If you live in a condo or home governed by such a group, homeowners’ associations are important bodies you need to understand fully. Often in charge of dictating several important day-to-day living factors, from costs of certain amenities to rules and regulations for the community, homeowners’ associations, abbreviated HOA, may cover a variety of areas.
At A-1 Exterminators, we’re here to tell you about one important area to keep track of if you live under the governance of a HOA: Pest control, and particularly that may be invading your space and causing several issues. Not only are we experts in safe, healthy removal methods here, partnering with Bird Barrier and their series of high-quality products, we’ll also help you deal with HOAs when it comes to who incurs the cost and responsibility of such services. Let’s go over some important factors to understand here.
State Law and Common Areas
First and foremost, it’s important to understand how state law works in this area. Most states, including Utah, make significant differentiations based on “common areas” compared to private areas that are covered by the property owner themselves, particularly in condo spaces.
This can be a detailed document to cover, but the general tenets tend to be similar or identical between states: The HOA is generally responsible for all repairs, replacements and maintenance concerns in common areas, such as a condo pool, neighborhood sidewalk or similar area. But most state rules also defer to specific HOA guidelines, meaning if your HOA has specific provisions about bird or pest control, you need to know these. So first and foremost, do your research.
Personal Areas and Infestations Caused by Humans
As the above suggests, cases where bird infestations are present in common areas – and potentially caused by common precursors – will generally be covered by the HOA. If the purchase of bird deterrents or other products is warranted, the association should cover these costs.
In other cases, however, when human action causes the infestation, especially in private areas, things can get a bit murkier. If you continuously leave food items outdoors on your property, for instance, and this leads to a bird infestation, it’s highly unlikely the HOA will cover the cost of remedying this infestation. In fact, if such behavior continues and impacts other residents in the area, you may even be sued or otherwise punished by the HOA to recoup necessary costs.
Bird Removal and Relocation
Another important area to check on within state law: Who is responsible for covering relocation costs if they’re necessary during bird removal. This isn’t often the case, though it’s possible and worth monitoring just in case.
For more on understanding who is responsible for bird infestations in any property governed by a homeowners’ association, or to learn about any of our pest control or exterminator services, speak to the staff at A-1 Exterminators today.
