lives in the Torrance complex, said: “I was shocked, as most of the residents here are.”

He continued: “The HOA decided to redo the whole podium, the entire podium, and that became a $13 million project, and plus the re-piping and the elevators, so it came up to $19 million.”

He added the massive bill came after the HOA decided to tackle several major projects at once, leaving residents scrambling to figure out how they could possibly afford their share.

In San Clemente residents have argued the work should not have been classified as an emergency and the association should have given homeowners a greater say in how the repairs were handled. 

Noah Martin, who lives there, said the roof project did not qualify as an emergency under California regulations.

He added: “It didn’t fit under the California Code of Regulations, 5610. Clearly, it was not an emergency; it’s a deferred maintenance. And so, then we as members should have a vote on how we want to take care of the roofs.”

Residents also say the HOA has threatened to place liens on properties belonging to owners who fail to pay the assessment.

“They have pushed back, arguing the roofs were not leaking and that replacing the underlying material could be sufficient instead of tearing out all the tiles. 

Adam Dubin, another homeowner, said residents want the HOA to shop around before committing to such an expensive project.

“What we would like to do is have multiple bids competitively submitted and actually negotiate those bids in the best interest of the homeowners. As the board should be doing with their fiduciary responsibilities to us,” Dubin said. 

For some residents, the payment options have done little to ease the financial pain. Homeowners in San Clemente were offered the choice of paying the assessment upfront, splitting it into two payments or adding more than $2,000 to their monthly bill for six months, followed by another $400 monthly payment. 

“Retired, single, what, lose my house? I wouldn’t qualify for a loan to refinance. So where do you go?” homeowner Albright said. 

HOA attorney and expert Michael Kushner said special assessments have become increasingly common, pointing to soaring insurance costs and California’s balcony-inspection requirements as factors.

But he cautioned that associations can sometimes push beyond their legal authority.

He said: “It is a very lopsided relationship, just by virtue of the fact that the HOA has got everybody’s money to play with, and the HOA has authority to issue discipline.”

California homeowners also face an unusual hurdle when disputes erupt: there is no state regulatory agency specifically overseeing HOAs.

The Davis-Stirling Act lays out rules governing associations and provides protections for homeowners, but Kushner said portions of the law could be strengthened and clarified. 

The Torrance homeowners have taken their fight to court and are also seeking to recall their HOA board.