Tenants of a condominium complex in Sandys who have failed to pay their condo fees have been told to cough up the money — or consider selling their homes.

A warning e-mail, seen by The Royal Gazette, was sent to residents of Boaz Island Village on January 10, telling them that the condominium association was owed more than $155,000 in unpaid fees.

Juanita Swan, chairman of the Village’s board of directors, wrote: “It is very challenging to keep the basic systems functioning in the Village when there are so many owners not paying their condo fees.

“For those who are unaware of where their condo fee of $425 per month goes, some of it goes towards the flushing of your toilets. There are no free services, aside from those serving on the board.

“To date, the Village (that means all the owners) is owed over $155,000 in arrears condo fees.

“It is unfair to expect the few to carry those who refuse or choose not to pay. If you are unable to meet your financial responsibilities, it may be time to sell your home.”

She added: “This issue of lack of payment will be addressed in a more vigorous manner this year.

“The Village needs to be able to meet its financial obligations and start to upgrade the complex.”

The condo block on Seawall Drive is believed to contain about 90 homes — most of them privately owned, with about 30 owned by government quango Wedco.

Ms Swan said in her e-mail that the complex was having issues with its sewage system and the board was “diligently working to resolve these issues until we are on the Wedco system”.

She added: “To the owners who have not honoured their repayment plan, your water will be shut off.

“Individual owner payment for flushing water will commence April 1, 2014. The board will let you know the cost at a later date.”

This newspaper e-mailed Ms Swan for comment yesterday but did not receive a response by press time.

Wedco chairman Ray Charlton said Wedco tenants should not be affected by the water shut-off as, to his knowledge, the quango paid the maintenance fee for the units it owns.

He said three residents of the privately-owned condos had approached him in his capacity as a former election candidate for the area with concerns about the condo fees.

“I can sit and see both sides of the issue,” he said. “The condo owners’ association themselves have to purchase the water when they run out.

“In order to protect themselves from being delinquent, they need to pay the bills to the suppliers of the water.

“These are challenging times for many people at the moment. I wish I had the answer.

“Being a part of an association — there are shared responsibilities. There’s no simple solution.”

He said he advised the residents who were struggling to pay to approach the association and work out a repayment plan.

He also suggested to one that they seek help from the Family Centre, as they did not qualify for state financial assistance.