When you think of staying safe in your neighborhood, what comes to mind? You probably lock your doors at night, keep a porch light on, communicate with neighbors if something or someone seems suspicious, maybe even have a guard dog to alert you of anything out of the ordinary. Generally, safety in a neighborhood means lighted streets, low crime, kids at play signs, a neighborhood watch, or even a security patrol. Safety in a homeowners association neighborhood isn’t all that different, but with recent budget cuts to public safety departments and less enforcement, proactive safety is crucial.

You’re a board member of a lovely homeowner’s association. On most days as you drive through your community you wave at fellow neighbors, share a friendly smile with passersby, and enjoy the neat landscapes and well-kept houses. This particular day seems to be no different. The sun is shining. The birds are singing. You appreciate the peaceful feeling and aesthetically pleasing views you’re coming home to after a long day at work. 

But then there’s a fluttering of feathers from the treetops as you turn the corner onto your street. There, at the end of the street, staring back at you is a purple monster of a house. PURPLE. You’re pretty sure it was gray when you left…how did it get to be PURPLE?

How will you be celebrating the 4^th of July? If you’re traveling to visit friends and family or taking a vacation, Bon Voyage! If you’re sticking close to home and celebrating with barbecues, bathing suits, and bright fireworks in your homeowners association, there are some important things to consider. If you’re an HOA board member, remind residents of the following information.

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?

Unclear or unenforced parking rules can wreak complete havoc in your HOA community. Many reasons contribute to this: Communities built with poor planning for parking, poor signage or lack of clarity on parking rules, owners NOT using their garage as their primary parking spot as stated in the Governing Documents, owner having more vehicles than allowed, owners storing vehicles in the community and in doing so losing a valuable parking spot.

You have two residents in your community who for whatever reason do not get along. Unfortunately they live right across the street from one another!

Your homeowners association manager receives phone calls and emails from these two weekly. Bill calls to complain about the lights on in Dan’s home. Dan calls to complain about cars parked on the street when Bill’s wife threw him a birthday party (and didn’t invite Dan). 

So you moved into a beautiful new luxury homeowners association. Your home is on a quiet street in an established neighborhood. Every evening you sit on your newly purchased Adirondack chairs in your shady backyard, sipping on a bottle of wine -- while your roommate is lapping his water from an old beat up water bowl -- your "roommate" in this case happens to be a 120 pound fur baby named Rex and he is not on good terms with your neighbors.

The ultimate goal in a homeowners association is for everyone to be respectful and live together peacefully. However, it’s hard to accomplish both of these goals when you have members breaking the rules – especially if it’s a board member. It’s the responsibility of an HOA board to protect, maintain, and enhance the Association through its leadership, so what happens when one of its own is breaking the rules?