On Memorial Day, Independence Day, Veteran's Day and other patriotic holidays, many Americans show respect for their country by raising the star spangled banner or displaying it in some way on their home or in their yard. But can your homeowners association keep you from showing your patriotism and restrict you from displaying the American Flag?
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Each Association is unique, but more often than not your Association has at some point in the past – or will in the future – experience questions similar to the real-life issues addressed below. Continue reading to see if any of these real-life questions and expert answers from an HOA manager apply to your Association.
Sometimes it's confusing for volunteers to know and understand their place on the HOA board. Each board member must hold an officer position, but if you have a Board of Directors comprised of more than five individuals, you may have a position called “member at large.” The duties and position of the member at large can often be confusing, and while it may look different for each association, there is general agreement of what the position consists of.
When you become a member of a homeowners association, you receive a copy of the governing documents. By living in the HOA, you also agree to abide by them, so it's important to read them and understand what they say. However, these documents often use a lot of jargon and can be difficult to understand. Here's a snapshot of the purpose of the Bylaws in an association.
A common question asked among residents in a homeowners association is, how many board members should an association have? The answer is that it really depends on what the association's governing documents state. Typically, the number of HOA board members an association should have is found in the bylaws of the association. But in general, you should have a three- or five-member board of directors. Some have more, depending on the size of the association. A good starting place is to consult your bylaws.
The Board of Directors for your homeowners association has an immense financial obligation to the community. One of the HOA board's most important jobs is to keep legible and accurate financial reports and records. These reports and records provide an overview of your community’s revenue and expenses against its financial projections or budget.
An HOA board of directors has a fiduciary responsibility to the association. They're tasked with upholding the governing documents and the rules of the association. There's also the business judgment rule that says if the board receives expert advice on a topic, and they follow that expert advice, it provides them with a level of protection if there's a lawsuit against the board or the association.
Moving into a homeowners association can present some surprises if you aren’t informed beforehand. It’s up to you to ask the right questions before making the big purchase of buying any home. There are some specific things to consider when purchasing a home that’s a part of an Association.
Parking in a homeowner’s association is always a hot topic. From where it’s ok to park and not to park to enforcing parking rules and even issuing parking tickets, homeowners tend to be very territorial about their parking spaces - and adamant on making sure others living or visiting in the HOA don’t get away with ignoring the parking rules. That being said, sometimes you get a controlling HOA board that wants to take all parking matters into its own hands – going as far as issuing parking tickets. But can they do this?
Building community among residents in your homeowners association can be a challenge, especially in the world's current environment. People have busy schedules, won’t commit to attending events, aren't ready to be a part of larger gatherings, or simply don’t want to be bothered. However, if you host a gathering and nail it, then they’ll be more apt to attend next time, start getting to know their neighbors, and maybe even start to show interest in getting involved on a committee.
