Subject: Submitting A Written Complaint (Violation)
Violations are never a fun topic but the truth is that a large part of the quality that comes with living in an Association is the requirement to set specific rules and regulations for all members. In order to address violations, the property management company performs inspections, however, not all violations are ones we may catch in a routine inspection. For example, parking violations as most vehicles are out of the community during the hours management is onsite. Another is pet issues as we are not out on the grounds everyday and even if we were, we cannot be everywhere at once and again, most pets are walked early morning before work or evenings after work or longer outings on the weekends. Another is trash being put out before the allotted times as we are not here on Sundays and, for other pick up days, for much of the year sunset occurs after office hours. There are a few more that would fall in this category but it is these times that residents may have to report a violation versus relying on management to catch or be able to verify.
If you need to report a violation, Queen’s Landing has a specific process that is part of your approved Rules and Regulations but we do provide a form to make it easy for you to do so. Fillable forms can be found on the Tidewater portal under Community Information > Governing Documents > Rules and Regualtions > Written Complaint Violation Form. A fillable form is also included with this notice that you may save for your use in future. When reporting a violation you will need to provide the following for your concern to be properly addressed:
- You must provide your name, unit address and contact information. If the violation is one that management or a Board Member or Covenants Committee Member can personally verify, we will do so and will rely on our observation versus yours, however, we still need your information. We do not state in the violation notices sent out who observed the violation but if the violation progresses to a hearing you need to be willing to appear and therefore you cannot report a violation anonymously.
- You must provide dates and times the violation occurred.
- You must provide the Unit Address of where the violation occurred or if the violation occurred out on the grounds, provide a general description, ie, walking trail behind Bldg. X. If it is a pet violation and you cannot or are not willing to identify the owner of the pet or the unit the pet resides in we cannot issue a violation – we have nowhere and no one to send it to. A vague statement of some guy with a grey dog or a picture of just the dog does not qualify as identifying the person or pet. If you have a photo and you are willing to provide permission for us to use the photo, we can attempt to locate the person but it is no guarantee. Also, if you provide us a video or stills from your security camera system and permission to use them, please understand the person you are reporting will most likely be able to figure out who reported them – we did not give out your name.
- You must provide a statement concerning your willingness to appear for a formal Board hearing if necessary. If you are not willing to attend a hearing it does not mean a notice will not be sent for a valid violation but if the violation is disputed or not resolved and gets to the point of a Board Hearing and you are not willing to attend, the violation may have to be dismissed. Again, we try to verify the violation ourselves so that residents do not have to deal with this part but it is not always possible.
After you have submitted a violation complaint the manager may need to reach out to you to get more information so make sure you have provided good contact information on the form. Also, please allow time for the violation to be reviewed and for management or a committee member to visually verify as well, if possible. We will let you know if it is a violation we can and have verified, otherwise, you will need to be available if a hearing is requested or required. Please know that most residents correct the violation within the first two notices and it is very rare that it gets to the hearing stage or that a resident requests a hearing but you still need to be prepared and willing to attend if necessary.
As with all requests to the Association for consideration of action, whether it be a violation or maintenance requests or any other action, the proper way to notify the Association is through the management office and per the requested format or process. Posting your concerns on social media or other communications does not start the process.