Hoa Sent Me To Collections For Payments I Already Made After They Changed Payment Processor (ga)

location: Georgia (30005)

I own a townhome in Georgia (30005) and have always paid my HOA dues and special assessments through my bank’s electronic bill pay (SunTrust/Truist).

In 2023, our HOA changed payment processors. The new company apparently doesn’t handle leading zeros on account numbers correctly. Because of that, my 2023 payments were not applied to my account.

After I noticed a balance and contacted the property management company, they eventually fixed my monthly dues for 2023 and applied those payments correctly. However, I later discovered that two special assessment payments of $535 each (paid around 4/2023 and 7/2023) were still not applied to my account.

I emailed the property management contact multiple times with the details (dates, amounts, and proof from my bank). They stopped replying, and then changed the contact method from a named person to a generic email address. I still never got a clear response or correction.

Then in October 2025, my HOA sent my account to collections for what appears to be these same “unpaid” special assessments. I’ve shared all the same information with the collection attorney, but so far I haven’t gotten any meaningful update or resolution.

Important details:

• Payments were made via electronic bill pay, no physical check in my hands.
• My bank says the account statements are proof of payment.
• As far as I’m concerned, I paid on time, and the issue is with the HOA/processor misapplying or losing the payments.

My questions:

1. What should my next steps be to protect myself, especially regarding my credit report and any potential judgment?
2. How do I best document and present this (bank records, emails, timeline, etc.) to the HOA and the collection attorney?
3. In Georgia, is this something I should handle myself (written dispute letters, debt validation, complaints to state agencies) or is it time to talk to a real estate/consumer rights attorney?
4. Is my bank’s electronic statement usually considered strong enough proof if this ends up in a legal dispute?

Any guidance from people who’ve dealt with HOAs, collections, or similar payment-processing screwups would be appreciated. Should I be looking for a Georgia real estate/HOA attorney or a consumer rights/debt collection attorney for this?