A warning to widows and widowers.

I married a man in 2012 who lived in Sun City, he added my name to the deed of his home and in 2018 he passed away. This week I received an invoice from Recreation Centers of Sun City for $3,800 — $3,500 for Preservation and Improvement Fee and $300 as transfer charge. I just found out that when you are not the original purchaser on the home, and have been added to the deed, when the original purchaser of the home passes away, you have to pay $3,800 just as if you had purchased this home.

In other words, by adding my name to the deed, I now purchased the home from my husband.

Of course, in the kindness of their hearts, they have given me six months interest free to pay this amount, after that the interest rate is 16%.

I recently found out that if my husband had signed over 51% of the home to me, then I would be the majority owner and would not have to pay this. However, then if I passed away, he would have had to pay it, a no-win situation! There were almost 200 homes sold in Sun City in the last four weeks, at $3,800 per home, that’s a pretty hefty sum to go into the Preservation and Improvement Fee account.

So I don’t understand why they have to go after widows and widowers. Just a warning.

Jacqueline Thomas
Sun City