HOA landscape maintenance is often regarded as an unnecessary expense. But, it can impact the community’s curb appeal and attractiveness to potential buyers. Investing in it is a good idea if HOAs want to enhance property values and boost their reputation.
What Is HOA Landscape Maintenance?
HOA landscape maintenance is preserving and enhancing the landscape and greenery in the community’s common areas. It differs from the usual HOA lawn maintenance in that it does not deal with the lawns on resident property.
HOA landscaping maintenance encompasses many maintenance activities including, but not limited to, the following:
- Mowing and edging
- Tree trimming
- Pruning
- Irrigation
- Mulch
- Fertilization and weed control
- Bed weed maintenance
- Aeration and overseeding
- Ice and snow removal
Is HOA Responsible for Landscaping?
It depends. Some homeowners associations cover HOA landscape maintenance as part of the maintenance services they provide. However, it will ultimately depend on the governing documents and the HOA’s decision.
In some cases, homeowners associations will even extend their services to maintaining homeowner yards. They manage HOA grass height, trim hedges, and even add mowing patterns on every lawn. Homeowners associations do this to enhance curb appeal and keep every home looking beautifully coherent.
However, not every HOA can do this. There are budget and manpower constraints they have to think about. As a result, many homeowners associations limit these landscaping activities to common areas.
Why Is HOA Landscape Maintenance Important?
Homeowners association landscaping maintenance might not seem crucial at first glance, but it plays many essential roles in neighborhoods.
1. Preserving Property Value
An HOA’s main purpose is to preserve and even improve property values. This has been proven effective as homes inside homeowners associations often have higher prices than those outside.
However, a homeowners association cannot enhance property values without proper HOA lawn care. Neglecting this aspect of community maintenance will ruin the neighborhood’s external appearance and damage its reputation. As a result, the HOA will not be as attractive to potential buyers, and property values will plummet.
2. Protecting Health and Safety
Unkempt bushes and lawns aren’t the only problems that may arise without proper landscape maintenance. That’s because it may also introduce health and safety hazards to the community. For example, neglecting to clean the gutters may result in flooding. Residents who walk through the flood may slip and injure themselves.
The same is true if the HOA neglects to do the basics like snow removal or spring and fall cleanups. Fallen tree branches can obstruct driveways and roads, potentially causing accidents. Moreover, fallen leaves can become fire hazards, especially if residents like to host cookouts or outdoor BBQs.
Meanwhile, letting snow and ice remain may cause accidents as people may slip and fall. Furthermore, snow and ice removal are also often mandated by state law, so HOAs may be fined without the service.
3. Preventing Property Damage
Without proper landscape maintenance, floods and fires can threaten to damage property. Overgrown roots of plants and trees can harm the foundation of various structures and even obstruct the plumbing system. This is not only a danger to the community’s common areas but also to residential property. The HOA may also be held liable if individual homes are damaged.
4. Improving Quality of Life
HOA landscape maintenance is crucial to improving the community’s quality of life. After all, most people prefer to live in communities with beautiful landscapes compared to those with overgrown grass and untrimmed bushes.
In addition, well-maintained greenery can improve air quality, provide visual stimulation, and absorb noise. Research has found that green spaces can also improve mental health. These can enhance the homeowners’ living experience and help them flourish.
5. Promoting Trust in the HOA
Homeowners expect the HOA to maintain the community’s common areas. That’s why they pay HOA fees and agree to live in an organized community with strict rules. As such, homeowners associations must make it a point to improve the community’s landscape.
When this happens, homeowners are less likely to complain about the HOA not doing its job. It gives homeowners concrete proof that the board is performing its duties. Moreover, residents will feel satisfied knowing that their assessments are properly utilized.
Who Handles HOA Landscape Maintenance?
The HOA board runs homeowners associations, but that doesn’t mean the board members do everything. That’s because many board members lack the time or experience to accomplish the HOA’s tasks. Many communities appoint a dedicated landscaping committee to oversee HOA green spaces maintenance.
On the other hand, this does not mean that the landscaping committee does all the landscaping themselves. The committee members may not have the expertise, resources, or manpower. Instead, they are often tasked with scouting companies that provide HOA landscaping services.
Apart from this, the landscaping committee is in charge of many duties. Here are some of the committee’s typical responsibilities:
- Making landscaping recommendations to the board
- Preparing a landscaping budget for the fiscal year
- Sending out requests for proposals (RFPs) to HOA landscaping companies
- Evaluating bids for HOA landscape services
- Interviewing HOA landscape maintenance companies
- Being the channel of communication between the HOA and the landscaping company
- Sending payments to the landscaping vendor
- Monitoring progress and giving updates to the HOA
- Providing feedback to the landscaping company
Cultivating a Vibrant Community
HOA landscape maintenance may be a difficult task for many homeowners associations. But, it’s certainly a worthwhile initiative as it provides many benefits. Moreover, neglecting to maintain the community’s landscape may negatively affect properties, health, and safety.
However, homeowners associations may find it hard to do this alone, even with a committee. That’s why many look to professional management companies, like Landmark Community Management, to help them do the job. We offer excellent services that can take care of all your community’s landscaping needs. Call us at 512-569-5527 or contact us online to request a proposal!