Homeowners associations are generally established to maintain the community; ensuring that all homeowner-members follow the CC&Rs and other regulations and by-laws to maintain community standards and protect property value. And as the gatekeeper of the community, homeowners associations must ensure that all common areas and public spaces and facilities are properly maintained at all times, not only for functionality or aesthetic purposes, but also for the homeowners’ safety.

To maintain these areas, an HOA’s maintenance checklist usually has these four items on top of the list:

1. Exteriors and interiors of structures

It’s important to check the integrity of the structures within the community, especially if these receive high-volume foot traffic on a regular basis. First, the walls and foundation of the buildings will need to be thoroughly assessed, and usually, a professional is hired for the job as they have the eye and expertise to detect even the slightest and smallest risk.

Next, the interiors will be checked. This usually includes doors and windows, vents, drywall, and ceiling. Cracks, leaks, loose tiles, and chipped floorings are some of the vulnerabilities checked.

2. Staircase and elevators

Are there loose boards on the stairs? Is the emergency button in the elevator working? These issues may seem small or inconsequential, but one slip or one incident of being locked inside the elevator without any means to alert anyone is all it takes for a lawsuit to happen. Stairwells and elevators are some of the most frequently used facilities in a condominium or multi-housing complex, which is why regular maintenance is critical for everyone’s safety.

3. Public grounds

Parks, gardens, and pathways are likewise some of the public areas in a community that are frequently used by homeowners, and as such, HOAs need to ensure that members can use these at any time without slipping, tripping, or falling. Homeowners associations usually hire a professional landscape artist and gardener to maintain the grounds, making sure that grasses and bushes are regularly trimmed. Cracks on the pavement also need to be patched to prevent tripping accidents.

4. HVAC system and utilities

HVAC systems and other utilities like gas, power, and water lines could likewise be safety hazards if these aren’t maintained properly. HVAC systems that aren’t functioning properly could be energy leaks, too, which means higher utility bills for the HOA.

There are many other maintenance measures that HOA’s generally perform on a regular basis. The ultimate goal is, as always, to ensure the safety of the community.

A lot of homeowners are in the dark with regard to their HOA’s responsibility in ensuring their safety and security in the community. In general, homeowners associations aren’t entirely responsible for their members’ safety and security; however, they are indeed responsible for keeping public spaces and common areas safe.

If you’ve recently moved and it’s your first time to live in an HOA-regulated community, it would help to know at least the general safety measures that your HOA has taken to ensure that you can sleep soundly at night without worrying about your safety in your own home.

For your reference, below are some of the general safety and security measures that homeowners associations undertake:

1. Vulnerability assessment

HOA’s take the community’s safety seriously, which is why they would have regular inspections of the entire area to evaluate the community’s vulnerability to accident and danger. Usually, HOAs hire a professional security inspector to assess every corner and curb, making sure that all areas are properly checked and evaluated. Doors, locks, windows, stairs, walking paths, and such will be thoroughly checked. During inspection, you could expect a visit from the HOA personnel and the security inspector to check the safety of your home as well.

2. Maintaining a good relationship with local law enforcement

When a burglary occurs or someone vandalized a member’s home, HOAs will need to report the incident to the local police. This, and other such safety and/or security concerns, will generally require the assistance of your local police, which is why HOA’s make it a point to build a good relationship with their local law enforcement department.

3. Neighborhood security watch

HOAs rely on the support and cooperation of their members’, too; so don’t be surprised if your HOA talks to you about alerting them or a neighbor about strangers lurking around or other unusual activity that could endanger you and your neighbors.

4. Educating members about safety precautions

As mentioned above, your HOA is not entirely responsible for your safety, which means you will have to do your part in ensuring you and your household’s safety, as well as your neighbors’. From time to time, the HOA may call for a meeting to discuss current safety measures in place as well as educate you and the community about new security measures they’re looking to implement. Expect to be invited to safety seminars as well, which you have to make sure to attend.

Ultimately, keeping the community safe is a combined effort of the HOA and its homeowner-members.

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.