We wanted to share the most Frequently Asked Questions we anticipate from our homeowners.
What is an HOA?
A homeowners’ association or HOA is an organization composed of property owners that makes and enforces rules for the properties and residents within its jurisdiction. Property owners may be required to be members of the HOA and pay certain dues, assessments, or other fees. Typically, an HOA is run by a governing board, elected by the HOA members. While commonly referred to as “HOAs”, Texas law uses the term “property owners’ associations.”
From <https://www.hoa.texas.gov/>
What is the purpose of our Milwaukee Ridge Homeowners’ Association?
Our purpose is (1) encouraging community engagement through communications and events and (2) maintaining property values of our community homesites and common areas through compliance of our CCRs and ARC design guidelines.
Are Homeowners’ Associations held accountable?
The Bylaws within our CCRs regulate how the Board of Directors operates and does business. We are also held accountable by Texas statutes, which you can find out more at the following website – General Information – Property Owners’ Associations – Guides at Texas State Law Library.
Are Homeowners’ Associations allowed to change CCRs and Bylaws?
Yes, but this is no small feat. The Board of Directors will periodically review the CCRs to ensure they are compliant with state law and city codes. It is possible that homeowners can submit an amendment proposal, and based on sound judgement and rational thinking, the Board of Directors can submit the proposal for review, schedule and hold a discussion at an official and scheduled board meeting and allow homeowner input. After review, the entire membership will vote either for or against the amendment. The votes would be counted, and a majority vote from memberships would be required to approve the amendment. Majority would include 75% of our membership of 477 lots. Concluding an approval, changes to the CCRs would be recorded to the county recorder’s office. Homeowners’ Association rules and Design Guidelines are handled much like CCRs, except that although there can be input from homeowners, there is no vote from the members. Only the Board of Directors vote.
What are the most common citations and how can I avoid them?
Citations are based on compliance with CCRs, and more in-depth rules can be found in ARC Design Guidelines; both documents can be found under CCRs linked on our website. Below are the citations we see most commonly but are not limited to the only citations written. Keep yourself knowledgeable on both documents to avoid citations.
- Parking – from vehicles parked incorrectly (on the sidewalk, in the wrong direction, in the yard, etc. to trailers, jet skis, recreational vehicles, boats, etc. parked in the driveway or front street. Best practices to avoid citation is to keep your vehicles parked within the garage or within city code enforcement. Larger and recreational vehicles have city code enforcement of a designated concrete place within the backyard, behind a fence, with a setback of 25 feet from the sidewalk. We give the same citations that the City of Lubbock also enforces.
- Lawn maintenance – overgrowth of weeds and grass, and the need to properly care for lawn with watering, treatment, and mowing/maintenance. This can also include xeriscaping maintenance. Best practices for avoiding a citation are to keep your property maintained weekly by removing weeds, cutting grass, trimming trees and bushes, and cleaning up flowerbeds and gardens. This applies to all landscaping that can be seen from street and alleyway views.
- Signs – no signs are allowed in yards other than “for rent” or “for sale” and occasional political signs with restrictions. Roofing and business advertisement signs are the most common citations. Best practices are to avoid putting signs in your yard entirely. If you have a special request (such as a temporary sign for a birthday party or celebration) we recommend you reach out to our Board of Directors for prior approval and stipulations.
- Seasonal décor – although we encourage seasonal decorating, we ask that it be removed within 30 days of the event. (Example – Christmas lights must be taken down by January 31st.)
What happens when I get a citation?
When our Board of Directors want to bring awareness to an HOA member that something is not compliant with CCRs or ARC Design Guidelines, a citation will be issued. Sometimes a warning proceeds before a certified citation, unless it is an urgent matter, or an HOA member has had multiple citations for the same regulation. A citation is sent to an HOA member by mail, email, phone, or in-person stating the regulation out of compliance, the action needed to get back into good standing with reasonable timeline, and the consequence of neglecting the citation. It is best practice to reach out to our Board of Directors as soon as a citation is received to discuss the issue and the timeline to make the correction. A correction within the approved timeline, will result in a resolved citation with no further consequences. Citations not corrected within the approved timeline may result in fines, a forced action by our Board of Directors, and/or a legal action such as a property lien.
What if I want to make an improvement to my property?
We encourage improvements as long as they align with our CCRs and Design Guidelines. These documents are accessible under CCRs Resources. An ARC approval request must be emailed to arc@milwaukeeridge.com or on the appropriate request form within our website for registered users. A site plan, drawings or visual aids of proposed changes, quotes, and timelines may be appropriate to submit depending on the request. It can take the Architectural Review Committe up to two weeks to respond to a request. A delayed or no response does not constitute automatic approval of a request. Responses come in the form of additional information needed, approval and declination letters. Each letter will have a process informing an HOA member of appropriate next steps for the request.
Does the Milwaukee Ridge Homeowners’ Association regulate pets?
Currently we do not have any defined regulations regarding pets. We differ to city codes on the regulation of pets and nuisances that may incur with having pets. If you have a pet that is aggressive or barks excessively, our Board of Directors may reach out to discuss a reasonable resolution to bring peace to the neighborhood.
What if I am not getting along with my neighbor?
Our Milwaukee Ridge HOA does not mediate personal conflict between neighbors. We hope that neighbors seek to honor one another through compromises, and our Board of Directors will only enforce regulations found within CCRs, Bylaws, ARC Design Guidelines, and other rules specified by our Board of Directors, such as city and state mandates.
How do I report a violation?
Our Board of Directors are not able to be everywhere at all times and rely on community members and homeowners to help hold one another accountable to our Bylaws and CCRs. To report a violation, capture a photo of the violation, the homeowner address and any other details that can be shared at the following link – Report an HOA Violation. If the violation falls under city code enforcement, check the code of ordinances and report accordingly at City of Lubbock – Departments | Code Enforcement.
How do I get a new keycard?
Reach out to our Board of Directors at mrhoa@milwaukeeridge.com to request a new keycard. Three most common reasons for needing a keycard:
- Never received one: perhaps that was missed at your closing. We will verify that no other card is activated for your property and send you a new keycard. We must have approval from property owners for tenants/renters to receive new cards.
- Lost or stolen: we can deactivate and replace yours. Replacement fee is $50 and added to the property owner’s statement.
- Not working: keycards are deactivated for properties that are not current on dues. If we have confirmed your dues are current and your keycard still isn’t working, we will collect the defective keycard and replace yours at no additional cost.
How much are my yearly HOA dues and what are my payment options?
Our yearly dues are $336. A quarterly statement is proactively provided from our Board of Directors by HOA member’s preferred correspondence — mail or email; default correspondence is by mail until specified from the HOA member. If you would like to change your preference, please Contact Us.
Our most preferred payment method is for our HOA property owners to take full advantage of our registered member website that empowers member independence by providing individuals access to secure online payment, the ability to automate or schedule payments and stay current on account balance updates. This saves everyone involved time, postage, and accuracy! Access your account today by clicking Sign-In.
Physical payments in the form of check or money orders by mail are still accepted. If paying by check, be aware that a returned check fee and/or late fees may incur if a check is not accepted by our bank due to incomplete/inaccurate information or insufficient funds, which will also delay the process of keycard activation. Our treasurer makes account deposits around the 1st and 15th of every month, and keycards are updated directly following. The best practice for always ensuring keycard activation is by keeping your account current and not falling behind on membership dues. Dues can be paid quarterly, bi-yearly, or yearly.
How do I get involved or volunteer?
We would love for you to get involved with our community, and there are so many things to do! Reach out to our Board of Directors at mrhoa@milwaukeeridge.com for the area you are interested in serving and we will get you connected.
- Board of Directors (elected positions) and Officers – president, vice president, treasurer, and additional optional officers: secretary, social chair, reporter, compliance adviser, etc.
- Architecture Review Committee (ARC)
- Park & Pool committee
- Event committee
Are our park amenities (playground, pool, courts, pavilions, restrooms, etc.) open to the public?
Because our park is privately owned by our Milwaukee Ridge HOA, only Milwaukee Ridge HOA members are allowed to access our common areas and amenities. Milwaukee Ridge HOA members should always have a keycard present to prove membership status and may be asked to provide such proof to any other Milwaukee Ridge HOA member that requests it. Without proof of membership, a legal trespassing fine could be filed with police enforcement by our Board of Directors. Best practices are to be courteous and compliant when asked to show proof of membership at one of our common areas, as our goal is to ensure that our community is properly serving our members well.
What are the park & pool hours and rules?
- Park & Courts | Only closed when maintenance is needed/scheduled.
- Sunday – Thursday | 8am – 10pm
- Friday – Saturday | 8am – 12am
- Pool | Opens Memorial weekend and closes Labor Day weekend.
- Sunday – Thursday | 6am – 10pm
- Mondays | Closed for cleaning
- Friday – Saturday | 6am – 12am
- For those caught after closing hours, they will be asked to leave by any Milwaukee Ridge HOA member. Failure to do so could result in a phone call to police enforcement and/or a trespassing violation and could also result in a loss of park/pool amenities as specified by our Board of Directors. We seek to provide safety and security for our community and take trespassing seriously.
- Rules – Current HOA members have access to Pool and Park rules under documents on our registered member website and on our Facebook page.