What Happens If You Paint Your House Without HOA Approval in the Front Range?
Homeowners associations (HOAs) are a beacon of planned communities around the country, and the Front Range is no exception. They provide people with peace of mind, a neighborhood where everyone appreciates a higher standard of living, and more. However, if you’re not careful, they can also become a big pain, especially when it comes to home improvements.
Usually, it’s required to have your HOA approve the paint color(s) that you choose for the exterior of your home. They may also want to approve the painting contractors that you work with. But what happens if you paint your house without HOA approval in Denver (or other Front Range areas)?
Let’s take a look.
What Happens If You Paint Your House Without HOA Approval in Colorado?
If you’re new to a community or unfamiliar with HOA practices in Colorado or the Front Range specifically, it might not occur to you that you should get permission before you paint your house. However, there are several reasons that you should always check and double-check before you make any type of home improvements or upgrades.
Homeowners associations are notorious for being sticklers about rules. They are there for a reason, of course, but they can still be tedious for some people.
If you’re lucky, your HOA will be nosy enough to catch you before you get a painting job completed, but if not, you could risk:
Fines or penalties
Forced repainting or removal
A damaged relationship with the HOA
Legal action
Difficulty selling your home in the future
Fines and Penalties
The first, and most obvious concern is that your HOA could fine you or impose penalties for painting your house without their approval. These fines are usually somewhere in the hundreds of dollars, but they could be more depending on the agreement that you’ve signed or where your HOA is located. If you are faced with fines, they will need to be paid immediately.
Plus, fines may be imposed along with other requirements, like forced removal or repainting of your home.
Forced Repainting
You already spent money repainting your home. The last thing you want is to have to spend money to paint it again. However, if you go against the HOA, this might be the only choice that you have. Therefore, unless you want to pay for two paint jobs, it’s best to get their approval first.
Damaged Relationships
Perhaps one of the worst effects of painting without HOA approval, or doing anything against HOA guidelines, is that you can damage your relationship with the HOA. That can make it difficult to continue to live in your community and lead to further challenges down the line.
Legal Action
Some HOAs may take legal action against homeowners who violate the HOA agreement by painting their houses without prior approval. This can get costly and end up doing a lot of damage to your personal and professional image, so it’s usually something that you want to avoid at all costs.
This might seem like a more extreme action, but it’s not unheard of. Many civil lawsuits between HOAs and homeowners are seen in courts around the country on a regular basis.
Difficulty Selling
When you paint a home against HOA rules or advice, it could mar your property. This proverbial black mark will make it challenging to sell your home in the future. You may have to repaint before you can sell, or there may be other issues that you face.
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How to Deal With the Consequences of Painting Your House Without HOA Approval
Often, people come to realize after the fact that they didn’t get approval, and will ask something like, “What do I do if I painted my house without HOA approval in Denver?” Well, your options are to:
Review your HOA guidelines
Contact the HOA to negotiate
Hire a professional to redo the paint job
Consider legal advice
Address relationships that were damaged
Review the HOA Guidelines
The first thing you must do is check your HOA guidelines to ensure that your new paint job isn’t out of line. Review the guidelines and see what is required to paint your house in the first place. Then, you will be ready to address the HOA when you contact them to discuss what’s happened.
Contact the HOA
Now, you can reach out to the association to see if you can negotiate or work something out rather than just being fined for the work. This is a good time to start the process of repairing relationships, too.
Hire a Professional to Repaint
You might need to hire a professional to undo or redo the painting job, too, which can get costly. Some people opt to have the original painters redo the work, and they may be able to offer a discount if that’s the case. However, it might be better to go another route entirely.
You can hire a professional painting service that knows how to work within HOA guidelines and keep relationships in good standing. Can the HOA force you to paint your home? Absolutely, especially if it’s part of the written guidelines or agreement that you signed.
Consider enlisting Singletrack’s residential painting services as we have years of experience in working with HOAs in the Front Range and planning exterior painting jobs, including ensuring full HOA approval before proceeding.
Consider Legal Advice
If you’re worried that your HOA may take legal action, you should consult an attorney right away. This will help you better understand your rights and how to proceed once you have painted your house without HOA approval.
Address Damaged Relationships
Now that you’re getting things back on track, it’s time to address those damaged relationships. You will want to make sure that your HOA knows you weren’t trying to pull one over on them or get away with anything; it was merely a simple misunderstanding. Reassure them that you will be diligent in the future to check before making changes or upgrades to your home.
Painting Your House Without HOA Approval: Is It Worth It?
So, you have a painted house without HOA approval. Fortunately, you now also know the steps to take so that you can get your HOA relationships fixed and satisfy their requirements. If that requires repainting, you will spend three or four times what you would if you had just gotten approval in the first place.
If you can, think ahead and get HOA approval first. Then, contact Singletrack Painting for all of your residential painting needs.
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