The monthly HOA fee covers most of the services required to run your community. This will vary depending on the community type and size, but at a minimum, it covers services like lawn maintenance, snow, and trash removal. The HOA fees also cover the costs of a retained attorney for legal matters, salaries of hired staff (i.e security/concierge/lifeguards) depending on the community needs. It should be noted that large capital improvements like replace roof shingles may or may not be covered under the standard HOA fee. It really depends on how well the community has budgeted for these types of projects. Shortfalls in capital reserves will require a community to incur an additional assessment fee to every homeowner and/or obtain long-term financing which may increase your monthly HOA fees.