Top 5 General HOA Rules

In an HOA-managed community, there are certain rules that need to be followed, and usually, these are strictly implemented, which means you could either get sanctioned or fined/penalized, or worse, kicked out.

HOA Rules

What are some HOA rules? Here are the most common or what are generally included in the Homeowners Association Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions (CC&Rs):

1. Fees

This is one of the first things that will catch your eye when going over your contract to buy or rent a property within an HOA-managed community. Fees are collected from every homeowner on a predetermined schedule (monthly, quarterly, annually or other specific schedule). The fees may cover basic maintenance and repair, emergency funds, and other expenses. It’s important to check exactly what the fees are for and if there are other fee obligations that homeowners may be required to pay on a given situation or circumstance.2. Property maintenance

HOAs are quite specific about property

maintenance, both the exterior and interior of the property. There are certain restrictions regarding what you can put or plant on your front yard, what shades of paint you can use on exterior walls, garage gates, and every other detail that the HOA may feel necessary to control and oversee.

3. Animals

If you’re a pet owner, it’s important to check restrictions regarding pet ownership. There are some HOAs that rule against owning large dogs, certain types of animals, and such. There may also be specific spots in common spaces where pets aren’t allowed so check these as well. Fees may also be collected for your pet’s “share” on property maintenance expenses.

4. Household size

Another important item to check on the CC&R is household size or the number of occupants allowed per home. Some only allow a family of four plus one pet, others more, and others even less. Sometimes, there are also restrictions on the number of overnight guests (yes, surprisingly). Usually though, household size is determined by property size so basically, a bigger house may be allowed to have more occupants compared to a smaller-size house.

5. Cars and parking

HOAs have rules about car ownership, too, and in general, it has something to do with parking and garage. Basically, if your property only has a one-car garage, then one car is all you’re ever going to be allowed to own or at least park in your garage because curbside parking isn’t allowed.

There are just five of the HOA rules that are generally included in CC&Rs. There are more that you may need to thoroughly check and review.