How Tenants Can Decorate for the Holidays (Without Annoying Your HOA) - Luxury Property Care

How Tenants Can Decorate for the Holidays (Without Annoying Your HOA) - Luxury Property Care

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Home » HOA » How Tenants Can Decorate for the Holidays (Without Annoying
Your HOA)
How Tenants Can Decorate for
the Holidays (Without Annoying
Your HOA)
by Liran Koren | Dec 1, 2021 | HOA, Property Management
The holidays are here! You know what that means — it’s time to
deck the home. There’s no doubt that holiday decorating is exciting,
but if your rental property is in a community that’s controlled by a
homeowners association (HOA), decorating by their book can be
extremely challenging. There are so many things your tenants can
and can’t do when it comes to decorating for the holidays.
As a landlord, it’s your responsibility to ensure that your tenants
abide by the HOA rules. In this post, we’ll touch on the general
guidelines for holiday decorating, and how you can enforce the
rules so you don’t get in trouble with the HOA.
General Guidelines for HOA-Friendly
Holiday Decorating
Pass along these tips to your tenants so they can safely decorate
for the holidays:
#1 Get Rid of Large Decorations
It’s common for HOAs to ban large holiday decor. This is because
associations seek to maintain the look of the community. So, if your
tenant is thinking of decking the lawn with inflatable snowmen, ask
them to think of a subtler substitute. Similarly, some HOAs don’t
allow homeowners to add decor to the roof, so don’t forget to refer
to your HOA’s rules for the specifics.
#2 Understand Outdoor Decor Rules
If the association says that you can’t put holiday decorations
outdoors, there’s nothing you can do. In certain HOA communities,
outdoor decorations are restricted to a few string lights and a single
wreath on the front door. Fortunately, there are hardly any rules on
indoor decor, so your tenants can decorate the interior to their
hearts’ content.
#3 Practice Fire Safety
Planning on hanging outdoor lights on trees and hedges? HOAs can
create rules regarding outdoor lighting, particularly in areas that are
prone to wildfires, such as South Florida. Hence, you should
schedule regular garden maintenance that includes tree trimming to
make sure that your trees, or any of your plants, aren’t a fire risk.
#4 Avoid Noisy and Bright Decor
HOAs want to protect the aesthetic integrity of the neighborhood,
hence, they can restrict noisy decor, such as animatronics. Similarly,
HOAs can create restrictions on when homeowners can play
holiday sounds, such as from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. They can also
control the length of the string lights to avoid glaring lighting.
#5 Be Mindful of Tree Position
Buying a real tree this Christmas? Be sure to get one that’s not
flammable. Certain trees can catch on fire, especially if they’re
positioned near candles, fireplaces, and heaters. The tree stand
should also contain water at all times. You could also opt for an
artificial tree since it’s safer and easier to set up.
How to Enforce Holiday Decorating
Guidelines
So, your tenants are ready to spread some holiday cheer. But before
they put up the Christmas tree, it’s critical to inform them if the
HOA has enforced rules regarding holiday decorating. These rules
should be strictly followed, otherwise you, as the property owner,
will find yourself in hot water with the HOA.
To steer clear of misunderstandings, as a top-rated South Florida
property management company, we’ve put together a few tips to
follow:
#1 Start With Tenant Education
From the beginning, your tenants should be aware of what they can
and can’t do. Prior to signing the lease agreement, they should be
informed about all of the rules. This can be done by you or your
property management company. Full disclosure is the way to
ensure that there’s no confusion down the road. Hence, give your
tenants a copy of the HOA’s Declaration of Covenants, Conditions,
and Restrictions (CC&Rs), or upload it to the tenant portal so they
can access it at their convenience.
#2 Read the Rules
Your tenants expect you to be the expert on HOA-related matters.
Therefore, you should take the time to check the HOA’s rules. Keep
in mind that HOAs create these rules not only to keep the
community clean but also to keep its inhabitants safe. For instance,
certain holiday decorations such as Christmas lights can cause fires
that spread to other houses. Read the rules, and make sure that you
truly understand them so that you can answer your tenants’
concerns knowledgeably.
#3 Remind Tenants to Respect Others
Tell your tenants to decorate for the holidays without disrupting
their neighbor’s day-to-day life. Certain decorations, such as lights
that are too bright, can be annoying at night. If neighbors can’t
sleep because of your tenant’s holiday decor (or worse, if their
decor is offensive), prepare to receive plenty of complaints. As a
rule of thumb, holiday decor should not only be attractive to the
tenant, but also the neighbors.
#4 Schedule an Inspection
Despite your efforts, some tenants still won’t follow the rules. To
make sure they don’t get away with breaking the rules, conduct
routine inspections. Let your tenants know when you’ll pop in to
check their decor. If you’re working with a property management
company, they can check the decor during their scheduled
inspections. Don’t worry, your tenant won’t be able to “hide” that
they’re not following the rules. They likely think it’s too tiresome to
keep playing “pretend” during the scheduled inspections.
#5 Encourage Snitching
Get the neighbors involved, especially if you have a hunch that your
tenants aren’t as honest as they seem. Tell the neighbors to
observe your tenant’s outdoor decor, and to determine whether or
not they’re violating the HOA’s rules on holiday decorating.
Alternatively, you could enlist the services of a property
management company.
#6 Set a Timeline
Maybe your tenant prefers to put their decorations up on the first
day of December. Maybe they’re the type of person that likes to
keep the decor up ‘til January. Or maybe they like to keep the decor
up year-round. Whatever it is that they like to do, make sure that
they play by the book. HOAs can create rules that restrict
homeowners, including tenants, from putting up their holiday
decorations far too early. Likewise, HOAs can set a “cut-off” date for
taking down the decor.
Pro Tip: If you’re hiring a holiday decorating company to add cheer
to your rental property, be sure to check when you’ll need to take
the decor down. If your decor stays up, you could face a hefty fine
from your association.
Conclusion
HOA rules often take away the fun of holiday decorating, but by
working around them, your tenants can decorate a rental that’ll put
the Home Alone house to shame. This holiday season, work with
the property managers at Luxury Property Care to check your
HOA’s rules, and to make sure that your tenants decorate
accordingly.
Got questions? Call us at  (561) 944 – 2992 or contact us online.
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