Service fees, paying assessments, dues and a set of regulated rules. All of these elements form a Homeowners’ Association, but what can you expect to get from a homeowner’s point of view? Depending on the type of jurisdiction and location, homeowners can benefit a lot from HOA. Nowadays, the associations have developed significantly from just being a group of neighbors who joined forces to pay for common expenses. In fact, community associations are now widely known as very organized systems which are run by a mix of statutory laws and contracts. And these systems work both in favor of the community and the homeowner.
Maintaining a standard of appearance and functionality for the property is one of the key goals of an HOA member, while the HOA itself provides the necessary regulations, guidelines and help for the community. Major projects and ideas such as landscaping, pools, gardens, tennis courts, and much more can be an amenity provided by the HOA management services. All the way to the minor daily ones, which may be smaller in scope, but nonetheless equally important, such as: trash collection, snow removal, etc. Most often your monthly collected dues pay for services like HOA management, pest control, maintenance of common areas, landscaping, general repairs, and security. However, these aspects may vary depending on a specific HOA. Generally, community’s cleanliness and maintaining of property values are primary objectives of HOA. Unexpected expenses pop up every now and then, in such occasions HOA has the right to charge extra in order to cover the funds needed for the unforeseen costs.
One of the vital elements of every community is communication and relationship between its members. HOA members are entitled to board meetings where they can bring up topics which they deem worthy of discussion or address any issue regarding themselves and the community. Another important aspect is that homeowner disputes can be resolved amicably, without the need of resorting to litigation. Surely not all neighbors get along perfectly, and differences of opinions are a natural thing. Which is where HOA steps in to mitigate problems and disputes arising over the life in a community. With absolute transparency and accountability, members of HOA are entitled to board meetings where these conflicts can be dealt with without going to court. Furthermore, in many situations it is best to ask the management to handle certain issues, rather than dealing with it directly yourself, after all, this is another benefit of being a member of an HOA. The association provides a layer of support covering all aspects of the community, doing its best to meet everyone’s needs and build a strong and functioning neighborhood.
