From Bill Dahms, President of CHPOA
Dear Fellow Cape Haze Resident:
I think that one of the worst things that a Homeowners Association has to do is to enforce deed restrictions as it disturbs the harmony of a community that is as nice as ours. But there are situations where it is unfortunately necessary. We hope these will be very rare. There are three key restrictions of interest, as outlined below, that govern Cape Haze. Our goal with the Deed Restrictions is to keep Cape Haze an outstanding community and maintain our property values, as well as the overall quality of life. When the Deed Restrictions were reinstated in 2012 they were approved by well over 85% of the property owners and are binding on all residents.
1. All properties are for residential purposes only. Running a business from one’s home is prohibited except for professional offices. In these days of work from home there is no problem with operating a business by phone and computer. However, the interpretation of the DR’s is that running a business with physical inventory, trucks, trailers, multiple deliveries etc. is prohibited.
2. The storage of boat trailers, RV’s and mobile homes for an extended period of time (generally more than seven days) is prohibited unless stored in a garage or otherwise completely screened from view. When the DR’s were re-adopted, by our legal counsel, we made provision for temporary storage of such items for a short period. However, the clear intent was storage for a SHORT TIME, NOT ON PREMISES FOR SEVEN DAYS, OUT FOR TWO OR THREE AND THEN BACK AGAIN FOR SEVEN. We had hoped that the concept of being a GOOD NEIGHBOR would drive behavior. But unfortunately there are some who abuse this
3. All lots shall be kept free of brush, trash or other materials that may constitute a fire hazard or become a breeding ground for rats, snakes or other vermin. This is pretty clear and again comes under the heading of being a GOOD NEIGHBOR. We have a Vacant Lot Mowing Program partially for this purpose.
Our enforcement process is to:
1. Notify the property owner of the violation. Generally this is done by a post card as a reminder.
2. If the violation has not been corrected in a resonable time the property owner will receive a letter with specifics and a picture.
3. If necessary a follow up letter will be sent.
4. If there is no resolution a “Letter in Pursuit of Mediation” will be sent giving the resident 20 days to respond in writing.
5. If no resolution is reached our attorney will take the plaintiff to court and seek a summary judgement.
6. The County sheriff will execute the judgement.
Our goal is to never have to use this enforcement process in its entirety. So we hope that being a good neighbor will drive the behavior of all.
On behalf of the Board of Directors of CHPOA, thank you for your support.
Sincerely
Bill Dahms, President