Landscaping -- No Rules being Followed

In my community, homeowners are responsible for flower beds in front of their homes, shrubs they or the previous owner planted, while the association is responsible for trees, grass, and shrubs it placed. As you imagine, there have been issues with people planting things without permission and/or not maintaining their shrubs and flower beds. There's nothing wrong with establishing an exterior change request process for landscaping, but remember, just because YOU think something looks tacky doesn't necessary reflect the majority.

Instead, approved plants and groundcover could be based on objective information. For example, lava rocks can't exceed a certain size and not be allowed to get into the grass because if they get in the lawn and a lawnmower comes by, it could damage the blade or send that rock through someone's window (or eye). Perhaps you might have to ban wood mulch - not because you think it "looks bad" but because it could attract termites.

You could ban trees considered invasive species or require trees not to exceed a certain height when grown or not planted too close to a building. People often forget tree roots are twice as long as the tree is tall, and if the tree is too close to the building, you may create an issue with sewer invasion (that's been a big issue in my community).

Start by sending a poll to homeowners asking for their input on what they'd like to see - maybe some colors are more attractive than others, others HATE lava rocks, and still others don't understand why they can't have that lovely oak tree (that's become a hazard to the roofs). While you're waiting for responses, do your homework and check with the local department of natural resources in your area and get some information on invasive species so you'll know what to avoid. Bring in an arborist who can walk around the community and let you know what's going on with the trees and which ones need to be pruned or cut down.

After you develop a policy, send that out to homeowners to get their take, adjust as needed and then the board can vote on accepting that as the policy. Don't forget to recheck your CCRs to see if there's something else you need to be aware of so the new policy doesn't cause any conflict. Have fun!

Hi Sheila -- thanks for the feedback. Is your community comprised of standalone condos/homes?

In my community, the condo units are attached. One of the 6-unit buildings is likely to have 5 different landscape materials (lava rocks, white stone, natural stone, brown mulch, red mulch, etc.) just for one building. I don't see this when I drive through similar complexes. I'm wondering if other condo HOAs have this issue or recommendations on how to resolve it.

You are correct, John. That's why I want to gradually have the board take back some of their responsibilities and inch closer to being in line with our governing documents. The fact that no one even seeks board approval is odd to me. The board has been lax in all aspects of running the development. It's frustrating to always hear the response of "that's how we've always done it" when the condo documents state it should be done differently.