HOA Architectural Change Requests

I think we still have one, although I'm no longer on the board and haven't looked at it in years. I did have a hand in revamping it.

They aren't difficult to put together - you can make one from an Excel spreadsheet or a Word document. When we redid ours, I tried to design it so that it would be easier to read (the lines were too close together when people filled in the information by hand). I also listed the information in a logical order (to me anyway! The board agreed):

1. Owner information - name, address, phone number, unit address (if different), email, best time to call between 8 am and 5 pm (in case the property manager needed information) and date of application

Project information - exterior change to be made (e.g. replace front door), dimensions, color, materials to be used, name, address and phone number of contractor who will be doing the work, approximate start date and end dates (start date should be at least 45 days from application date so the board had time to review the request and request additional information if necessary).

Most of this information could be provided if the person attached an invoice with the information, so he or she could simply write "see attached". what we didn't want were vague descriptions like "replace front door" with no information on the color, material (e.g. steel door), etc.

Owner signature and signature date

A space below the application was for office use only - it listed whether the project was approved or denied and reason for the denial.

There was also general information on the process:

the homeowner could present the request in person during the next board meeting, but most notify the manager so he/she could be added to the meeting agenda

Approval can be delayed if any information is missing or incomplete, so review the form before submitting it and keep a copy for your records.

No work was to start until after the owner received a letter from the property manager indicating approval (write that in bold lettering).

The board also reserved the right to require the homeowner to remove the exterior change at his/her expense if the change was made without prior approval or built despite the request being denied.

The signature line included language where the owner indicated he/she understood and would comply with these requirements.

I suggest you put your form on your community website if you have one, so homeowners can submit the form electronically (and save it as a PDF on their computer before sending it). There could also be an option s one, so you can use drop-down or checkboxes to speed up completion. Applicants should be able to attach PDF files to the application - I believe Adobe and Word have programs enabling you to design such forms.

Thanks

If I'm understanding your question correctly, we do not. Specifically:

* We do have a pre-formatted form for homeowners to fill out to request a modification. I don't think that's what you're asking...
* ...we do not have a pre-formatted form for assessing or evaluating requests. It's certainly interesting to have a series of things like "is the proposed paint color within the palette" kind of checks.

Our ACC only processes about 2 requests per month. We also tend to have a great deal of agreement and consistency in decisions, so I'm not sure using an assessment form would benefit much. If we didn't, I think that it would be a great idea.