How is Your HOA Dealing with Neighbor-to-Neighbor Disputes?

Operating a homeowners association (“Association”) that governs a common interest community means that sooner or later there are going to be issues that that the Association has to address which are related to what is commonly referred to as “neighbor-to-neighbor” disputes. Neighbor-to-neighbor disputes are disputes that are lodged by one owner of a separate interest within the community against another owner of a separate interest. Such disputes do not typically involve the common areas or more than the owners that the dispute is directly related to. Common examples of neighbor-to-neighbor disputes are disputes relating to such things as: (1) noise (playing loud music or T.V.s, yelling, musical instruments; (2) issues with pets (barking); (3) walking on hard surface flooring; (4) smoking; (5) cooking odors; (6) parking issues; (7) overhanging trees; and (8) property maintenance issues.