When families move to your community, they should be able to expect compliance with the rules from their neighbors. After all, that's why they moved to a community with an HOA. Yet, many homeowner's association board members find that they have trouble getting their owners to be compliant. Here are some tips to help ensure that your homeowners are compliant so their neighbors are able to enjoy the protection they expected when they bought a home in your community.

1. Check the Legality of Your Rules
First off, make sure that your HOA laws and rules are in line with all federal, local and state regulations. If your expectations are not reasonable or, at worse, are not quite legal, you are going to struggle with compliance.

2. Build a Community of Respect
Next, try to keep an atmosphere of respect in your community. If people respect and appreciate their neighbors, they are going to be more willing to agree to the rules you set forth. Being willing to listen to homeowners with respect can help create the right community camaraderie.

3. Be Clear with Expectations
Do your homeowners know what is expected of them? Not only do you need to document the rules, but you may need to go over them with new homeowners. We all know that people often overlook details when reading through a long document. Communicate the rules clearly to all residents, and send notices of updates or reminders of rules when you notice a problem with enforcement, before the problem grows.

4. Have Clear Consequences, and Enforce Them
If you have rules, you need to have consequences for not following those rules. Make sure the consequences fit the community and are reasonable. Most importantly, enforce them when violations occur. Your community members need to see that you are serious about having them follow the rules.

Ensuring that your HOA's rules are followed is not easy, but it is necessary to ensure that your community members can enjoy the level of protection and comfort they expect as a member of your community. If you need legal help to ensure that your homeowners are obeying the rules, contact the team at Klein, Daday, Aretos & O'Donoghue.