Communities are governed by covenants, conditions, and restrictions which are outlined in the HOA by-laws. These are created to ensure that each community member benefits from their association with the neighborhood. They also limit the amount of noise, home color choices, landscaping rules, and more. But what happens when your HOA by-laws no longer serve the purpose of your community? If you’re looking for a way to update your covenants or create new ones altogether, here are some ways to go about it from St. Petersburg HOA management companies.
Create a Committee to Draft the New Changes
One way to change the HOA by-laws is to create a committee to draft the new changes. A group of residents who have a vested interest in the neighborhood and understand the needs of the community is a good choice. It could also be the HOA board itself.
One of their main jobs will be to revise the HOA by-laws and to create a cohesive plan for how to implement them. They should also give an opportunity for anyone in the community to provide input. The goal is that everyone will be able to voice their opinion and feel like they can participate in the decision-making process.
Propose the New Amendment
When ideas for the new bylaws are established, propose an amendment. This is a fairly simple process. Simply create a document that describes the changes you want to make, and submit it to your HOA board of directors.
Once the board of directors has an idea of what changes are necessary, they draft those changes and propose them to the rest of the board. If they approve your amendment, it will be voted on by the entire HOA community.
Vote on the Amendment
After that, it will be up to the other HOA members to vote on the amendment. If it passes, congratulations! Your HOA by-laws will be updated and may even include new provisions.
If you want to create new HOA By-Laws altogether, make sure you get all of your neighbors on board before initiating this process. Communicate your ideas and get feedback about what needs to be included in your HOA By-Laws. If successful, you’ll have a brand new set of covenants that will govern your community.
Give Neighbors Time to Review All of the Proposed Amendments
In order to ensure that everyone is on board, you need to give owners plenty of time to review all of the proposed amendments. You may be able to get them on board with the changes by having a community meeting with them. In order to get all of the neighbors on board, it’s important to provide them with a reason for the change. It’s also important to keep in mind that everyone has different opinions when it comes to changes in their neighborhood.
The process for changing HOA by-laws or covenants can be a lengthy one. It’s important to have a professional attorney who is knowledgeable in this area of law review any updates before it is finalized. This will ensure that your community’s existing covenants are not violated or that you are not creating new ones that violate the rights of your community members.
To learn more about how to change HOA by-laws and covenants from a St. Petersburg homeowners association management company, contact Wise Property Management through our proposal request form.