Living in an HOA comes with quite a bit of responsibility for the homeowner. Some rules and regulations can be tough to keep up with- there may even be some you didn’t know! But as a Brandermill homeowner, we hope you take pride in our clean and beautiful neighborhood, which is the ultimate payoff for following the compliance guidelines.

So what can you do to assure you’re in compliance? Are you new to the area? What even IS the ARB!? You have questions, and we have answers. Let’s get down to it!

Let’s tackle the big one: Garbage Cans. Those pesky cans seem to cause so much trouble! We know there are many garbage services in the area that make it difficult to properly dispose of your garbage in a timely manner. Sometimes it seems too easy to just put the garbage cans out on the curb and hope for the best. But to stay within compliance and use best practices, garbage cans should be collected from an enclosure on the side or the rear of the house. Please be sure that your trash receptacles are always kept in a properly screened area at all times. If you are having trouble with your current waste disposal service collecting your garbage from this designated area, it may be time to take a look at some other collection services. Some of the companies that do backyard service are the following: All Terrain Waste Services, Waste Management, and Boyd’s.

Here’s another interesting HOA fact…in fact, it’s a County fact! Though it may not apply to the majority of our community, did you know that inoperable vehicles parked within sight of the road and adjacent properties are a violation of state and county codes and are to be stored outside of residential areas? Inoperable vehicles include those without any or all of the following: a license plate, a valid registration sticker or valid inspection sticker, flat tires, etc. 

So what about parking your functioning vehicles? It is your responsibility as a neighbor to make sure that roadways are clear and not blocking access to any part of the road. We strongly discourage parking on the streets as emergency vehicles, delivery, and trash vehicles all need to have proper access to our roads. Vehicles should be parked on private property, preferably, in a driveway. For a few examples, vehicles should not be parked on BCA open spaces, common areas, and/or roundabouts in the neighborhoods.  

Did you know that trailers, campers, and boats are not permitted on the property unless they are screened (hidden from plain sight) with a screening that has been approved by the ARB (Architectural Review Board)? We can help you define what type of screening structures are acceptable!

Think of the ARB as the HGTV experts- they’ve seen it all and done it all. They have expert knowledge of all things curb appeal. Most exterior projects, property maintenance, or changes to siding, paint, fences, playgrounds, patios, etc..need to go through them first. Our team at the office is happy to walk you through the process when the time comes that you want to make a change. It’s always a good idea to check in with Compliance first if you have any doubts. For example, if you would like to remove a tree, anything over 6″ in diameter needs to be approved by the BCA before any work can be done. We all take great pleasure in residing in our cozy, natural neighborhood, and the surrounding trees, trails, and water are truly spectacular! But, when it comes to your personal property, “natural yards” should still be maintained and any excessive limbs, deadfall, leaf piles, debris, and uncontrolled weeds and brush need to be removed.

Even our mailboxes need some proper loving from time to time. Maybe you’ve gotten a notice before about your mailbox not having a post cap or proper paint. But have no worries, we can tell you exactly how to fix it and continue on worry-free. You can get the correct mailbox (jumbo, black, Gibraltar) at Home Depot and Lowes. The mail post cap needs to be black and can also be found at Home Depot and Lowes. The mailbox post paint color is Essex Green and can be bought at Spectrum Paint and Sherwin Williams.

Sometimes the rules and regulations can come off as excessive to some, but these rules are in place to keep our neighborhoods natural, tidy, and preserved for many years to come. If you ever have any questions about whether or not you are within compliance don’t hesitate to ask! We are happy to help you solve any issue. Our team is here to work with our neighbors, not against them. Together we make Brandermill a great place to live.