The Landfall HOA Isn't One Association. It's Twenty-Six.

Ask a buyer moving into Landfall what the HOA fee is, and most will quote a single number they saw on the listing sheet. That number is real. It is also incomplete, and depending on which of Landfall's twenty-six separate homeowner associations governs the specific lot, it can be less than half the story.

Landfall does not operate under one flat HOA the way most subdivisions do. The community-wide Council of Associations, or COA, coordinates the whole 2,200-acre property, its guarded gates, private roads, and common grounds. But underneath that umbrella sit twenty-six distinct associations, each with its own declaration, its own dues structure, and in some cases its own rules about how long a tenant can lease the home. Two buyers can close on homes a few streets apart, at similar prices, and end up with materially different monthly costs because of which association their deed falls under, not because of anything visible from the curb.

That distinction rarely shows up clearly until a buyer is deep into a contract, which is exactly when it should not be a surprise.

Two fees, not one, and only sometimes

One recent local estimate put that base fee at roughly $4,160 a year as of late 2025, which covers the staffed security gates, common landscaping, and maintenance of the private road network that makes Landfall function as a single gated community rather than two dozen unconnected pockets.

That fee is the floor, not the ceiling. In sections built as maintenance-free enclaves, such as Muirfield and Londonderry, owners also pay a separate sub-association fee, reported as of late 2025 in the range of $250 to $600 or more per month, that covers lawn care, irrigation, and in some cases exterior building upkeep. The same additional layer applies in Landfall's lock-and-leave communities, including The Mews and Landfall Villas, which are built for owners who want to travel without worrying about a mower.

A custom home on a standard lot elsewhere in Landfall may carry only the COA fee. A villa in one of these maintenance-free sections carries the COA fee plus the sub-association fee on top of it. Run the numbers and the villa, despite often listing for less, can carry a higher monthly association bill than the custom home. That is the detail a listing sheet will not spell out on its own, because the listing sheet describes the house, not the specific association attached to its lot.

Rules vary by section too, not just cost. According to Landfall's Rules and Regulations, Prestwick at Landfall requires a minimum twelve-month lease under its own declaration, a stricter standard than the six-month threshold that defines a "long term renter" under Landfall's community-wide rules. A buyer planning to lease a second home seasonally needs to know which set of rules actually applies to that lot, and the community-wide rulebook alone will not tell them.

Here is the plain version of what that means for anyone comparing two Landfall homes at a similar price point.

Club membership sits entirely outside both HOA layers. It has its own tiers and its own waitlist dynamics.

The calendar attached to the deed

Association dues are the cost side of the equation. The other side is control, and Landfall enforces that through its Architectural Review Committee, known internally as the ARC.

Landfall's Rules and Regulations require ARC approval before work begins on new construction, additions, fencing, pools, generators, tree removal, and even play equipment like trampolines and basketball backboards.

What surprises out-of-market buyers most is the timing. Under the community's own ARC guidelines, submittals are due on the first and third Monday of each month by noon, and the committee typically meets on the second and fourth Monday at 8:30 in the morning to review them. A buyer who closes expecting to repaint the exterior or swap out a fence the following weekend is instead working around a fixed institutional calendar that was set long before they arrived, and that does not bend for a moving truck already on its way.

It is worth being precise about what ARC approval actually covers, because it is easy to assume it means more than it does.

The Landfall ARC Guidelines explicitly state that neither the ARC nor the COA takes any responsibility for structural integrity, soil conditions, or compliance with New Hanover County or City of Wilmington building codes. Getting a design approved by the ARC and getting a permit approved by the county are two entirely separate processes

Why the covenant has teeth

None of this is theoretical. The Landfall Council of Associations has been party to real litigation over how its architectural review authority is exercised, in a case that reached the North Carolina Court of Appeals: Martin v. The Landfall Council of Associations, Inc. The takeaway from legal commentary on that decision is straightforward. Associations enforcing architectural controls have to follow the formalities laid out in their own governing documents, including using a properly appointed committee and giving owners real guidance rather than a bare denial. For a buyer, the practical lesson is the reverse of that. The ARC's authority is not a courtesy gesture that a friendly board member can waive informally. It is a covenant obligation that has already been tested in court, and disregarding it is not a low-risk shortcut.

Where this shows up in the paperwork

North Carolina law requires sellers to complete a Residential Property and Owners' Association Disclosure Statement before closing, under the state's Residential Property Disclosure Act. That form is where a seller is supposed to flag the existence of an association, its dues, and any obligations tied to the property. It is a reasonable starting point, but in a community with twenty-six separate associations layered under one COA, the disclosure form is only as useful as the specificity behind it.

Before writing an offer on a Landfall home, it is worth asking a short, direct set of questions:

1. Which of Landfall's associations governs this specific lot, and is it one of the sections with an added sub-association fee?
2. What is the current COA installment for this property, and when is the next payment due?
3. Are there any recent ARC submittals or approvals tied to the home, and are there any open or denied applications a new owner would inherit?
4. Does the applicable sub-association or declaration set a minimum lease term different from Landfall's general rule, in case rental use is part of the plan?

Those four questions surface the layer that a listing price alone cannot show, and they take the guesswork out of a decision that otherwise depends on where, exactly, inside Landfall's boundary a given lot happens to sit.

FAQ

Does every home in Landfall pay a sub-association fee? No. The sub-association layer applies only in specific sections, generally the maintenance-free and lock-and-leave communities such as Muirfield, Londonderry, The Mews, and Landfall Villas. Homes outside those sections typically have no additional sub-association fee.

How long does ARC approval typically take? The committee reviews submittals on a fixed schedule, meeting the second and fourth Monday of each month after a submission deadline on the first and third Monday by noon. Tree removal and landscape changes are sometimes handled faster, but larger projects run on that recurring calendar.

Does ARC approval mean a project is also permitted by the county or city? No. Building permits and code compliance are handled separately by New Hanover County or the City of Wilmington

If you are comparing homes across Landfall's sections and want the specific association, dues, and ARC history behind a particular address before you write an offer, the Nick Phillips Group can walk through that layer with you property by property. Let's Connect.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.