Home Owners Associations Help
Most neighborhoods within the Charlotte NC area are managed by HOA’s, or Home Owners Associations. Due to this, installing a fence (or almost any other outdoor improvements) requires their approval and authorization to begin work. We have put together this guide to help with the approval process. Please note that this includes information that most HOA’s will ask for – but some HOA’s ask for different forms or photos, as well as some charge a certain amount of money in order to be processed.
If you need help putting these documents together, please let us know. We can help you submit these papers to your HOA, however there may be an administrative fee to do so.
- Obtain a copy of your home’s survey, or plot plan. This will look similar to the image below.
- Obtain the required submission paperwork from your HOA. This is typically a form that will ask for the basics about the project you are looking to have improved.
- Fill out the submission paperwork for your HOA. Include the complete details of the work to be performed as we have outlined within the proposal and contract.
- On the copy of your home’s survey, use a colored marker to outline where the fence or deck will be installed. If this is a fence, you can simply draw lines for the fence, but be sure to not draw outside of your property lines. We do not install fences outside of property lines and by mislabeling the diagram, the HOA may not approve your request. If this is a deck, please be sure to also outline this on the survey where it will be installed. Exact measurements for this is not necessary – this is to give the HOA an estimated idea for where the work will be installed.
- Include a photo that is an example of the fence or deck to be installed. We have many photos of fences and decks on our website to help with this. Simply find the image that matches the fence style you have selected, then right-click, and select Save As. Download this to your computer, and then print. Include this photo with the home survey and application.
- Review the application for any missing details or other items that they may want you to include. Some HOA’s request that an application review fee is also mailed to them via check, for example. Or, the HOA may want more specific details about the work being done.
- Compile all the papers together (HOA application, photos, home survey) and mail to your HOA. Some HOA’s let you email or fax the information, while others only rely on submission via mail.
- That’s it! Your HOA will contact you directly about the results from the application. They will either call, email or send a letter to you in the mail. Please note that most HOA’s will not allow the contractor to discuss your account with them, so it is imperative that you receive information back from the HOA that the work has been approved. They will not send the contractor the approval information.
