2022-03-10
Ensuring Your Home is in Compliance
Spring is a great time to review your home and ensure it is in compliance with your community’s governing documents. Generally speaking, a Homeowner is tasked with yard and home maintenance in a standard detached community and in an attached community, Homeowners are often required to maintain uncluttered balconies and patios and avoid excess exterior storage.
Additionally, homeowners and residents are encouraged to be mindful of their neighbors when parking onsite. With more residents home throughout the day, it is increasingly important that vehicles be parked in an appropriate manner, not restricting access to sidewalks, driveways or homes.
Appealing a Compliance Violation
Have you received a compliance violation from your community? As a Community Association, your community has governing documents which outline the requirements of the Association and its Members. When a Homeowner is in violation of the guidelines, the Association may issue a compliance notice to the Homeowner either on its own or with the assistance of Trestle. The purpose of these notices is to make the Homeowner aware of the compliance matter and provide them an opportunity to resolve it.
However, if a violation is recurring in nature, the Homeowner may be subject to monetary penalties, as outlined in the community's governing documents. Fortunately, Homeowners are provided the opportunity to appeal these notices. During the appeals process, a Homeowner may explain why they feel the notice was issued in error or request a waiver due to extenuating circumstances.
Trestle's compliance notices include next steps for Homeowners as well as the appeals timeline outlined in the community's governing documents. Your Community Association Manager can also provide additional details and support.
The best way to avoid compliance notices is to familiarize yourself and the other residents of your home with your community's governing documents. Each community is different. To view the governing documents for your community, please visit Trestle’s My-Community Web Portal or contact us for assistance.
The Role of Governing Documents
Communities are often incorporated at the time of development by the builder, but some are incorporated later down the road, in the case of a rental unit community which is converted to an Association.
Each common interest ownership act in Washington State outlines different responsibilities and protections for the Association and Homeowners. A community’s Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws typically include details outlining to which act an Association is subject.
Once an Association has been incorporated, responsibility is better defined, which allows the community to prepare its other governing documents. An established Association may have many community-specific governing documents, such as Rules and Regulations. These are designed to complement the other governing documents and provide further detail and guidance.
Each community starts with same core documents:
- Articles of Incorporation – typically document the legal creation of the Association as a corporation,
- Bylaws – often establish the rules which define the innerworkings of the Association, such as Board of Director eligibility, positions, terms, and election processes, and
- Declaration – usually define maintenance responsibility, and outline which elements belong to the Homeowners, and which belong to the Association.
Homeowners and the Association are bound by all documents and Homeowners should familiarize themselves with the responsibilities, including maintenance and aesthetic requirements, assigned to them in each. Please visit Trestle’s My-Community Web Portal or contact us for more information.
Connecting with Trestle
Trestle regularly connects on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and can be contacted through its website or at (425) 454-6404.
