Homeowners struggle with HOA parking restrictions

Q: I have a neighbor who claims that the street in front of his house is “his” property and yells at my occasional guests who try to park there. Parking is not blocking his driveway. He is not a “friendly” fellow, otherwise I would speak to him directly. Any suggestions?

A: I would hate to see you taking steps to escalate the problem with your neighbor. Obviously, when possible a one-on-one meeting with him is best, but you have stated that is not an option.

You could ask your association to send him a letter explaining that street parking is open. Perhaps, they can send him a copy of your parking rules. Technically, this is a neighbor-to-neighbor matter that your association may or may not assist you with. Neighbor Justice Center was developed to help conflict between homeowners. You can contact them at 702-455-3898.

Q: I own a town house in southwest Las Vegas. I am hoping you might be able to help me understand the rules when it comes to towing cars. I’ve been in my town house since June and have had the hardest time finding parking. I do have a garage, but I also have a oversized truck that doesn’t fit in my garage. Today, I came home and was not able to find a parking spot. So, I parked in front of my garage which is against association rules, but I had no choice. Periodically I would go out and check for a spot every 30 minutes and check on my car. Tonight, my truck was towed and I had no warning. Can you please explain the rules of towing when it comes to associations in Nevada.

A: You have indicated that parking in front of your garage is against association rules. Based on that comment, yes, the association can tow your vehicle under Nevada Revised Statute 116.3102 (1s). Did you receive any notice, by letter or by a tag on your vehicle that within 48 hours that if your truck was still in front of the garage, it will be towed? If you did not receive any notification, was your truck impeding traffic?

As to your concerns about the size of the garage, you should speak with the community manager to find out if there is any other parking alternatives?

As a caveat to all readers, before buying a home within an association, do check the parking rules and the covenants, conditions and restrictions. You may find out that there is no street parking or no parking in your driveway or that recreational vehicles can only be parked for loading or unloading. This may save you future headaches and towing charges.

Q: I’ve been trying to check on restrictions of communications between board members and non-board members but I can’t find a definitive answer to my question/problem. Simply put, one board member continues to bcc and inform a non-board member of our board activities and discussions. We know this to be true for several different reasons, including feedback from others and errors in using the cc instead of the bcc.

Granted, some subjects are just internal discussions and/or suggestions; however, it causes problems/extra work, because other members start pestering us about things that aren’t on the agenda; may never be on the agenda; or aren’t even an issue or really under consideration. Any suggestions you can offer? Thank you for any feedback you can offer.

A: Technically, only privilege information between legal counsel and the board and privacy issues involving violations, delinquencies and architectural matters should not be shared with non-board members.

Think about having a workshop with your attorney to discuss this issue with the goal of establishing some form of polices for board members.

Barbara Holland is a Certified Property Manager (CPM) and holds the supervisory community manager certificate with the state of Nevada. She is an author and educator on real estate management. Questions may be sent to holland744o@gmail.com.