HOA Leader Tip of the Week - July 16, 2008
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Lawn Philosophy

In the heat of the summer, when many parts of the country face
drought conditions and water rationing, it makes sense to think
through your HOA's policy on lawn upkeep.

A good place to start is to make sure that your homeowners
association rules don't conflict with guidelines from your local
water district. For example, some water utilities have imposed
rationing, specifying a yard can only be watered every third or
fourth day. If complying with this rationing would put an owner
in violation of your HOA rules, you've got a situation that's
ripe for conflict. Crafting some flexibility into your rules can
easily avoid unnecessary problems.

And while you're contemplating your lawn policies, I recommend
an article by Elizabeth Kolbert in the current issue of the New
Yorker. She provides an interesting history of the evolution of
lawns as a feature of American landscaping and describes the
roots of the anti-lawn movement.

No matter whether you feel lawns are a serious civic problem, or
a pillar of property values and neighborliness, read this
article, and you'll better understand the schools of thought
around lawn politics. That will put you one step ahead should
one of the owners in your HOA push for changes to your
policies--or resist changes you want to make.

You can read the article here:
http://www.hoaleader.com/snip/100.htm

Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President

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