Every homeowner’s association has its own set of CC&Rs and rules and regulations, and each one was designed to ensure that community standards will be strictly upheld and that homeowners can co-exist harmoniously. Additionally, HOA management guidelines are included in these rules and by-laws to help the HOA Board perform its duties.

Within these CC&Rs and rules are regulations on home maintenance that every homeowner must follow, which also covers home improvements and renovation. If you are a homeowner looking to renovate your home, it is strongly advised that you seek prior approval from your HOA to ensure that work will run smoothly, thus reducing the risk of costly delays.

You should also take note of these common HOA home renovation regulations:

1. Schedules

Depending on the scale and scope of your renovation project, the HOA might impose a strict schedule for the entire project, from the general timeframe (start and completion) to specific daily schedules (8:00 am to 3 pm on weekdays only and no weekend work, for instance). In general, this rule is imposed in consideration of your neighbors who may be disturbed by all the construction noise.

2. Materials

Apart from checking the materials you’ll be using to ensure their safety for the community and also to make sure that these are in keeping with the corresponding stipulations in the CC&Rs, materials here also refer to how these will be delivered to you, where you will be storing them, and how you will be using them. Again, this is in consideration of your neighbors and the community. In general, anything that can potentially disrupt the peace in the community will need to be pre-approved by the Board (and even by your neighbors if the Board decides to bring it up at a community meeting).

3. Clean-up

HOAs enforce daily clean-up to prevent accidents and also to maintain curb appeal. During clean-up, the homeowner and construction workers should be careful not to damage adjoining or nearby properties. In other words, make sure not to accidentally leave debris, remnants, or dirt on the neighbor’s yard.

The point of getting prior approval from your HOA is to ensure that your renovations are within the HOA’s rules and regulations, especially if the project involves installing a new plumbing system for a new bathroom or an electrical system for a new wing. Approval is also needed if you will be doing major work on the exterior of your property (which will be visible thus could affect the overall appeal of the community).

Not all home renovations need to be pre-approved, however. Homeowners associations generally allow such interior renovations as replacing the kitchen countertop and sink, adding a fresh coat of paint on the walls, installing new wallpaper, or updating interior trims.

Properties in a developed community, whether a multi-family building or a gated community with single-family units are usually governed by a homeowners association; that is, these properties must be managed and maintained by their respective homeowners based on the guidelines and regulations mandated by the HOA’s CC&Rs and by-laws.

But just as each homeowner is expected to maintain both the interior and exterior of their property, the HOA also has a responsibility to maintain the exteriors of the community. Doing so not only ensures that community standards are upheld but also to make the community more appealing to potential home buyers and renters.

On that note, here are a few tips for HOAs on how to enhance curb appeal:

1. Re-paint exterior walls of community buildings and structures

From the community center to the administrative office building, playground, and clubhouse, these are public structures in a community that are generally the responsibility of the homeowners association. This means that other than their interior upkeep, their exterior maintenance is likewise the responsibility of the HOA. And the first thing that potential home buyers or renters and even guests notice is the exterior appeal of these structures. Make sure to add a fresh coat of paint once you start to notice the old paint peeling off.

2. Maintain plants and gardens

One of the things that make a community truly attractive to a potential homeowner as well as visitors is landscaping; not so much as the landscape architecture itself but more of how well it is maintained. Make sure that the grass is regularly cut; plants and flowers are healthy, and trees and bushes are groomed as well. HOAs are reminded not to overlook the importance of well-kept landscaping.

3. Have all necessary safety measures in place

While these aren’t exactly related to aesthetics, safety measures are nonetheless an important consideration for potential homeowners especially if they have young children in their care. Make sure that public spaces for kids, like the park and swimming pool, are installed with the appropriate equipment and that safety measures are in place.

4. Make sure all surfaces are clean

Walls, floors, walkways, porches, and other exterior surfaces are clean. Regular power-washing is recommended to remove stubborn grime and dirt.

5. Work with the community

Get everyone involved. Ask for volunteers who will keep an eye on the community’s public structures. They can alert the HOA for repairs and maintenance that need to be done. This helps ease the burden of the HOA Board.

If you’re considering a rental property that belongs to an HOA-regulated community, you should take the time to go over the HOA’s Covenant, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&Rs) before signing the lease because there might be a couple of stipulations or regulations that you won’t feel comfortable living with. You should also read the fine print on the lease contract regarding HOA dues because you could be paying annual membership that your landlord already covers. In any case, it pays to go over the lease contract and HOA regulations as this ensure a smooth moving-in process and an even smoother residency in your new community.

Now if you’re renting an HOA-regulated property for the first time, here are some of the things you need to know about HOAs:

1. Members pay annual dues on top of other fees

Membership dues could cost you anywhere between $300 to a staggering $3,000 per month, depending on the location, type of community, property, and public amenities provided by the HOA. The schedule of payment will depend on the HOA. On top of this, the HOA may also charge you for additional fees from time to time. These could be to cover repairs and maintenance, replacement of old equipment, and other incidentals. Usually, there is an emergency fund for these things but if the cost exceeds the fund, members will have to share the load. Members may also pay an additional fee to build up the reserve fund once it gets depleted.

2. Your landlord will enforce HOA CC&Rs, and rules and regulations

Since you will be moving into a rental, you will have a landlord who will oversee everything, which includes ensuring that tenants abide by the HOA’s CC&Rs and by-laws, as well as applicable rules and regulations. Expect to hear from your landlord about these things from time to time if they have been contacted by the HOA for a violation or complaint, or other reasons.

3. HOA CC&Rs are different from the HOA’s rules and regulations

In general, CC&Rs outline what every household member should do regarding the maintenance of their properties. These could include painting exterior walls with specific colors only, mandatory landscaping of the front lawn, street parking, payment of dues and fees, and whether or not you are allowed to have pets other than cats and dogs.

Rules and regulations, on the other hand, have more to do with day-to-day living in the community. These usually include when to take out the trash for garbage collection, where you can place trash bins outdoors, and such.

In general, these are rules and regulations that haven’t been covered in the CC&Rs or by-laws. And these are more flexible compared to the two as these could be easily amended to keep up with changing times.

Property managers are often employed by owners of rental properties to handle related tasks for them. In other instances, property managers are hired for their services by owners of second homes or vacation homes who can’t be physically present to oversee the maintenance of their property. Whatever the purpose, property managers play a vital role in the upkeep of the property in the absence of the owner.

With that said, it’s important to be selective about your choice of property manager because the wrong one could cause you to lose your investment. While technical skills are critical to their role, soft skills are just as important. For your reference, these are the essential skills that make a successful property manager:

1. Strong communication skills

This is the most essential skill that every property manager must possess because the lack of it could cause a slew of problems for you, especially if their job is to oversee a rental property. With strong communication skills, the property manager knows how to start a dialogue with a tenant, listen when needed, and speak up when necessary. Communication skills will also help in vetting tenants, discussing repairs and maintenance checks with contractors, and talking to every other important personnel related to the upkeep of a property. Likewise, strong communications will help you and/or your tenants with things related to the HOA, if your property belongs to an HOA-regulated community.

You can find out whether or not the property manager has strong communication skills when you interview them for the job.

2. People skills

People skills is a general term used to cover everything about people relations and is closely related to the above. In a nutshell, a good property manager can forge and nurture relationships and partnerships not only with their client/s, which are the property owners, but also with everyone who is and will be involved in all things related to your property, from tenants to contractors, the HOA board, and the like.

Suffice it to say that a property manager who lacks people skills shouldn’t be in any type of job that involves constant interactions with others, especially professionals offering services for the maintenance of your property.

3. Leadership skills

A property manager who possesses strong leadership skills knows when to lead and when to let others take the spotlight. Leadership isn’t focused on managing a team alone; more importantly, it is focused on building and teaching others so they too can become leaders someday. This skill is important in a property manager because it allows them to be open to suggestions from others while also being able to take the reins when necessary. A good leader teaches the team as much as they learn from them.

Homeowners associations are established to ensure the safety of their member-homeowners, protect property value, and maintain the community they serve. To put it another way, homeowners associations are there to protect the interests of both the homeowners and property owners (if these are separate entities).

An HOA is run and managed by volunteer homeowners that make up the Board of Directors. They ensure that the HOA is fully functional and fulfills its duties and responsibilities. And part of their responsibilities is to ascertain that funds are available for both maintenance purposes and emergencies. Where do the funds come from? They come from the community itself; homeowners, in other words.

What every homeowner should know about HOAs is that they too have a responsibility to the association just as the association has a responsibility towards them. Payment of fees and dues is arguably one of the most important responsibilities of a homeowner. Here are some of the fees and dues that homeowners should expect to pay to their HOA:

1. HOA membership fee

Depending on your city or state and the size of your household and property, your HOA membership fee could range anywhere from $300 to $500 per month (some HOAs have a much higher membership fee). A part of the fees collected will go into maintenance funds/daily operational expenses and another portion of it will go into the reserve fund, which can be used for emergency repairs and other unforeseen expenses.

2. Assessment dues

In a nutshell, assessment dues are fees collected from homeowners to pay for expenses that aren’t covered by the membership fee, homeowner insurance, or reserve fund, whichever is applicable. These additional HOA expenses typically include emergency repairs, natural disaster response, and emergency assistance to homeowners the costs for which have exceeded the amount of money kept in the reserve fund.

Understand that for such assessment dues, it doesn’t matter whether or not you’re using the facility that needs repairs or whether or not you were directly affected by the natural disaster/emergency. You, as a member of the association, have a responsibility to the HOA, and this includes payment of assessment fees.

Homeowners may be required to pay assessment dues for a certain number of months until such time when the reserve fund is in the positive again. This arrangement, however, depends on the HOA.

While both financials may seem very basic, there are specific inclusions and considerations for each one and this is actually where the hard work lies. For the HOA membership fee, for instance, the HOA must be able to determine an accurate monthly budget for daily operations as well as allocate a feasible amount for the reserve fund and have a little wiggle room to cover bad debt and deferred equipment repairs or replacement.

Usually, HOAs hire the services of a professional property management company to assist them with their financial duties and other HOA obligations.