From Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Year's Eve, the end of the calendar year brings plenty of reasons to celebrate. As you well know, many homeowners opt to celebrate these holidays by adorning their residences with decorations.
As the head of a community board, however, that begs the question: what decorations are appropriate for those in an HOA community? While the decision is ultimately up to you, we advise abiding by the 4 following HOA holiday decorating rules.
1. Decorations Should Be Without Noise
During Halloween or Christmas, it can be tempting for homeowners to employ noises when decorating their homes. For instance, they might play a Christmas song on a loop through a speaker. Or, they might play a witch's laugh.
Generally speaking, it's best to ban the playing of these noises. While some residents might enjoy them, others might grow irritated by them, resulting in testy disputes. To ensure this doesn't occur, just ban them outright.
2. There Should Be No Flickering Lights
There's nothing wrong with a resident hanging up some lights to celebrate Halloween, Christmas, or New Year's. However, these lights should remain in a solid state. They should not flicker.
Flickering lights pose a variety of problems. For one, they distract drivers. For two, they're potentially dangerous to epileptic individuals. Finally, they have the potential to annoy neighboring residents.
As such, flickering lights should be banned throughout the holiday season.
3. There Should Be an Appropriate Timeline for Decorations
It's also important to establish an appropriate timeline for decorations. You don't want anyone to have certain types of decorations up too early or too late. This can be tacky and thus can drive down the aesthetic and atmosphere of the community.
For instance, you don't want someone having Halloween decorations up in April. You don't want them having Christmas decorations up in July. This is why you need to select appropriate dates around those holidays and require HOA residents to abide by those dates.
4. You Should Consider Keeping Colors Consistent
Depending on your preferences and the preferences of those in your HOA community, you should also consider keeping colors consistent. So, instead of just letting any homeowner use any colored decorations they want, you should select specific colors for specific holidays and decoration types and require them to abide by those settings.
For instance, you might want to ban the use of multi-colored lights during Christmas. Or, you might want to limit Halloween decorations solely to fall colors such as orange, yellow, red, and black.
The choice is yours. Just make sure that it sits well with the rest of the community.
Need Assistance With HOA Holiday Decorating Guidelines?
Now that you know a thing or 4 about HOA holiday decorating, you might need assistance in establishing holiday decorating rules for your HOA. If so, and if you're looking for the help of an HOA management company in Columbus, Ohio, PMI Scioto Metro has you covered.
We're well-versed in creating HOA guidelines for holiday decorations. We'll ensure that the properties in your community maintain good curb appeal throughout the holiday season.
Contact us today to discuss your HOA management needs!
