Homeowner’s letter was full of inaccuracies

Homeowner’s letter was full of inaccuracies

This letter is written in response to Ms. Amrany’s piece "Draconian regulations are outrageous at condo complex," featured in the February 7 Acorn. As president of Country Vistas III HOA for the past four years, president of Management Solutions, an HOA management company in Camarillo and president of the Channel Islands Chapter of Community Association Institute (CAI), I feel compelled to address her issues on many levels.

1. CVIII is not a condo. We are a PUD (Planned Unit Development), which by definition means each owner owns his or her individual home as well as the footprint of land it sits on. Each owner who buys a home in CVIII automatically becomes a member of the association, which in turn owns the common area .

2. The issue as to whether residents can park in guest parking or people can play in the private streets is clearly spelled out in the CC&Rs (Conditions, Covenants and Restrictions). Specifically they state that "No person may play in the private streets" and "Guests, and only guests, may park in the areas designated as guest parking and in no other areas." The rules also allow that residents may park in guest parking for up to 30 minutes for the loading or unloading of a vehicle.

Amrany indicates that it is one thing to read these rules and another to live by them. If her tenants had read the documents before signing the lease, they would have been able to make the choice to live by these covenants or to select a home elsewhere.

The CC&Rs give the board of directors the responsibility of protecting all residents’ and owners’ rights to safety and quiet enjoyment within the community. With this responsibility also comes the unpopular task of enforcement. For the record, no one board member goes around checking on garage doors, kids and barking dogs.

Finally, and most importantly, on the issue of people playing in the streets. I have one response to that: liability. The first time a person gets hit by a car backing out of a garage or coming around the corner, all of us become responsible.

It’s a common complaint in my industry that no one bothers to read the governing documents until it’s too late. Clearly that is the case with Amrany. The consequence of which is that she is now trying to change covenants that have worked just fine for over 20 years. Well, the truth is that is her right. With enough votes of the membership (75 percent approval, not 51 percent as her letter states), she can petition to get the CC&Rs amended.

But I have just one question, Ms. Amrany. What attracted you to CVIII in the first place? Could it be the beautifully landscaped grounds, quiet neighborhoods, sparkling pool, and plenty of guest parking? Well, how do you think things got this way?

In closing, I want to add that when people purchase a home in a homeowners’ association, they are choosing a lifestyle. They are agreeing to abide by the covenants and restrictions to protect their property values and quality of life. The great thing about America is that we have freedom of choice. Even better, if you are not happy you can always make another one.

And to the editors of The Acorn, I take personal exception to your tag line to Amrany’s letter. "Draconian" regulations are not the issue here.

Awareness and compliance are.

Jill Van Zeebroeck

President, CVIII, Oak Park