It is a non-profit corporation registered with the State and managed by a duly elected Board of Directors. Its purpose is to maintain all common areas and to govern the community in accordance with the provision of the legal documents: CCR's, Bylaws, and Articles of Incorporation. The corporation is financially supported by all members of the Homeowner Association. Membership is both automatic and mandatory.

The Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CCR) are the governing legal documents that set up the guidelines for the operation of a planned community as a non-profit corporation. The CCR is recorded by the County recorder's office of the County in which the property is located and sould be included in the title to your property. Failure to abide by the CCR's may result in a fine to a homeowner by the Association.

The Homeowner's Association again is a corporation, and therefore a governing body is required to oversee its business. The Board of Directors is elected by the homeowners, or as otherwise specified in the bylaws. Limitations and/or restrictions of power granted to the Board will be outlined in the Association governing documents found within the bylaws.

Most Associations have developed Rules and Regulations as provided for in the CCR, Master Deed or Bylaws and adopted by the Board of Directors. Rules are established to provide direction to the homeowners regarding such things as common areas, parking, vehicles, pets and pool use. In addition, your Association will adopt architectural guidelines with procedures for submitting requests to make exterior changes to your home. Such changes may include patio covers, decks, landscaping, exterior doors or windows, color changes or any additions to the structure. These rules and guidelines are set up to maintain the aesthetic value and integrity of the community on behalf of all homeowners, and hopefully protect the market value of your investment. Violations of these rules by any homeowner may result in the Board of Directors assessing a fine. In addition, if you proceed with an exterior improvement or change, without written approval of the Board of Directors, or Architectural Committee, as applicable, you may be required to remove or correct the alteration.

If residents cannot resolve a situation between themselves, then turn to your Association. Should you have a situation that does not appear to be resolved through neighborly means, and you are willing to actively participate in the enforcement procedure provided by the Policies and Guidelines, you may contact the management company for assistance and direction in resolving the matter. If the situation is deemed in violation of the Policies and Guidelines, the Board of Directors will institute the enforcement policy. Your continued assistance may be required.

Yes, homeowners are urged to participate in the Associations annual meeting as well as request attendance to address a particular issue the board may have on their agenda for any other scheduled meetings throughout the year. Notice for time and place of these board meetings should be in the Association newsletter, if applicable, or you can contact the management company for meeting times and to be added to the next agenda.

An Assessment is the periodic amount due from each homeowner to cover the operating expenses of the common area and provide reserve funds for replacement of common facilities in future years. Your assessments are due on the first of the month unless otherwise stated in your bylaws.

The Department of Real Estate typically requires an initial budget from the developer for each community that a developer proposes to build. This budget is set upon specific guidelines for utilities, landscaping, administration, etc. Reserve funds are monies set aside for future expenses due to the life expectancy of certain items: lighting, street resurfacing, pool equipment, roofs etc... These amounts are then divided by the number of units built in a given phase of the development. Subsequent budgets are developed by the Board of Directors and adjusted periodically to meet anticipated expenses.

There is no concrete answer to this. Each year the Board of Directors and the Management Company review the annual expenditures, reserve funding and the future needs of the Association. The Board of Directors may approve an increased budget, increasing your assessment up to this percentage in order to cover increased costs of operating and maintaining the common area and sufficient reserve funds.

The Maintenance and Management Services incurred by the Association are dependent upon timely receipt of the Assessments due from each homeowner. Late payments will result in a late charge as Assessments are due on the first of each month. In addition, the governing documents allow the Board of Directors for your Association to charge late fees, interest, proceed with a lien on your property or if necessary, foreclose on the property for nonpayment of assessments.

Living in a condominium association is like joining a club. Rules and regulations are set and you agree to follow them when you buy your condominium. A condominium is a type of housing, usually attached, where the owners own their unit and a portion of the private land that it sits on. They also own a share in the amenities like swimming pools and clubhouses. All condominium buildings have associations that govern the policies of the condominium project, allocate expenses for maintenance, and collect the monthly, quarterly or annual association fees that each owner pays for building, insurance and community maintenance. All owners of the condominiums are members of the association.

A document used by condominium developers to record the project, its division into condominium ownership, and the grant of common areas to the condominium owners.

The key difference between a condo association and a homeowners’ association is what the individual members actually own.

With a condo, each member owns their individual unit, and they have a joint ownership interest in the common areas. All condo owners are members of their community’s association, and they share ownership stake in what that association owns. Condominiums can either be attached or detached.

With a homeowners’ association, each member owns their individual property and their lot. However, common areas are owned by the homeowners’ association itself—meaning there is no joint ownership interest in the common areas.