Some people, thankfully, can do what they want on their own property. If they have a tiered garden, well, the sky’s the limit, and honestly, that’s great. But not everyone has free rein on creative ideas, especially if they live in one of those resident associations, be it a condo board, an HOA, or just some other type of community bureaucratic board area. Most people think of the US and Canada, but these sorts of little neighborhoods/ communities are getting more common in other countries, too.
Maybe you have to pay a fine, maybe there’s drama, well, there’s probably going to be something bad and stressful if you do what you want without approval. But it’s your lawn, you have the right to change it, but sadly, you have to play by some rules. So, chances are, before you make any changes, you’ll need to ask some questions and look into some considerations first. But what exactly?
Start with the Rules that Actually Apply to Landscaping
Most communities don’t ban landscaping changes altogether; they just have boundaries. That might be rules about plant height, tree types, fencing, borders, visibility near driveways, or what’s allowed in front gardens versus back gardens. Some places care about consistency, like keeping a similar look across the street. Some care about safety, like nothing too tall near a corner. Some care about practicality, like not letting roots mess with paving or utilities. Most of the time, the guidelines are there to be guidelines, not a “we’re the association, we do what we want” sort of thing.
Just Ask What Counts as a “Change”
Now, this is exactly where people get caught off guard. A residents’ association might not honestly care if flower pots move around, but they might care about digging, tree planting, changing lawn areas, adding borders, or installing lighting. Seriously, even if a change seems small, it can still count as a change. Like it can be anything permanent, anything visible from the street, anything that affects drainage, or anything that alters the “look” of the front garden tends to fall into the category of “please ask first.”
What Needs Approval and Who Approves it?
While yes, you would think you could hire anyone you want to help you with your home, be it a handyman, a contractor to change your roof, a professional to do landscape design services for you, but unfortunately, no, in an association/ board like this, you don’t always get free rein. Some communities have a formal approval process, and others are more casual, like an email and a quick sign-off.
You might only be able to go with “approved” services from their go-to partners, and some require drawings or a photo mock-up, and yes, some need it discussed by a community board, which means timing matters. As you can see, it’s a lot, you don’t get total control, it’s someone else that gets the control (or a committee that does). Just never assume; make sure you look into this, no matter how small a landscaping idea you have.