This information comes from Community Associations Initiative. These are their recommendations for Board Members of HOAs. The full document is downloadable at the bottom of this page.
Ask yourself: Are the Rules of WEHOA Necessary and Reasonable?
Develop a rule only if necessary.
Base the rules on proper authority.
Be reasonable. Rules shouldn’t be about limiting the activities of residents. They’re about protecting the living environment and property values from the disruptive or harmful behavior of residents.
Make compliance easy. Keep the rules simple and easy to follow.
Educate residents about rules and give them sufficient notice of all effective dates.
Build community consensus that supports the rule.
Review rules periodically, and eliminate or amend them, if needed.
Act promptly when violations occur.
Be reasonable; make sure the rules and consequences fit the situation.
Give residents ample opportunity to comply.
Provide clear information and guidelines on rules.
Apply rules uniformly and consistently.
Be flexible; allow appropriate and reasonable exceptions.
Due process is a legal term that simply means basic fairness. The person who may have violated a rule must be treated fairly and afforded basic rights. The essentials of due process include:
Give the resident notice of the problem and consequences.
Being flexible with rules doesn’t mean you’re failing in your duty. Inflexibility can send a simple matter rocketing out of control or result in an expensive power struggle. It’s important to remember that going to extremes is rarely effective.
Give the resident an opportunity to be heard with his or her side of the story.
The resident has the right to be represented by legal counsel.
Make rules that make sense.
Make rules that restrict as little as possible.
Make rules that are actually needed.
Make rules that are acceptable to residents.
Make rules that residents can easily obey.
Make rules that get the needed result.
Make rules that are enforceable.
Make rules that are legal.
Don’t make rules that try to regulate the personal lives of residents.
Don’t give in to political pressure.
Don’t go to extremes.
Don’t impose harsh consequences for small infractions.
Don’t refuse to make exceptions in exceptional circumstances.
Don’t act on anonymous, unverified, or unsubstantiated complaints.
Don’t make rules that create new problems.