HOA Management Blog
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?
Homeowners associations have a number of rules and regulations that members are asked to observe so that everyone in the association can maintain their property values and quality of life. The association should always try to be reasonable with its rules by following the guidelines below.
The staff or volunteers you see occasionally walking around the community with clipboards or tablets are the homeowners association’s covenants enforcement officers. They’re inspecting the property to ensure that everything is working properly, that conditions are safe, and that nothing is reducing property values or the quality of life in your community.
When thinking of rules within a California Homeowners Association, what comes to mind are the few but chronic rule breakers that somehow find their way into some associations, and how nice it might be to have a spell to bring about compliance in the HOA community.
Americans are starting to gear up for voting date and showing support for their preferred 2016 presidential candidate by volunteering at campaign locations, watching the latest debates, and posting political signs on their property. This raises the issue of whether or not a homeowners association can restrict residents from posting political signs. Learn more in the article excerpt below and what the law in California says.
There’s a lot of talk, along with articles and commentary these days about online bullying. This can take place on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms. It can take the form of inappropriate pictures that someone secretly takes of others and then posts on the internet or just in the mean and inappropriate communications that seem to be an all too often occurrence. But this is not the only place that bullying is taking place. Bullying can and is happening in the realm of homeowner associations as well. In fact, it seems to have escalated greatly in recent years. In what forms can we see it manifested?
The presidential race is in full-swing and everyone is gearing up for the home stretch of campaign season. While some people prefer to keep their opinions to themselves, others want you to know exactly who they’re voting for and why. How does all this come into play when you live in a homeowner’s association?
Firstly, it’s inappropriate for the HOA board to act politically. In other words, the Board as an entity should declare a “side” so to speak. That being said, it can support both sides of the political spectrum by doing the following.
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.
This is the third post in a three-post series. Read the first post Real Questions from Members with Answers from an HOA Manager and the second post Questions Your HOA Board May Relate to Now or Later.
Your homeowners association probably has its share of complaints or concerns from members. It may be parking, barking dogs, or a defiant neighbor – the possibilities are actually endless. Below is a real question submitted by a member of a homeowners association relating to a rule about garbage cans. Learn how an HOA manager might handle the issue and think about how your HOA board would handle it for your community.
Associations have rules to preserve the appearance of the community, protect the value of the common property and individual homes, and make the neighborhood more harmonious for all. What you may not know is that in some rare instances, the homeowners association will waive some rules and regulations.
Does your homeowner’s association allow pets? Many associations do and it goes without saying how much owners love their pets, so keeping them safe in the warmer months is most likely a top priority for those owners. See below for some friendly reminders to pass along to owners in your association - ways to help keep pets happy, healthy, and out of harm’s way…even on the warmest of days.
Building community among residents in your homeowners association can be a challenge. People have busy schedules, won’t commit to attending events, 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.
