It's estimated that 73.9 million households in the United States fall under an HOA. There's no denying that homeowner associations can add a lot of value to communities. However, they can also sometimes prove quite divisive.
This is especially true when HOA violations occur in your West Cobb, GA community. When HOA residents break rules you need to have a system for addressing it quickly and respectfully.
So how do you go about doing this? In this guide, we'll give you a quick breakdown of how you should approach violations in your HOA. That way, you can make the stressful experience as easy as possible.
Make Sure Everyone Knows the Rules
One of the essential duties of an HOA board is to make sure that everyone in the community knows about the rules and regulations laid out in your charter. If people don't know the rules you can't expect to be mad at them when they break them.
One way you can reinforce HOA rules is by bringing them up at HOA community meetings. However, you'll also want to make sure that people have a copy of a rules document.
This is especially important for new HOA community members who aren't familiar with what they can and can't do.
Keep a Level Head During Disputes
Violations have the potential to upset people. Some community members might think the rules are unfair. Or they might be critical about enforcing them harder for some people more than others.
When fines get involved, it can inevitably lead to disputes. If you're a board member dealing with these disputes, it's vital to keep a level head. Otherwise, as this story shows, it can turn into a costly battle.
Give Warnings Before Fines
People make mistakes or they might not know the rules. So it's important to give them a chance to correct the violation before you charge them a fine. Before you issue anything, make sure to give them a written warning.
Cite the violation they're breaking and how they can correct it. Make sure you also include a timeline for when they need to fix the problem, whether that's a few days or weeks (it will depend on the specific violation).
Consider HOA Management
Sometimes it can be hard for HOA board members to remain objective when it comes to violations and disputes. That's where an HOA management service can come in handy.
In addition to dealing with violations, this professional can also handle things like your:
- Accounting
- Reporting
- Vendor coordination
- Compliance
- Inspections
- Maintenance
By passing on the busy work to a third-party company you can both minimize disputes and focus on more big-picture board concerns.
HOA Violations Stressing You Out? Contact PMI Cornerstone
We hope this guide helped you learn how to handle HOA violations in your West Cobb, GA community. Here at PMI Cornerstone, we know that dealing with violations is one of the worst parts of being on any board.
So if you're tired of dealing with it, consider passing the role off to professionals.
We have years of experience when it comes to this type of conflict resolution. So when you're ready to take advantage of our expertise, get in touch with us today.
