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Why residential estates insist on uniformity

Why residential estates insist on uniformity

Author: Pranil Maharaj
Date: 2017-10-19

While homeowners may be annoyed by not having freedom of choice regarding their estate home's appearance, uniformity does protect property values.

Homes in community housing schemes such as estates and cluster home complexes are generally sold at a premium, so buyers in these schemes are often confused and annoyed to find that they don't have much "freedom of choice" when it comes to the exterior appearance of their properties.

However, one of the main duties of the home owners' association (HOA) in an estate or cluster development is to maintain the value of all the homes in that development - and one of the ways to do that is to strictly apply a set of 'appearance rules' in order to maintain a homogenous appearance throughout.

Consequently, one of the first actions of a new HOA should be to set down clear appearance rules, especially with regards to what is acceptable on the common property. These rules should include:

* Guidelines for residents that explain clearly the need to protect all owners' interests and the value of properties within the development;

* A prohibition against individual plantings in common areas, and against "add-ons" such as carports, toolsheds, lapas and gazebos where these can be seen from the street;

* Uniform standards for such items as exterior light fittings, security gates and bars; house numbers and letter boxes.