HOA complaints are common and should be expected, because wherever there are people, there are going to be complaints and conflict. It is important to reinforce that most of the times, the complaints are not directed to the board of the association: usually they’re directed towards the neighbors, the members of that community. As a member of the board, it is significant to know how to handle the situations professionally. To help you do that, here you are going to find out the most common complaints and ways to deal with them all!
To start: freedom, the concept that has not the same meaning to everybody
To understand the reason for the complaints, you need to remember that not everyone has the same idea of what ‘freedom’ is. Even though all the homeowners have the freedom to live in their houses in the way they feel it is best, they live with their neighbors which means they can not just do everything they want. You probably have already heard someone say “your freedom ends where mine begins”. In associations it’s very important to have rules and regulations to help keep order and maintain good relations. We know that the existence of these rules are not enough to keep problems from happening, but it is important to clear out these points befores getting to know the most common complaints.
Common HOA complaints
1. Noise
Especially at late night or early mornings, board members receive a lot of complaints about the noise coming from neighbors’ houses. It could be a loud song, people talking loud, a party that got too intense, dogs barking or anything on a speaker for example.
2. Pets
In associations we can have all kind of people, which means the residents can be pet lovers or haters (or anything in between). So, even if the HOA have pet policies, some homeowners can forget about them and others can be super restrictive with the rules. Because of that, some complaints can be made, such as dogs off their leash, aggressive pets, and mess in the common areas.
3. Parking
When the HOA have a shared parking lot, there may be complaints about people who park incorrectly and who use someone else’s parking spot.
If the HOA can have parking for guests too, topics like how long the visitor can keep the car inside or how many guests one resident can have may be common.
4. Children
Even though people know that there are children in the community and they may be loud, not everyone has the sensibility either to get adjusted or support some behaviors. There are complaints about kids making noise, kids running, and being left unsupervised. You can face demands about creating age restrictions to children in some areas, for example. Those and others are valid points, but this topic can be sensitive.
5. Common areas
The integrity of the common areas in the association can also be a target of complaints. Overflowing trash cans, overly long grass, politcal signs and common property being broken or vandalized are some of the topics people complain about to the board, and can lead to violation notices.
It is relevant to remember that these areas are a very important way to help to create harmony in the association, so take good care of it!
6. Smoking
In some HOAs, smoking can be banned in common and closed areas. If this is a rule in your community, you can face complaints from smokers that disagree with it and from non-smokers about people breaking the agreement.
How to Deal with HOA Complaints
The board is not always directly involved in the complaints against neighbors. Usually, the complaints that go straight to the board are associated with common areas or general interest. However, it is their responsibility to maintain peace and order within the community, independently of the kind of complaint.
It is not possible to eliminate problems in the HOA, but you can have tools to reduce them, or at least, solve them in the best way possible:
Have a clear talk with all the parts involved in the problem: It is important to show that all decisions are taken as fairly as possible. By talking to those involved in the conflict, you show fairness and can understand both sides. In this way, the final decision is not taken arbitrarily.
Always update and share the HOA rules and consequences: It’s essential to keep residents updated on rules to avoid rule breaches due to lack of awareness. It is also important to let them all be aware of the violation in the case of non-compliance with the rules. You can keep them updated in different ways:
- When someone new arrives, schedule a welcome meeting to explain the rules and answer the questions;
- Once or twice a year you can send emails to all residents with the regulations;
- Propose meetings to hear to doubts and opinions too.
Act as fast as possible: Leaving a complaint unresolved is harmful to the harmony of the association. When the matter is not solved, the resident may become nervous and search for other ways to resolve their problem: from trying to resolve it alone, causing more tension, to taking legal action in some cases. As soon as you receive the notice, there are some things you can do, such as:
- schedule a meeting with the relevant parties
- send an email and show those involved that the problem is being taken care of
- keep all relevant parties updated so that they can track the process.
One way to act fast is to adopt a software system where you can receive and deal with the complaints in a transparent, secure and fast way! Neigbrs by Vinteum is that system. It can help you communicate efficiently across various channels in one location If you want to know more about it, just click here.
- Handle HOA complaints properly: Each situation may require a different form of intervention. A letter or email won’t always be enough. Sometimes it will be necessary to make calls and organize meetings to better resolve the problem.
- Send a Notice of Violation to offending homeowners: Especially if the rules are not well publicized, some owners don’t know that they have violated the community’s regulations. Sending a notice of violation informs them of the violation and gives them the opportunity to correct it. One strategy is to stipulate the number of notices before sending a fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does it feel like board members are just neighborhood referees?
When you volunteer for the board, you don’t expect to spend your weekend breaking up fights about a barking dog. But that is exactly what happens. Residents usually don’t want to confront their neighbors directly because it feels too uncomfortable. So they bring the issue to you instead. Which means you absorb all their frustration and anger.
How should we respond when an angry resident corners us?
Your first instinct is probably to get defensive. Don’t do it. Getting angry back just pours gasoline on the fire. You have to take a breath and simply listen to what they are saying. People usually calm down the second they feel like someone is actually hearing their side of the story. Once the tension drops, you can gently guide them to file an official report.
Why do we need residents to submit their complaints in writing?
A casual complaint yelled across the pool deck doesn’t officially exist. If you try to enforce a neighborhood rule based purely on hearsay, you will face an absolute nightmare of pushback. You absolutely need a paper trail. When residents are forced to write down their exact problem, it removes a lot of the exaggerated emotion. And it gives the board concrete facts to review properly.
What do we do about chronic complainers who report everything?
Every single neighborhood has that one person who reports grass being half an inch too long. It is incredibly draining. But you still have to follow your formal process for every single issue they submit. Treat them with strict professionalism. Lean heavily on your governing documents. If their complaint isn’t a direct violation of the actual rules, send a polite written response explaining that the board can’t take action.
How does Neigbrs by Vinteum help us manage this endless negativity?
Tracking angry disputes on your personal cell phone or a messy spreadsheet is a complete disaster. Neigbrs by Vinteum gives your board a simple, safe, and supportive hub for handling these headaches. Residents can submit their formal complaints directly through a secure portal. The entire board can view the history of the issue in one private place. Which completely removes you from the immediate line of fire and lets you manage the community without losing your sanity.
Wrapping up on HOA common complaints
Dealing with conflicts and complaints is not an easy job, but it is very necessary. To help the community to build a safe and good place to live, also implies in interfering in disputes.
Even if it is hard sometimes, it is not impossible. With rules and good communications, you and the board can make de HOA a nice place to live in. When all the homeowners are informed about the rules and are listened to about their complaints and thoughts, it’s easier to avoid problems and simpler to solve them when it happens.
