With recent events in the NC State Legislature, we want to take a moment to discuss the practice of assessing fines for covenant violations. The House Select Committee on Homeowners Associations is holding hearings to review and consider citizen’s comments about the practices of Homeowner Associations.
Among the concerns voiced is the ability of HOA’s to assess fines and then foreclose on a member’s home for unpaid amounts due. Clerks of Court and other government officials have been especially vocal in the opinion that HOA’s should not be able to assess fines. We all can agree that without the ability to assess fines, the HOA has few other effective tools to enforce CCR compliance.
And the Winner is…
A friendly competition sprouts each April in one community. That’s when the Creekside Estates Homeowners Association board starts deliberating over its “yard-of-the-month” awards.
Each winner gets boasting rights and a cheery white yard sign that proclaims the homeowners elete status to neighbors and passersby. The homeowner also receives a $25.00 gift card from a home improvement store and accolades in the association newsletter.
It Came from the CC&Rs
All too often, those of us involved in community associations at either the professional or the volunteer level become bogged down in the everyday stresses of our efforts. We try to address homeowners’ service requests, mediate neighbor disputes, pressure a contractor for quicker response, collect a delinquent assessment, prepare a budget, enforce a deed restriction, or gently encourage a hesitant board member–all the while making sure that we’re keeping current with the laws and regulations being imposed on associations at the local, state, and federal levels.