Frequently Asked Questions
Payment of your Crestlake Homeowners’ Association annual assessment must be mailed to address shown on your invoice.
1. CHOA annual Dues Notices are mailed the first part of June each year.
2. CHOA dues are payable no later than July 31 (By-Laws Article XIV, Section 2).
3. CHOA dues become delinquent on August 1 and are subject to a $50 late fee (By-Laws Article II, Section 3).
4. A CHOA U.S. Certified Mail dues notice reminder will be mailed on or about September 1 with the $50 late fee included (By-Laws Article XIV, Section 3).
5. All CHOA annual dues which have not been paid by this time will be submitted to the attorney to proceed for collection on or about October 1. The delinquent homeowner will still be responsible for all fees including an additional $50 late charge that will be added to the attorney’s letter along with all fees for collection (By-Laws Article XIV, Section 5).
The minimum cost at this time will be the amount of the required annual dues plus $100 in late charges plus the attorney, court and legal costs.
Please Note: Typical costs for the delinquent homeowner at this point will be near $650 or more contingent upon when the delinquent homeowner pays. A precedent has been established in the court whereby the delinquent Crestlake homeowner will be liable for the Association dues and all fees.
Summary of CHOA Annual Assessment Costs
Paid by July 31: $150
Paid after Aug 1: $150 + $50 = $200
October 1, after submission to the attorney: $200 + $50 = $250
After the court legal collection process: Estimated costs will be at least $650
All property owners in Crestlake pay an annual assessment of $150.00 per lot. Annual assessments for the current calendar year are payable on or before July 31 in each year.
Yes, the Association has retained attorneys from Meyer Capel and accountants from Puzey and Wright.
You must be a Board member to be an officer. The Board of Directors elects officers at the annual meeting.
All you have to do is express a desire to participate. Come to some of the Board meetings to see what is involved. You can volunteer or be nominated at the Annual Meeting. An election takes place at that meeting.
The Documents page on this site has all this information.
The Village of St. Joseph maintains the streets, sidewalks, parks, etc. The Association primarily maintains the commons areas as outlined on the map on this website. The Association does NOT pick up garbage, lawn waste, remove snow/water, etc.
There are several ways to receive updated information regarding your Crestlake Homeowner’s Association:
- Check the website on a regular basis for new posts
- Join our email list to receive semi-regular updates
- Submit our contact form
- Call the HOA Hotline: 217-353-LAKE (5253)
There are many convenient ways to contact the Crestlake Homeowners’ Association:
- U.S. Mail
Crestlake Homeowners’ Association
P.O. Box 325
St. Joseph, IL 61873 - Association 24/7 Hotline (Voice Mail)
353-LAKE (217-353-5253) - Email the Board and Committees
Click this link and send a message directly to a member.
Yes, there is always liability when you are a member of a homeowners’ association that owns real estate. However, the Association has $1,000,000 in liability insurance to protect the members. Additionally, the Association is a not-for-profit corporation established in the State of Illinois.
The Crestlake Homeowners’ Association maintains the commons areas for your use and recreation. You can fish in the retention ponds and have activities on the commons areas.
No, the Association has no employees. None of the Board of Directors is paid. They serve voluntarily without compensation.
Yes, the Association owns six retention ponds and one commons area.
The Association is managed by a Board of Directors of nine Crestlake residents – your neighbors!
Yes, the annual assessment is mandatory. If you do not pay and have received legal notice that you owe back assessment(s), the Association will take you to court to recover the assessment. The Association will also request that the judge require you to pay for the Association’s legal fees.
If you own property in phases one through eight in Crestlake, you are a member of the Association. When you closed on the property, the deed work indicated that you became a member of the Association.
Current records pertaining to association dues are kept by our accountant. Please call the Association 24/7 Hotline (Voice Mail) at 353-LAKE (217-353-5253) for all homeowners’ association letters needed by the sellers at closings. You will also be required to provide the names of the buyers at this time.
Yes, there are Rules and Regulations which the Association enforces in order to get the insurance coverage and to protect both the residents and the environment.
The Board of Directors revised the Rules and Regulations Governing the Common Areas at the April 14 Board meeting. You can view them on the Documents page.
No, membership is not mandatory. You can be removed by the Board of Directors or you can resign from the Association. However, this does NOT remove your obligation to pay the annual or special assessments required by the Association.
Yes, you and your guests can use the commons areas. However, please check the rules for use of these areas.
The Board of directors meets every other month. There is also an annual Crestlake Homeowners’ Association meeting held in January of each year. Meetings are held at the St. Joseph Township Building (400 W Sherman, St. Joseph, IL).
These funds pay for treatment and maintenance of the six ponds and their surrounding common areas, as well as the other non-pond commons. This includes mowing, chemical treatments, etc. They also pay for legal fees and accounting/tax services, as well as other costs of running an organization like this (filing fees, corporation fees, etc.).
