OUTSIDE WATER SPIGOTS LOCKED-FLORIDA

I live in a 60 unit condo. Each unit is 2 stories and each has an outside water spigot in front and in back. About 10 years ago the board locked one of those for each unit. This morning we woke up to find that all outside water spigots have now been locked. The board says that people watering and cleaning off their patios has resulted in very high water bills. I have been on the board and high water bills are because of multiple water leaks on the property and perhaps over occupancy in units. We feel that this is a fire hazard and maintenance hazard. What if there was a fire outside or even inside? The board told us that if we want to clean off patio or porch to get a bucket from the upstairs bathtub and bring in downstairs to wash it. This was told to us by the President of Board who owns three units and lives elsewhere in a very expensive home. This is what she said she does. Does anyone know of a proper route to follow to have this reversed.

If it's a fire hazard call your fire Marshall to give your HOA board that information. Otherwise, it's more of an convenience thing the board is going to view it as. Your choices are to raise dues to cover the increased water expense. If no one is willing to do that, then you have to start conserving water somewhere somehow.

Fire hazard - call fire department.

Check your docs to see if Board can do this - write letter registered delivery. Be clear and crisp, but not emotional. Note your fear of not being able to put outdoor fire out.

Prepare for high assessment.

Investigate the water leaks you mentioned.

Be helpful to solve the problem.

80 units. Using close to 5 million gallons per year in 2012. Using well under 3 million gallons today. More residents now than in 2012.

In 2012, water use spiked all over the place. Today, usage is consistent enough to tell if there are significant leaks.

Back in 2012, we realized that we had to take this on, not on an item by item basis, but across the board. Awareness and cooperation were key.

Things we did:

- Bought and distributed for free: WaterSense rated aerators, shower heads, tank banks, and diverters.
- Gave $150 rebate for replacing 3.5gpf toilet with WaterSense toilet (Borrowed funds from Reserves to do this, which we paid back in 2 years from water cost savings).
- Instead of raising monthly fees, we introduced a Quarterly Fee to partially cover water cost.
- Gave credits against the Quarterly Fee for: testing toilets (once per year in Spring); taking annual survey; and which WaterSense items were installed.
- At every homeowner meeting, showed charts of our progress in reducing water consumption.
- Made sure that, even if a homeowner didn't participate in any of these water saving programs, their Quarterly Fee would still be less than if they were a direct customer of the local water utility.

Community-wide awareness today is high. Some homeowners are embarrassed to wash vehicles too often in front of their neighbors.

We're now thinking about distributing timers for outside use. Not sure if it will be worth the investment, because most of our owners now have an appreciation for the fact that, while water is included in fees, it isn't free and shouldn't be wasted.

I like NPs's suggestions and Anna also made an excellent point - why can't people just use a broom to sweep off their patios?

According to this article - most patios need the water cleaning once or twice a year - https://www.cleanipedia.com/gb/out-of-home/outdoor-cleaning-the-best-ways-to-clean-your-patio.html
Perhaps the assessments can be raised to allow for a company to be hired to take care of the entire community at least once or twice a year - if homeowners want to clean more often, they can pay that company.