A homeowner’s association is a structure used by many, if not most residential communities across the nation to make and to enforce the rules of coexistence in a particular neighborhood, ensuring a consistent atmosphere, cleanliness and order in the neighborhood.
Homeowner’s associations operate based on a book of rules usually called a HOA covenant that includes not only the rules related to the behavior of the residents in the regulated area, but also the rules regarding the appearance of the properties in the area, including rules related to the color of the roofs and the walls of the buildings, the types of windows used on the properties and to the appearance of the landscapes in the neighborhood, especially in the areas that are publicly visible. Most HOA’s consist of members elected from among the residents and require the members to pay a certain monthly amount that goes towards community expenses that might include landscape organization and maintenance as well. Here are some things that you should know about the relationship between landscaping and HOA covenants.
It All Varies from One Community to the Other
There are basically two types of HOA agreements: one type includes home maintenance and it does not allow the property owner to implement any major changes in the structure of the landscape on the property, the other regulates only the appearance of the public areas. This means that some HOA covenants leave the landscaping entirely to the property owners and collect a monthly fee from the owners to pay for landscaping services to maintain the vegetation in the public areas, such as the lawn in front of the buildings, the trees that line the roads or the small parks in the neighborhood, while others have all the green areas on the HOA territory maintained professionally. Most HOA covenants regulate only the appearance of the landscapes in front of the member properties, but there are some that have rules regarding some aspects related to the backyards as well. These aspects might include the type and the size of the trees and statues in the backyards.
Types of Rules that You Might Need to Prepare for
If your HOA covenant gives you the freedom work with your own landscape contractor on the design and maintenance of your backyard, you should be prepared that, in most cases, HOA covenants have some rules that need to be observed in those private spaces as well. According to some of the best landscapers Aurora residents use, some examples of such regulations include the proportion of stone used on your landscape, the type of irrigation that you are allowed to use on your property as well as regulations regarding the types of plants that you can use, such as limitations regarding the type of turf that can be installed. Most of the covenants that allow homeowners to create their own backyard design as long as that design observes the community rules also allow homeowners to use the landscape contractor of choice or they might provide a list of recommended contractors to the property owner looking for landscaping services.