General lawn and home care guidelines

Started by DavidG45 • 6 replies • 143 views

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DavidG45 (Delaware)
Posts: 994

Posted:

We are a new 656 home community with an increasing number of homes that are not doing a good job of maintaining the appearance of their homes. Flower beds overgrown with weeds, 100% dead lawns because of no irrigation, untrimmed hedges, junk and construction material in the yard, mold/mildew on the sides of the homes, broken fences, etc.

Our attorney indicates our governing documents provide broad authority to create and enforce such guidelines, but the documents don't have anything specific; which means we have nothing we can refer to in order to issue violations. He said we need to develop a set of guidelines, which we agree is a good idea.

Does anybody have examples of their own community guidelines that we can use for ideas? TIA.

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,059

Posted:

David,

I attached a pdf document with some of the guidelines my last association had (I tried to attach it in word but the size of it was too large for the site to allow).

If you are on the board and are trying to figure out how to adopt and write resolutions (which the guideline would be), email me and I'll be happy to provide more info: [email protected]

Tim

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DeanJ
Posts: 1,786

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By DavidG45 on 09/28/2024 8:31 AM
We are a new 656 home community with an increasing number of homes that are not doing a good job of maintaining the appearance of their homes. Flower beds overgrown with weeds, 100% dead lawns because of no irrigation, untrimmed hedges, junk and construction material in the yard, mold/mildew on the sides of the homes, broken fences, etc.

Our attorney indicates our governing documents provide broad authority to create and enforce such guidelines, but the documents don't have anything specific; which means we have nothing we can refer to in order to issue violations. He said we need to develop a set of guidelines, which we agree is a good idea.

Does anybody have examples of their own community guidelines that we can use for ideas? TIA.

About 3 years ago, I wrote maintenance standards for our community. Where you are fortunate is you community is fairly new you have time to write the structural standards later.

Basically you start with an authority page stating where the board gets the authority to adopt and enforce rules. Then do a reg for landscaping to include lawns, trees, shrubbery and beds and another for fences. Then add more as you have time to write them.

DeanJ
Posts: 1,786

Posted:

25% of a lawn as weeds is a lot of weeds and you don’t define what a weed is. Can I plant clover?

Better construction would read. “Lawns shall be maintained with Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue or a combination of both. All other plants are invasive species. Invasive species may not exceed 1 plant per 4 square meters.

GregoryT1
Posts: 315

Posted:

Hey Dean that was funny. 'Can I plant clover"

DeanJ
Posts: 1,786

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By GregoryT1 on 09/28/2024 10:52 AM
Hey Dean that was funny. 'Can I plant clover"

Search micro clover seed for lawns.

SheliaH (Indiana)
Posts: 6,964

Posted:

Start with what seems to be the biggest problems. Lawns should be cut, weeds kept to a minimum, haul away the construction material when you're done, etc.

Since Dean mentioned clover, you might also want to address invasive plants and ground cover (many people are planting native plants that look good and doesn't have to be mowed.)

If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it. Marcus Aurelius

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