Owning your own property comes with a ton of perks. One of those is doing practically anything you want to the interior to really make it look and feel like home to you. Whether that’s paint, flooring, plumbing fixtures, or even blowing out walls to create open spaces, your dreams may only be limited by your budget – and, sometimes, what your homeowner’s association has to say about them.
What Is a Homeowner’s Association?
If you live in an HOA community, you probably know that this means that you have to abide by a certain set of rules called CC&Rs. These are your HOA’s covenants, conditions, and restrictions, and they’re intended to maintain certain standards throughout the community.
Your HOA is responsible for writing, amending, and enforcing the CC&Rs, and does so through an elected board of directors that manages the community’s affairs. You are probably well aware of your obligation to pay HOA fees, which go toward ensuring this organization can exercise its power to protect and promote everyone’s property values.
For the Most Part, Interior Renovations Don’t Require HOA Approval
Always check your CC&Rs before you do anything, but homeowners are generally permitted to do most interior renovations without the HOA’s approval.
Examples of generally unregulated renovations include the following:
- Interior painting
- Cabinetry
- Counters
- Wallpapering
- Lighting fixtures
- Interior trim work
- Plumbing fixture installations
- Backyard landscaping
If you own a single-family home, you may be permitted to do these types of renovations and others – like flooring – without getting your HOA involved.
Your Experience May Vary If You Live in a Multi-Family Dwelling
If you own property such as a condominium, townhome, or apartment, certain interior renovations may actually be regulated by your HOA. This is generally due to the close proximity neighbors have to one another, and that they may be separated by only walls or floors.
For example, your association may want to ensure residents living below others are protected from flooding, so there may be some requirements attached to plumbing and flooring work. Electrical work may also be heavily regulated to reduce the risk of causing a fire that might put the whole building at risk.
Is Your HOA Overextending Its Authority?
Because CC&Rs aren’t always as clear as they seem to be, you may find yourself in conflict with your HOA when it believes it has the authority to regular certain interior renovations. Although not very common, this is a problem some homeowners face.
If you have received notices, threats, or fines from your HOA regarding interior work that you think is entirely permissible in your community, Bundren Law Firm may be able to help. We can review all of your HOA’s pertinent documents and help you ascertain whether taking legal action can help you achieve your goals.
Likewise, if you are a representative of an HOA and believe a member of your community is in violation of the CC&Rs, we can provide the legal support you need should it come to enforcing against any alleged violation.
For more information, please submit an online contact form briefly explaining your need for legal assistance, and someone from Bundren Law Firm will be in touch as soon as possible.