HOA regulations
Homeowner association (HOA) rules are created for the benefit and convenience of the whole neighborhood. They are designed for the safety of your property whether you’re there or not and they greatly improve the odds that the living conditions of the community’s residents in Flagstaff improve tremendously.
Homeowner association boards will enforce rules and regulations to ensure things move smoothly unless there’s a very good reason not to – which is hard to find. But as time goes by, society changes and individual issues arise which may force the board to be a little flexible with rule enforcement.
Taking things into consideration
If an owner asks for a certain rule to be waived, the board has to take a lot of time to review the case. In communities in Flagstaff, word can spread and pretty soon you may have a stream of homeowners requesting for some version of their rules to be waived too.
The board is therefore forced to consider a lot of factors before relaxing a rule, for instance, the specificity of the circumstance, priorities of other owners, the risk being placed on the HOA by making such a waiver, and if it is legally possible based on the governing documents.
An exception to the rule
Just about anything can be negotiated, except for HOA dues. Owners must always pay their share of expenses. Depending on circumstances, the HOA in Flagstaff may waive late fees and interest depending on each individual case, but the HOA fees must always be paid. This can never be waived because it is where the association gets the finances to run the community. This is also mandated in the community’s governing documents.
Be informed
Before making a request for a particular rule to be waived or changed, make sure that you’re sufficiently informed about the rules and regulations of the community in Flagstaff. Look it up carefully in the documents of the HOA association. If you still disagree with them, talk to a few other homeowners and discuss it. If you’re convinced that they need to be changed, then go ahead and make a formal request to the HOA board.
The board and the members are human beings and homeowners in the same community. If the issue really does bother you, it’s likely it bothers others as well. The board also understands what is expected of a changing community in Flagstaff, and if it can be considered, they will let you know.
Conclusion
It’s important that if a decision to waive a rule is reached, it is done in the right way. Most governing documents provide provisions to allow the board to not enforce some rules and homeowners can do nothing about it. However, any rules being enforced must be uniformly enforced for all homeowners. If it’s likely to be a complex issue and an experienced HOA manager in Flagstaff can help.
