have a wonderful holiday season!
New information and features coming in 2019:
- In-depth Research on Issues and Topics of Concern for Homeowners
- Homeowner Forums
- "Checks & Balances" Accountability Reviews
- Up-to-Date "Best Practices" for Effective and Fair HOA Management
- Specific Information and Resources for Sewickley Ridge Homeowners
We're celebrating the season and will return January, 2019 to continue our advocacy efforts.
HOA Board to homeowners: "Clean your own gutters."
THE BOARD HAS ARBITRARILY DECIDED THAT GUTTERS AND DOWNSPOUTS ARE NOT A PART OF YOUR ROOF.
THE BOARD ALSO SAYS THE REMOVAL OF ICE (AND ICE DAMS) FROM UNIT GUTTERS WILL BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE HOMEOWNER.
Homeowners are losing another "amenity" (exterior maintenance) they were promised when purchasing their homes.
$36 per year to have the HOA provide gutter/downspout maintenance. The Board Treasurer stated that $3 would need to be added to your monthly assessment fee if the HOA provides preventive maintenance of your gutters. This additional charge is unnecessary and a result of poor budget planning.
*However, the Board has decided to spend $4,000 to add a new sidewalk at the left side of the Clubhouse that a majority of residents do not think is necessary.
$50 cost to individual homeowners for one yearly gutter inspection and cleaning. $36 if HOA does it.
You will be paying for exterior maintenance that should be provided by the HOA.
....Or you can climb a ladder to inspect and clean the gutters yourself.
The Board is ignoring the Declaration and the HOA's documented maintenance responsibilities.
SPEAK UP! Let us know what you think.
contact us2019 Budget for maintenance: $338,348. Yet the HOA will not maintain our units' gutters?
Maintenance is 70% of the community's 2019 expenses. Is that money being spent wisely or are homeowners' needs being ignored?
Gutters + Downspouts = Common Elements
The Board's Duty to Maintain Common Elements Cannot be Delegated to Individual Homeowners
October 24, 2018
The Maintenance Matrix is incorrect. The Board is obligated by law to provide preventive maintenance to all common elements. That duty cannot be delegated to individual owners. It is improper for the Board to expect homeowners to take over its obligations and force homeowners to spend money on inspections and maintenance (in addition to the regular, monthly assessment already being paid.)
2018: $64, 396 TOTAL yearly amount residents pay for common element inspections and maintenance.
2018: $37,596 to management company per year
The management company's contract requires monthly inspections of common elements.
Each unit is paying $156 per year for the management company to inspect the community’s common elements.
2018: $26,800/year homeowners are paying for maintenance (not including contract services)
The yearly budgeted amount designated to cover common area maintenance and homeowner maintenance. (this does not include landscaping, Clubhouse, pool, and snow removal fees).
Each unit is already paying $111.20 per year to the HOA for "Common Area" and "Homeowners" maintenance.
[Source: 2018 Budget]
Would a $94,170 financial mistake concern you?
Is it just a "simple accounting error?"
"...accounting was done in reverse." "Everyone makes mistakes." *
(Source: audit correspondence and the HOA Board's "Guest Speaker", September 20, 2018 Board Meeting)
*We're not kidding, this was actually said by an accountant regarding a $94,170 error.
It seems fine with the Board and management company that we have senior residents climbing ladders to clean and inspect gutters!
(Or the resident can pay someone to do it, when residents are already paying a monthly fee for common element maintenance.)
Part of the rationale, approved and accepted by the Board, for building the new, $33,000 pool storage building, is "we shouldn't have residents in a 55+ community climbing a ladder (to the attic) to store furniture." However, the Board appears to think it' s OK for the same residents to climb a ladder to clean and inspect their unit's gutters.
"Crisis Level" Homeowner Apathy
Some homeowners would rather pay their assessments and let someone else worry about how that money is spent. But, this apathy can lead to many serious problems.
About Us...
We are Sewickley Ridge homeowners.
Being open and honest about decisions, funding, services, maintenance, and more is essential to fostering communication and getting everyone on the same page. By working towards these initiatives, we can effectively increase the HOA transparency within our community .
Who watches the watchers?
We advocate for homeowners by holding the HOA Executive Board and the HOA management company accountable for their fiduciary duty and responsibilities to Traditions of America at Sewickley Ridge residents.
As we navigate through the transition from a developer to homeowner-controlled HOA, this website will be an independent, informational resource for residents. It provides a communication alternative.
Our goal is to be proactive and productive. We welcome your interest and involvement. We will do our best to utilize a variety of resources to uncover, organize, and present information. We are committed to keeping residents informed about developments and issues that affect their finances, property values, safety and health.
"When you find yourself on the side of the majority, you should pause and reflect." --Mark Twain
Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Group members try to minimize conflict and reach a consensus decision without critical evaluation of alternative viewpoints by actively suppressing dissenting viewpoints, and by isolating themselves from outside influences.