Brook Hollow Bogus Home Association
How many people who live in Brook Hollow are frustrated by the Homeowners Association fee that clearly has no function aside from Administration? Do they really look out for the aesthetics of our development?
By the looks of things, I'd say NOT AT ALL
DisgruntledAgreed. They are no help with things like broken streetlights. A couple of years ago they sent out really nasty letters about trees not being trimmed high enough above the sidewalks, but they never do anything about the homes where this is actually a problem. They also had to approve replacement identical windows on the back of our house. Really? And what's with the extra assessment for snow removal? Except for about 100 feet of sidewalk on Brook Hollow Drive all of their snow removal is for the condos. Not to mention their coming out at 4:00 AM to clear sidewalks when there was so little snow they were using leaf blowers.Why should the homeowners pay for that? Has there ever been any enforcement of provisions in the deed restrictions about commercial vehicles or boats parked in driveways? What a racket.
rbilly Indeed it is a Racket. There are 175 homes within Brook Hollow all paying close to $500 a year. How is it possible that they need extra money?? Why is our development not covered under the town? We are Not a private golf course community. This is criminal and Taylor Management Company is reaping the benefits of our not putting a stop to it.
have any of you gone to meetings? read the annual budget or the annual audit? asked questions of people who should know the answers? Know the codes for such communities? If you have and you still have those complaints, do something about it ....If you haven't I'd recommend you educate yourselves before you slander people ---
I have no horse in this race - just wondering......
5catmom Always good idea to have an attorney review homeowner association requirements, conditions, exceptions ( usually none, beyond what they already have in writing ) ...of course, before you buy or rent one.
Association fee's will never go down and rarely remain stable.
Good Luck !
Steven Hey Disgruntled,
Maybe you should find out some facts before posting. Lets see, you are paying about $40 a month to maintain your community. $40 * 175 = $7000 month the association is collecting. This past winter do you think it cost more than $7000 to plow and salt your streets for a month? If you don't, you are sadly mistaken. You should try looking at the financial statements you receive from the association so you could see what the costs are from last year for comparison.
"plow and salt your streets" - But we don't own the streets, they were turned over to the town. The DPW is responsible for that, not the HOA which is a fact that might need checking into. I will agree with looking over the budget (it's the only statement we get) but what exactly the snow assessment covers is a good question.
Brook Hollow Drive does have sidewalks, and don't forget the section from Brook Hollow down Saxton past the mail boxes to the first house is also taken care of by the HOA. But the most snow removal is the COA (condo, not home owner) for their parking lots. What I don't think has been mentioned however is the Willow Grove side walk. That needs to be done, and while it seems expensive might actually explain the cost overrun. I've always wondered if that cost is really in line or not, but clearly the way to find out is to call and get an explanation.
5catmom hit the nail on the head. Years of non-involvement in the board meetings means they can hardly get officers to run the thing. Yes, collecting the small amount means a lot of effort. But then again some bad decisions were made about liens for non-payment and huge legal fees that only the lawyers benefit. But there's only one way to stop it. What's criminal is yelling out to no one in particular instead of the leadership to take charge.
"They" don't control anything, the HOA is "we". You want change? A handful of involved people could easily change it into something proactive. This hasn't happened in 10 years. If you don't like something file a complaint because it's not the board's job to be the police. I can't see how anyone would benefit from beautification enforcement as if you're going to send a committee around to rate everyone's house?
Personally, we're better off just living peacefully with each other and paying a fee that hasn't changed in 10 years. (how's that for stable Steven?) Since the town does everything else (can't fathom the comment about the town) and most of the costs are for the condos which they pay and the HOA does not, it's really not so bogus. You just need to be involved.
That said, if there is one thing that would help it's better communication. There's almost none with just some quarterly at best messages in the mail. Better information would prevent the above comments.
PS. On the issue of trees, I walk the whole development. At the time the letter was sent out it was true 4-5 places could stand some trimming so people can walk by. (and if I can't walk by at my height you KNOW the branches are low) But this year there is only a single tree that I can't walk past. Even that is no way worth the ill will to get into. What would you have done, call a tree company, paid $10,000 for them to cut peoples trees and deal with legal issues of enforcement of the bills? A simple letter did the same thing.
GC I’ve not had much free time to answer properly. I've turned to this forum, not to vent but to engage in an exchange of information and advise.
You should know that my rant was prompted when one of our neighbors was given permission by Taylor Mgt Co. (fact) to remove 2 perfectly healthy trees from the front lawn. Altering our tree lined street creating an empty gaping space.
There have been some neighbors who have lost trees to storms and were required to replace them. So you can imagine how baffled I was to learn that they were given permission to remove healthy trees.
Steven – Thank you for your rational comments. Unfortunately for the original owners, Hovnanian Builders misrepresented the HOA to many of us. Claiming that after the completion of building in the development, streets will be paved and the HOA will be dismantled. Naïve on our part.
5 catmom – yes, more involvement needs to happen again. Years ago a group of us tried but as it all seemed futile, we drifted back into our busy lives keeping status quo. I agree, not a smart move.
As for “Slander” I believe in free speech, so at the cost of $20,000 in snow removal of the condos, I’m entitled to wonder if Tony Soprano is under contract with Taylor Mgt.
Hey checkurfacts,
GC answered it factually. Our property taxes cover the salting and plowing of our streets. HOA covers the condo parking lot and sidewalks – to the tune of $20,000 plus $12,680 Landscaping fees. If you notice the lot size, you may agree to the excessive cost.
GC – You are right on many counts. Those of us paying should have more information in writing. Such as, how long is the contract with the Landscaper/snow remover and how many bids are presented before a new contract is signed? I don't even know if the budget statements that they send us include the condo owner’s fees.
HOA should have a positive impact on re-sale but as there are No Amenities (pool, clubhouse, playground, etc) it has the opposite effect on our resale. It is unfortunate that we are not allowed to use our payments for a Tax Deduction.
I have questions in regard to Brook Hollow Estate Condos. If anyone knows the answers, I would appreciate it.
I believe that there are 21 units, is that correct?
What is the size of community property being maintained?
What is the maintenance fee to Condo owners? I know what the singular homes are paying. I'm curious of the grand total collected.
Here is a list of the annual expenses sent to us. Does this seem reasonable? I would be grateful to have a better understanding.
UTILITIES
electric $ 2,000.
water $ 1,000.
Landscape Contract $12,680.
Sprinkler System $ 630. (for the installation? or running?)
Snow Removal $20,000.
Sanitation $ 2,580.
General Maintenance $ 7,000.
Contingency $ 758.
ADMINISTRATIVE
Management Fees $ 17,500.
Insurance $ 12,500.
Audit $ 2,800.
Legal Fees $ 8,000.
Office Expense $ 1,200.
Taxes/fees $ 1,000.
Bad Debt $ 2,800.
Reserve Contributions $ 18,000.
jt 16 although it seems much time is spent on locating dogs, lol isnt the man still there running the show
"locating dogs" - Wrong development. As for Taylor's money see the above it's about $100 per year for each house. For doing all the billing, collections, and managing accounts it's not exactly a way to make a killing at it.
disgruntled - Taylor's number is 973-267-9000. Email michele@taylormgt.com
Email any of the Board members. They're the decision makers, they're the ones who can change things, including getting rid of Taylor. They've been looking for active board members for years, so be a board member if you want to make a difference. File complaints if you don't like things. If you want to improve communications, the first step is to talk with the existing people in charge. They're the people with the answers you're looking for. That's what's going to be most effective. People are here from 10 different towns let alone just one neighborhood of our town.
PS - I'm not an original owner, I'm one of the earliest resales. So I don't know all the lies Hovnanian may have told, although I've heard some second hand. There's quite a bit of history about the supposed club house. However what I do know is I only ever heard Hovnanian was going to "turn over control" of the HOA. It's pretty obvious there's no way to shut it down if you've got over 33 acres of land in our name. Your left with the decision of doing more and the fees go up, or you do as little as possible and keep a stable fee.
State laws-rules re community associations say when homeowners begin to get added to a board - it's based on percentage sold - the more sold the more homeowners on the board until they take complete control.
Expenses look low to me........not high. The two communities I used to live in have had to do special snow assessments the last two years because of the extreme quantity of snow/ice.
Re resales, many if not most communities do not have amenities such as pools etc.........People buy based on what is and what they need - not on what isn't.
GC is a great source of wisdom on this as well as many other subjects.
The development in question is single family homes that front on public streets, correct? What snow removal costs are you incurring? If there aren't any "common elements" such as a clubhouse, etc., the only reason I can think of for the existence of an HOA would be for the maintenance of the stormwater management basins. And that shouldn't run you $100k per year.
Obviously there's something I'm missing. What are the 33 acres of land?
iPhone-imal iPhone-imal - Yes, there is a stormwater basin. That is part of the 30+ acres run by the HOA that is common area. There is another additional common area that includes signage and side walks. I'm not sure but it's possible our street lights are HOA owned and run which means there is some legit cost there. There is also an area of two buildings of condos. The condos have a separate association, but the HOA has approval over what the condos do. There is certainly snow removal that needs to be paid for by the condos. But it's been a point of question for us what exactly the HOA vs condo costs are because of the close relationship of the two.
disgruntled - Do the math. The budget comes to about $110k, the $39 fee times 175 of us only gives about $82k. And even then that assumes full payment of the fees when the budget allows for bad debt and there are some known dead beats. (reference the previous bit about the lien) Then take about 20 condos, divide the difference, and you get about $115 per month. Sound about right?
If I were a homeowner of one of the single-family homes, I would be trying to get everyone else together to dedicate those 33 acres to the Town as "open space" and be done with it.
I would really appreciate if anyone, AND I MEAN ANYONE, has a complaint, comment, opinion, wisecrack comment, to ATTEND a meeting. I am not asking you to join the Board, just attend a meeting. For the record. There are 166 single family homes, and 21 Condo units. All the expenses of the Condo's is assumed by the HOA. Over the years we have managed to have as many as 7, yes seven people devote their personal time, for no monetary benefit, to handle ALL the problems with the Association. If you think the snow assessment was a "snow job", then maybe you should contact other developments and see what their assessment was this year. Do any of you opinion makers no how many dead beats are comprised in the single family homes, that each of you pays for? I am of the impression if you don't vote you shouldn't complain about our elected officials. WELL IF YOU ARE TOO LAZY TO GET OFF YOUR BUTTS, THEN PLEASE KEEP YOUR OPINIONS TO YOURSELF.
Someonewhocares Well said someonewhocares!!! So sad the ignorance of homeowners who could and should educate them selfs by just going to meetings. Btw when you purchased your unit did you or your attorney review the Governing Documents?
Michele wee I live in the condos and pay a fee of $130. I hardly get anything on the outside fixed, have struggled with ice and snow. I can say that I am not happy with the way it is. The playset here on the property is rusted and old, needs removal. sidwalks are cracking, and blacktop is a mess.
LEB Commenting is no longer available.