One of the key responsibilities of a community association board is to enforce the rules of the association among homeowners in the community. Your community association is in place to help everyone in a community and preserve the overall aesthetic of a neighborhood.
Therefore, when a neighbor constantly violates the rules, they have to be confronted.
Some ways that homeowners can violate rules include:
- Leaving trash cans out too long
- Failure to properly maintain landscaping
- Improperly parked vehicles
- Fence disrepair
In most cases, the community association will take action, but the violation process can be cumbersome. The assistance of community management experts can be useful in these situations. Here are the steps that a management company can take to help your board resolve violations.
Enforcing Numerous Notices
The rules for resolving violations vary from association to association, but the general progression starts with a number of different notices sent out by HOA association management.
Courtesy Notice
Sometimes an initial courtesy notice can be a friendly knock on the door or a phone call. However, the best route is to send an HOA Violations Letter to the violating homeowner. This first letter is a polite notice that explains the violation to a homeowner. This letter makes the homeowner aware of the rule they are violating, what they need to do to correct it, how long they have to fix it, and the consequences if they do not remedy the violation.
A courtesy notice should also provide contact information of the management company should assistance be needed, or an extension given.
Certified Notice
The next letter serves as the final notice and lets the resident know that the matter has escalated, and further corrective actions will be taken unless the matter is resolved in the given timeframe.
Fine Notice
This notice is the big one. At this point, you have warned the resident that their actions would result in monetary or other consequences. This letter will entail what the consequences are, typically the application of a fine or suspension of common area use.
Yes, enforcing the rules with consequences can be difficult to do for a community association. That is why your association management team will be able to help your board draft, deliver, and enforce the consequences of these types of letters.
Self-Help Clauses Through Community Association Management
Some community associations have self-help clauses that allow an association to go on a property and correct a violation on their own. An example of this could be allowing an association to mow an overgrown lawn and charge the homeowner for the service.
While self-help clauses can be helpful, the community association should note that the property is still a homeowner’s private property. Your association management company will be able to help you decide if you have the legal authority to enforce self-help clauses and how to go about them carefully.
Goodwin & Company Carefully Navigates Enforcing Clauses for Your Community Association Board
If your community association board is experiencing issues with resident violations, don’t let these problems linger. Get in touch with a team that specializes in community association management. Goodwin & Company has the skill and experience to help you work through these frustrating issues in your community. Contact us today to find out about our services and successes within communities like yours.
