A hot topic in homeowners associations is renting out your home in the neighborhood. The primary concern for homeowners is that too many rentals will lower the quality of the HOA community, causing broken rules, problems in the neighborhood, and safety issues. While some HOAs may restrict rentals completely, others set a rental cap. Most HOAs have a rental policy that can be found in the governing documents.
An HOA board may get pushback from members in the association when it comes to rule violations. Members will get a violation letter and they'll respond back with, "How come I'm getting a violation letter when my neighbor is doing the exact same thing? You're not treating everyone the same?"
First, the member may not know that their neighbor is also receiving violation letters, but regardless, in an HOA everyone should be held to the same level of the rules and accountable to follow them. People shouldn’t be treated differently within the association. This is known as selective enforcement.
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?
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.
During the holiday season many homeowners association members plan festivities with friends and loved ones. With all of the merriment that’s sure to ensue, it’s important that the HOA board reminds residents who are hosting celebrations to not only be considerate of their neighbors, but also take note of the Association’s rules.
Most people who live in a homeowner’s association know that there are certain rules to follow. There are many reasons why people might ask why we have HOA rules. You may have chosen to live in an HOA because the rules there make you feel safer and increase property values. You may have just agreed to the rules because you found your ideal home at the time and the rules came with the neighborhood. You may also be on the opposite end of the spectrum and be wondering why we even bother having HOA rules when no one in the association seems to follow them – or enforce them.
As an HOA Board member you know that HOA rules serve a valid purpose – usually. While you understand the importance of enforcing your HOA rules and regulations, it would be hard to follow through on the following with a straight face.
Are you abiding by the rules in your homeowners association? When you move into a homeowners association you become part of a neighborhood that is governed by a board of directors who enforce the rules of the Association. When you sign the Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions (CC&Rs) of the Association, you are entering into an agreement that you will abide by the rules of the Association community. This often means you’re limited to the improvements you can make to your property (like paint color of your home, landscaping, or decorative components), whether or not you can have pets, noise restrictions, etc.
Is your homeowners association located in an area that wildlife frequent? More specifically, is your Association located in such a location that deer regularly visit your community? While deer are beautiful creatures to admire, the HOA board may want to caution owners from interacting too closely with these animals.
