A WOMAN has learned she’s locked into a 10-year money-sucking agreement thanks to a last-minute HOA policy chain. Sherri Crownover was investigating a $100 mystery maintenance fee when her heart sank, and she realized she was on the hook for good. The issue began when Atlanta resident Crownover signed up for a timeshare at Golf Club Villas in Big Canoe in 1996. The agreement was set to expire last year, but the HOA voted to extend all agreements without informing her or getting her consent. When she opened up her latest maintenance fee in January, she realized what was happening. “I feel like I’ve met my obligation. I’ve paid this for 29 years,” Crownover told ABC affiliate WSB-TV. Crownover was told by Capital Vacations, the company managing the timeshare, that the HOA’s vote had extended her contract. “This extension is a benefit to the owners,” Capital Vacations said in a statement. However, Crownover disagrees. She says she never agreed to the extension and is not planning on paying the maintenance fee. “I don’t think I should have to,” she said. According to legal experts, Capital Vacations’ bizarre move is rare and should be troubling for consumers. “For somebody to hold somebody’s feet over the fire on a contract like this that was signed so many years ago, if it’s not illegal, it certainly should be,” Rich Folk from legal firm Timeshare Contract Resolution told WSB-TV. Crownover’s original contract was set to expire at the end of 2024, but it included a clause that allowed for automatic renewal “unless extended as provided in the declaration.” She tried to call the HOA and get it straightened out, but initially didn’t get anywhere. “They said, well, according to our records, you’re still actively a member of this place,” she said. Capital Vacations has said they would work as a liaison between the board and the owner to explore possible solutions, though Crownover remains frustrated with the situation. “We enjoyed the timeshare for years,” Crownover said. “And I just was looking forward to being out of it” Now, Crownover says she feels trapped in a contract she never agreed to, with no easy way out in sight. The HOA’s decision, made without her input, has left her stuck. “I would be dead and buried before they ever let me out of this thing,” Crownover said. Capital Vacations did not immediately respond to The U.S. Sun’s request for comment.