Violation Notice for Christmas Lights

Started by NitinD • 12 replies • 2601 views

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NitinD (Washington)
Posts: 1

Posted:

Dear All,

I recently became Board Member and the very next day my current Board served me an email notice of Violating the rule for lights that were put on during Christmas.

As per rule I was suppose to remove the same before Jan 15 and I did ( I swear). I believe the current notice is being sent by one current Board Member as to take on the revenge.

Can you guide me how can I put him in his place? How can someone in Board do what he / she wish? What are the ways I can protect my rights. Remember the current Board transfer everything in next 20 days so I need an apology from the current Board about the fact of ignorance on their part that lights were removed before Jan 15th.

Please request your help and Suggestions.

Regards,
Tim

DJ1 (Ontario)
Posts: 798

Posted:

I'd reply politely that there must be some mistake, perhaps the person sending notices mistakenly listed your address, since your lights were removed on xxxx. Thank them for being diligent in upholding the ccrs.

If it is one rogue member sending notices, now that you are on the board you need to find out how/who is authorized to send out violation notices and whether they must be approved by the whole board.

In 20 days the previous board will be irrelevant. Move on. Assume it was a misunderstanding. Trying to pursue an apology, if they don't volunteer one, should they respond to the reply you send them advising you removed your lights, accomplishes what?

PaulM (Pennsylvania)
Posts: 1,347

Posted:

DJ1: Slow down, and take a breath. Do not dwell on the fact that they 'mistakenly' sent you a letter. Mistakes sometimes happen. Write a letter in reply stating that your lights were removed (date) well before the Jan. 15 cutoff date. Let it go at that, and move on.

Now that you are on the Board, you will be privy to the inner workings and all that goes on. Not always fun and games, and sometimes mistakes are made. Hopefully there will be many positive things you can dwell on in the future.

MicheleD (Kentucky)
Posts: 4,491

Posted:

In our HOA, each complaint requires a board member to confirm the violation. No violation notice is to be sent without a confirmation, even if a board member is the one who makes the formal complaint. In that case, another board member must confirm the violation.

I'm not saying that we still don't make mistakes sometimes, or that on occasion, a notice is inadvertently sent after the violation is corrected.

Mistakes happen.

I agree with DJ, send them a letter thanking them for their diligence in maintaining the integrity of the governing documents, but that there must be some mistake as your lights were down XXX date.

RobertR1 (South Carolina)
Posts: 5,164

Posted:

NitinD,
I say ignore the letter about the lights. Mistake, on purpose, right wrong, who cares........really.

I would also caution you NitinD that this Board business is not a vehicle to express or enforce your personal agendas. Frankly, your time would be much better spent on studying the position of a Board member and more than that, learning all you can possibly know about what makes Private Communities different. You will be much more effective and comfortable if you know more about your job than any of the other members.
There is a lot to learn.

DJ1 (Ontario)
Posts: 798

Posted:

PaulM, your reply is funny cause I basically said what you said....I guess you meant NitinD not DJ1. Thanx for the chuckle.

PaulM (Pennsylvania)
Posts: 1,347

Posted:

Sorry DJ1, you are correct I had the wrong poster's name, but glad I gave you a chuckle...

MicheleD (Kentucky)
Posts: 4,491

Posted:

By the way, for the record, we just took our christmas decorations down last weekend.

However, our window wreath is still up. It's in the second story window that can only be reached by a 16-foot ladder. Which is at my husband's work. Our entranceway is a two-story, cathedral ceiling entranceway.

Fortunately, we don't have a time restriction in our documents regarding holiday decorations!

=]

MD

ShawnaF (Colorado)
Posts: 84

Posted:

Gotta go with logic here too. Don't put anyone "in their place." That's not a thing to do in any case and not a way to go into your service. People are going to be furious with you off and on during your service, learn to blow it off and handle things appropriately and stick to your documents. And there always seems to be that one person...based on what I've read, I think he all know him/her in our HOAs.

In your shoes, I'd simply write a nice letter referencing theirs (copy to all of them, not just one person targeting you) and let them know there must have been some mistake because yours were taken down prior to the date required, that you are aware of the obligation and rule, and that it is also important to you that the documents are followed. Thank them for their attention in removing the note from your records with a correction and new notice to the "right" house if there is one.

This is a fantastic place to get advice and ideas and the folks are wonderful here! Stick around, but yes, blow this off.

GeraldT4
Posts: 1,022

Posted:

MicheleD - It's February, and well past Christmas holiday decoration removal time. Your wreath still being up is the reason that rules as such are written. Fortunately for you, your decorations are not in violation. You found the time to get the ladder and put the decorations up. Be a good neighbor and find the time to get the ladder and take the decorations down. Spring is a little over a month away. Kind of tacky to still have the Christmas wreath up if you ask me.

DJ1 (Ontario)
Posts: 798

Posted:

Hey MicheleD, why not rig the wreath on a pully like a flag so you can remove it without the ladder. I thought about doing that for a similar situation cause I can't climb.

MicheleD (Kentucky)
Posts: 4,491

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By GeraldT4 on 02/11/2008 5:23 AM
MicheleD - It's February, and well past Christmas holiday decoration removal time. Your wreath still being up is the reason that rules as such are written. Fortunately for you, your decorations are not in violation. You found the time to get the ladder and put the decorations up. Be a good neighbor and find the time to get the ladder and take the decorations down. Spring is a little over a month away. Kind of tacky to still have the Christmas wreath up if you ask me.

I didn't find the ladder and I didn't put it up. My husband did!

I also couldn't climb the ladder even if I did have it (serious phobia problems there. I get to the second step and have to be pried off the ladder with a tire iron.)

Yup. It's kinda tacky - Yup. I totally agree. One good thing, it can only be seen if you turn the lights to it on, though (because it's on the inside of the window).

But I still think it's tacky.

And my husband is still "gettin' around to it."

He'll get a clue soon, though. The neighbor in front of us is the one who shot through our front door and front wall last summer. He only did it because he was hallucinating that people were coming to kidnap him and his wife, and he went outside about 4:00 a.m. and started firing away at nothing. He apparently was on some sort of heart medication and other pills and had a serious psychotic episode.

So when Mr. Gunhappy starts thinking the wreath is an antenna of some kind beaming microwaves into his brain and starts firing off again, my husband will find time to bring the ladder home, I'm quite sure.

RobertR1 (South Carolina)
Posts: 5,164

Posted:

Michele,
Do you reaally have an antenna hidden in the xmas wreath? If I was your husband I wouldn't take it down eithewr. Roy Rogers might this he is spying on his camp west of the Pecos. What an exciting life you live, and now you got people telling you to take the wreath down that live hundreds of miles away. I bet legally they could not make you take the wreath down anyway. It's inside your unit, if you wanted to put the whole tree inside your unit and decorate if you could. We have numerous people that have lights on plastic palm trees inside their unit. I, for one, have never given a thought that this was some kind of violation. Even I wouldn't touch that one.

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