HOA Landscaping Rules & Regulations Explained
Landscaping guidelines are usually found in the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&Rs), and may be further clarified in board adopted Rules and Regulations. Notices and violations issued for landscaping are always a hot topic for homeowners and community managers, and it’s not hard to see why.
The CC&Rs will typically state that the owner must keep or maintain their lot or landscaping in a clean and attractive condition. It may further explain that landscape maintenance shall include mowing, weed abatement, edging, and irrigation on a regular consistent schedule. There will be variations of that text, and more often than not, it will be vague and subjective.
Homeowners often ask who gets to decide what constitutes “maintained” and what is a “clean and attractive condition?” They ask, “Are you just deciding who gets a notice or violation based on your own opinion?”
Understanding notices and violations for landscaping, which can include grass, weeds, edging, bushes, and trees, might be easier if you think about how the community was designed. Planned communities are typically developed and built out so that all the homes and yards have the same general look and complement each other. A developer may require that all homes have a sodded front yard, 2 trees of a specific species, and a certain number of bushes. All the homes are painted using a specific color scheme and set of materials. No homes are designed to be unique in an HOA community.
In a community where all the homes and yards are designed to be harmonious, when one home or yard is out of compliance, it will stand out and it creates visual clutter. Therefore, if the majority of yards are well maintained, sidewalks edged, and free of weeds, then you would notice when one is not. That would be the home that receives a violation. Anything that disrupts the general look and feel of the community is going to be flagged as a possible violation.
When deciding if a yard is “maintained” in a “clean and attractive manner” it is going to be judged against all the other homes on the community. Does this yard stand out compared to the rest? If so, why? Is it missing a tree? Does it have bare spots in the grass? Are the weeds out of control? Did the hard surfaces not get edged?
The goal is to keep the harmonious look of the community by ensuring that all the homes have the same general look and feel. The next time you receive a violation for landscaping, before you reach out to complain to your board or property manager, step outside and look at all your neighbor’s yards and compare yours. Does yours stand out, and why?
We, as Community Managers, know everyone is busy and sometimes it’s hard to make time to mow. That’s why typically the first letter you receive is a courtesy letter or reminder notice. You will usually only receive an actual violation letter or fine if the issue becomes persistent. Also, we know there may be worse yards in the neighborhood, and you can be assured they’ve received a violation as well.
Try not to take it personally, and understand that the intention behind uniform landscaping is to preserve property values by ensuring a neat, uniform appearance.
By Tom S. Ramirez Baldo, Aperion Community Manager
The CC&Rs will typically state that the owner must keep or maintain their lot or landscaping in a clean and attractive condition. It may further explain that landscape maintenance shall include mowing, weed abatement, edging, and irrigation on a regular consistent schedule. There will be variations of that text, and more often than not, it will be vague and subjective.
Homeowners often ask who gets to decide what constitutes “maintained” and what is a “clean and attractive condition?” They ask, “Are you just deciding who gets a notice or violation based on your own opinion?”
Understanding notices and violations for landscaping, which can include grass, weeds, edging, bushes, and trees, might be easier if you think about how the community was designed. Planned communities are typically developed and built out so that all the homes and yards have the same general look and complement each other. A developer may require that all homes have a sodded front yard, 2 trees of a specific species, and a certain number of bushes. All the homes are painted using a specific color scheme and set of materials. No homes are designed to be unique in an HOA community.
In a community where all the homes and yards are designed to be harmonious, when one home or yard is out of compliance, it will stand out and it creates visual clutter. Therefore, if the majority of yards are well maintained, sidewalks edged, and free of weeds, then you would notice when one is not. That would be the home that receives a violation. Anything that disrupts the general look and feel of the community is going to be flagged as a possible violation.
When deciding if a yard is “maintained” in a “clean and attractive manner” it is going to be judged against all the other homes on the community. Does this yard stand out compared to the rest? If so, why? Is it missing a tree? Does it have bare spots in the grass? Are the weeds out of control? Did the hard surfaces not get edged?
The goal is to keep the harmonious look of the community by ensuring that all the homes have the same general look and feel. The next time you receive a violation for landscaping, before you reach out to complain to your board or property manager, step outside and look at all your neighbor’s yards and compare yours. Does yours stand out, and why?
We, as Community Managers, know everyone is busy and sometimes it’s hard to make time to mow. That’s why typically the first letter you receive is a courtesy letter or reminder notice. You will usually only receive an actual violation letter or fine if the issue becomes persistent. Also, we know there may be worse yards in the neighborhood, and you can be assured they’ve received a violation as well.
Try not to take it personally, and understand that the intention behind uniform landscaping is to preserve property values by ensuring a neat, uniform appearance.
By Tom S. Ramirez Baldo, Aperion Community Manager
