"MAKING A CLEAN CUT": CUTTING & TIDYING YOUR LAWN IN EAST HILLS

As a board, one of the things that we are often required to do is oversee the covenants that relate to the cutting and tidying of lawns in the neighborhood. Article IV of the Protective Covenants, Section 1, (a), states that the: “Owner shall maintain all grassed areas of their Homesite which shall be fertilized, trimmed and weeded and other unsightly growth, and in such fashion to ensure that no clippings, leaves, or debris shall be blown onto adjoining properties and into the roadway.” You can view the Protective Covenants online at: http://easthillsloudonville.blogspot.com/p/east-hills-covenant-documents.html

Enforcing this particular covenant can often lead to accusations that the HOA is being punitive or acting as 'nosey neighbors', but this could not be further from the truth. Owners purchase a property in an HOA area in full knowledge that they will be subject to certain rules and requirments that do not exist in non-HOA neighborhoods. As a resident, you have a right to expect that your neighbors are adhering to the same standards that you are. The upkeep of the neighborhood should conform to a standard that protects the investment in our properties and ensures that the area is well-kept and visually pleasing to residents and visitors alike.

Members of the board do make regular rounds of the neighbrohood, but we also receive messages from residents, if they feel that a lawn has not been cut. Our first task as a board is always to establish that the resident is OK and to see whether they need help and assistance. They may have been unable to keep up their lawn, perhaps because of illness or some other family emergency and so we will offer whatever assistance we can.

If, however, a lawn remains uncut and the resident has failed to respond to visits, calls, or emails, then we are required to step in and take direct action to uphold the covenants. As a last resort, we will bring in a contractor to get the lawn cut and we will invoice the homeowner for the cost, together with a $50 adminstrative fee to cover the incovenience of taking this action. But this is absolutely the last step, when all other avenues have not led to a satisfactory outcome!

We know that the majority of our residents do a good job of looking after their lawns. We also know that sometimes it is too wet or issues with a contractor can sometimes cause a lawn to get longer than usual, so we are pragmatic in the way that we enforce this specific covenant. But we do take seriously our role to ensure that the neighborhood continues to provide a pleasing and well-kept environment for everyone to enjoy the neighborhood.

There is an updated list of lawn care contractors that advertise their services as covering the Loudonville area, which you can find on the East Hills Homeowners Association blog here: https://easthillsloudonville.blogspot.com/p/lawn-care-contractors-covering.html

If you have any questions about this, or any aspect of the work of the HOA board, please do not hesitate to contact me at: easthillsblogmaster@gmail.com

Will Trevor

EHHOA President

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