A HOMEOWNERS’ association has been accused of acting like Ebeneezer Scrooge this year after reportedly ordering residents to remove their Christmas lawn decorations.
One resident said she was “bummed out” after being handed a violation notice by her HOA last week over her Christmas display in her front yard.
The letter from the Cooley Station Community HOA in Gilbert, Arizona, said the decorations in front of Cindy Choquette’s house violated the community’s rules and regulations and she had to remove them.
“I was kind of bummed out because we provide so much cheer around here,” she told Gray Television affiliate AZ Family.
“Every day people walk around and express the joy we provide putting up decorations.”
Choquette was one of several homeowners in the community ordered to take down their decorations.
Some claimed they had been putting up decorations in their yards for years without any pushback.
However, the HOA says that it has a new management company that strictly enforces the rules.
One of those rules includes no artificial turf decorations.
Cooley Station HOA did not respond immediately to The U.S. Sun’s requests for comment.
The HOA president earlier said that it would rescind the notices and allow decorations to stay up if they don’t damage the turf.
But FS Residential, the new management company, put out a statement indicating it was sticking to its plans to ban yard decorations.
“While we encourage our residents to celebrate the holidays and decorate their homes, the safety of our residents and preservation of our property values are top priorities,” the statement read.
“Our community’s rules prohibit decorations on the artificial turf and trees between the sidewalk and the curb that are maintained by the association, and any power or extension cords on sidewalks that can pose a trip hazard for our residents, guests, and staff.”
But Choquette insists she will keep the decorations up until New Year’s.
She insisted that they were doing nothing wrong, and were simply “spreading joy” in their community.
What is an HOA?
One in five Americans live in an area with a Homeowners' Association - or HOA. But what exactly is it that they do?
- An HOA is a homeowner’s association – an organization that aims to maintain a clean and cohesive place to live for its residents.
- Entire neighborhoods, subdivisions, condominiums, family homes, or townhouses within “a planned development” will often make up an HOA.
- They also act as a governing body for tenants, who run and fund the HOA through monthly fees.
- Their principal aims are to keep the community functioning and visually appealing and to maintain property values.
- They primarily focus on common areas of a neighborhood, such as roads, parks, and pools – but may also stipulate what residents can do with their properties, such as yards and driveways.
- Often these restrictions enforce uniformity on properties, for example, ensuring most houses look the same and all driveways are clear of weeds.
- An HOA rulebook of covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&R) is distributed to all residents, and an elected volunteer board of directors enforces these regulations.
- Breaking these rules can result in penalties such as fines and even litigation – as most HOAs are incorporated and subject to state law.
- HOAs are often the subject of controversy, with some members feeling that the rules are too punitive and restricting, or that the leadership has too much power.
- But others like that HOAs give communities the power of self-governance, and can ensure a degree of harmony between residents.
The Cooley Station HOA’s example is far from unique among HOAs.
Most homeowners associations place a ban on decorations deemed to be too large.
Many HOAs prohibit inflatable Christmas decorations specifically as they are usually on the larger side.
They are also often deemed by HOAs as tacky and outdated and therefore are banned on the grounds of protecting property values.
Some HOAs also set specific dates on when homeowners can start putting up holiday decorations and when they must be brought down by.
It is common for decorations to be prohibited from going up earlier than a month prior to Christmas, nor kept up more than two weeks after December 25.
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