Last week's firing of the Simi Valley Le Parc Homeowners Association in favor of an interim group may not be enough to stave off a possible $25,000 assessment against Le Parc homeowners, James Lee, a Le Parc resident, said.

"We need help," said Lee, 43, who purchased a Le Parc condominium with his wife in 1987. "I just guess we're all scared and angry. I don't want to lose my house and can't afford a $500-a-month judgment. I'm just two paychecks away from poverty."

"We've got senior citizens here who are not going to be able to survive," said Jo Anne Ponticelli, a resident of 15 years. "They can't pay up. They are living on Social Security."

An arbitrator's ruling last summer that the homeowners association pay the ZM Corp. $6.6 million for slander and breach of contract has left the homeowners association penniless.

ZM, doing business as QuikResponse, was hired to refurbish Le Park condominiums following the Northridge earthquake. The association did not pay the company because the association said it was substandard. More than $6 million was paid to another company to finish the project.

The ruling favoring ZM faces numerous appeals.

Monday, efforts by the homeowners association to persuade a Ventura County judge to temporarily bar ZM Corp. from collecting its money -- now estimated at $7 million with interest on the debt -- were postponed.

The judge will rule May 5 on the contractor's request to charge homeowners $2,000 a year per condominium until the debt is paid, said James Lingl, attorney for the association.

A request to terminate the receivership now that the homeowners association has no income also will be considered.

Last week, Lingl said, a majority of Le Parc's 264 homeowners voted to fire the homeowners association and replace it with a Le Parc Community Association.

Lingl said Simi Valley Le Parc Homeowners Association has no further responsibility because it can't collect assessments.

Glenn J. Campbell, attorney for the ZM Corp., could not be reached Tuesday.

The new association will meet tonight for the first time to discuss ways to revive the condominium's crippled maintenance program, Lee said.

"It's a temporary measure for breathing space," he said of the association swap. "He (the contractor) is going to come after us. He's not going to stop. He wants the whole amount. He wants us to drop our appeal."

A Simi Valley real estate agent reported Tuesday that selling Le Parc condos is now made difficult because of the increased liability.