ACCU review: My years of experience with ACCU as a management company

After years as a homeowner managed by ACCU, Inc. at Cambridge in the Foothills Condominium Association, I am compelled to share my experience so other communities and homeowners know what they are dealing with before signing a management contract.

They charge fees their own governing documents don't allow. ACCU has charged me return check fees of $30.00 on at least three separate occasions — despite the Association's own Collections Policy clearly capping this fee at $20.00. I had to formally cite the governing documents each time to get it corrected. Their own portal records confirm: 'Return check fee adjusted to $20.00 per governing documents.' This is the fifth time I have had to correct an improper ACCU charge. This is not a mistake — it's a pattern.

They charge fees during active repayment agreements. I entered into an 18-month repayment plan — a right provided under the governing documents. During this period, ACCU continued charging late fees, interest, and AR service fees that should have been waived. When I formally requested the waiver, a manager denied it unilaterally without documented Board authorization. The Association's own policy does not give management this independent authority.

They enforce rules selectively — and against the wrong people. I submitted video evidence of genuine violations by a neighbor — including potential arson on a stairwell, noise violations, harassment, and storing items in common areas. These were largely ignored. Meanwhile, violations were charged against my account that were later credited back after I challenged them. That's the definition of selective enforcement.

Their communications are evasive and dismissive. Every complaint is met with blame-shifting — toward the Board, the lawyers, the landscaper, or the homeowner filing the complaint. When I asked to speak with ACCU's president about ongoing issues, I received a letter saying I was the problem. When I raised safety concerns about a neighbor's child, a comment was made insinuating I had inappropriate motives — a completely baseless and offensive accusation. Their community-wide emails are similarly dismissive and condescending toward homeowners who raise legitimate concerns.

They ignore their own governing documents. The violation enforcement procedure requires a warning letter, a certified initial letter, and a hearing opportunity before fines. Meeting notice requirements exist in the governing documents with specific advance timelines. ACCU regularly fails to follow these procedures — either because they haven't read the documents they are paid to administer, or because they don't believe they apply to them.

They placed a charge on my account for legal fees I had already paid — years earlier. A $320 legal billing charge appeared on my account in April 2023. I have documented proof it was paid in August 2022. ACCU was asked repeatedly to produce the specific invoice referenced in the line item. They never could — because it doesn't appear to exist. This has been reported to the BBB.

ACCU's business model appears to rely on homeowners not reading the governing documents and not pushing back on improper charges. If you are a Board member or a community considering ACCU as your management company — do your research. Read the reviews. And get everything in writing.

If you are a homeowner already under ACCU management: read your governing documents carefully, document every interaction, and challenge every charge that doesn't match the written policies. You will likely find discrepancies.