HOA Management Blog
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.
The Board of Directors for most condominium associations in California have felt very comfortable in the past letting owners know that they could not install solar on the common area roof. The roof is common area after all and its maintenance and replacement are the association’s responsibility. Those things remain true but with the passage of AB 634 the association must allow the installation of solar on the common area roof, as well as roofs of the exclusive use carport or garage of a condominium.
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-kempt 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 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 4th 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?
You’ve sent out the candidate solicitations, you’ve gone through finding members who are willing to serve on your board, printed the ballots, and mailed out a professionally prepared cover letter with two envelopes (postage paid!) – just like your CC&Rs or Bylaws outline. Now you have a new HOA board, right?
Then, someone you’d least expect notifies you, as the Director, that they are disputing the election because your HOA does not have election rules!
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.
Your homeowners association may have a strict pet policy. Maybe it’s “no pets under any circumstance” or “no dogs over 50 pounds” or bans certain breeds of dogs or limits the total number of pets allowed in each unit. How does your HOA board navigate the situation when an owner requests to have a dog or some other type of animal?
Do you have to put up with the smoke and smell from marijuana? The simple answer is NO.
Possession and use of marijuana is now legal in California stemming from the passage of Proposition 64. That brings the total number of states where recreational use is legal to seven. That does NOT mean that your HOA property owner can smoke it and blow the noxious smoke into another unit’s area.
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).
One of the most important jobs a homeowners association Board has to do is to enforce the rules of the Association. As a Board member it is part of your duty to make sure all the regulations are followed by homeowners and the Board itself. Failure to do so can lead to chaos and confusion in your community.
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.
