OYSTER RIVER CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION WELCOME PACKAGE

Transcription

1 OYSTER RIVER CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION WELCOME PACKAGE

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Welcome Letter 2. Neighborhood Policy Guidelines 3. Late Fee Policy 4. By-Law Enforcement Policy 5. Snow Removal Policy 6. Dog Policy 7. Contact & Emergency Telephone Information 8. Owner/Tenant List

3 WELCOME TO OYSTER RIVER We are pleased to learn that you have purchased or leased a unit at the Oyster River Condominium Association. We know you will enjoy living in these beautiful and peaceful surroundings. It is a unique and special place where 21 unit owners and tenants live in a relatively small area enjoying high standards of privacy, comfort, and safety. Your Board of Directors and our management company, In Demand Realty, are responsible for maintaining a high quality of life and acquainting residents with the rules and regulations. If we follow these rules, day-to-day living at Oyster River runs smoothly. Included in this package and for your convenience, you will find the neighborhood guidelines, which have been developed from the Association s By Laws and Covenants. We have provided this Welcome Package, along with other Association documents, to assist in your understanding of the operations of the Association. Rules pertaining to parking, pets, and safety concerns are particularly important, as we all must consider the privacy and well being of our neighbors. This Welcome Package and all Association documents, including the most recent meeting minutes, are also available online at indemandrealty.com. Click on Owner Login. Username: ORCA Owner Password: Orca (the password is case sensitive) Your Board meets regularly to review concerns of the community, and we welcome suggestions and comments. Participation of volunteers is also an excellent way to stimulate communication and promote your ideas. If you have questions about the services you are to receive, maintenance procedures, or other policies regarding life within a condominium community, please call a board member or In Demand Realty (see Contact page). The key to a successful Association is the support and enthusiasm of its members. It s a great place to live! We know you will enjoy the peace and quiet of our community, the town of Lee, and its surrounding seacoast area. Feel free to introduce yourself to your neighbors in the community. Sincerely, The Board of Directors Oyster River Condominium Association

4 NEIGHBORHOOD POLICY GUIDELINES The intent of this section is to highlight some of the Association policies contained within the Condominium Bylaws and Declarations. The common areas and limited common areas and their use are explained in the Declaration on page 3. In general, the exterior of the units and surrounding land is under the control of the Association as a whole through its Board of Directors. Any additions, changes, or attachments to the exterior of a unit or to the common area around the unit must have advance approval from the Board. Requests must be submitted to the Board in writing. Listed below are some specific policies/rules to be followed: 1. Association Fee. The monthly Association fee is determined each year by the Association at its annual meeting in December. The monthly fee is due on or before the first of each month. A fine of $15 per month is imposed if payments are late (see Late Fee policy for more specifics). Checks should be made payable to the Oyster River Condominium Association and mailed or delivered to In Demand Realty, PO Box 9, Dover, NH You also have the option to have payments directly taken from your checking account. Please contact the property manager for the authorization form. It is also available to download online at the In Demand Realty website. 2. Speed Limit. 15 m.p.h. is the speed limit stated in the Association By-Laws. There is a sign posting this speed limit along the entrance road reminding all owners, tenants, and guests to adhere to the 15 m.p.h limit. 3. Pets. Residents are permitted to have a dog no larger then 50 pounds in their unit because of the size of the units and the Association s policy (see Dog Policy for more specifics). Please remember that the State of New Hampshire requires cats as well as dogs to be inoculated against rabies. The incidence of rabies in northern New England has increased substantially during recent years. Therefore, do not leave dog or cat food outside which will attract raccoons, foxes, squirrels, etc. 4. Pool. The pool is exclusively for the use of the residents and their guests. Non-residents should not be invited to use the pool when the resident is not present. For safety reasons and because of potential liability, it is particularly important that an adult resident be present when children and/or guests are using the pool. The pool gate should be locked at all times. Any owner wanting access to the pool should contact a member of the Board to sign a form before being given a key. Your pool key should be returned when you sell your unit as the new owner needs to sign a form prior to receiving a pool key. 5. Vehicles. With the exception of three units that do not have a garage, there is space to park four cars at each unit. When all of this space is used up, guests should park their cars on the far side of the road on the grass. Cars should not be parked on the lawn on the side of the road where the buildings are located. Trailers, recreational vehicles, boats, travel or camping trailers may not be parked or stored outside of a unit. (see top of page 8 of the Declaration). In addition, vehicles should not be parked in front of the dumpsters or in the turn around space provided for the trash trucks and snowplows.

5 6. Quiet Hours and Noise Policy. Quiet hours have been established per Section 10(d) of the Declarations in an effort to provide you and your neighbors the right to sleep without undue disturbance from noise. All owners and their guests are expected to observe the condominium quiet hours between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. Please also be considerate of the owners on either side of you by walking lightly on stairs, softly closing doors, and keeping music volume down. Music, slamming of doors, and heavy footsteps travel through the walls and can wake up your neighbor. 7. Flowers and shrubs. Residents are generally allowed to plant flowers next to the foundation of their unit and around or next to trees at the front or back of their unit. Flowers, trees, or shrubs cannot be planted in the lawn area without prior approval by the Board. Replacement of shrubs in front of a unit is at the unit owner s expense. As an economy measure, the Association voted several years ago to have each owner responsible for pruning their shrubs and weeding the beds around their unit. 8. Front porches and decks. These are defined as limited common areas. (see page 5 of the Declaration). The Directors rely on your good judgment and taste on how you use your front porch, deck and parking area and area immediately adjacent to your unit. However, it is neither attractive nor neat and orderly to use them as storage areas or to dry clothes, except under temporary or unusual circumstances approved by the Board of Directors. 9. Lawns. The Association contracts for the cleanup and mowing of the lawn areas. Therefore, it is important not to leave recreational and garden equipment on the lawn. All equipment of any kind should be removed from the lawn immediately after use. Grills, picnic tables, and lawn furniture need to be moved out of the way each week prior to the mowing of the lawn. 10. Dumpster. The dumpster is for the disposal of paper products, garbage, cans, bottles, etc. However, it should not be used for discarded furniture, large metal objects, shrubs, Christmas trees, brush and plant materials. Items of this kind should be taken to the Town of Lee Transfer Station or in the case of brush and plant materials carried well into the woods across the driveway. Cardboard should be broken down into pieces no larger than 24 x24. Other large items should be broken apart before placing in the dumpster. Do not use the area around the pump house to discard brush, wood scraps, etc. Although not mandated, you are encouraged to recycle by taking cans, glass, plastics, newspapers, magazines, cardboard boxes, mixed paper, discarded furnishings, etc. to the Lee Transfer Station. A permit sticker for your car can be obtained free of charge at the Transfer Station or the Lee Town Hall. Dumpster Recycling Station Woods across road Garbage, Cans, Cans, Glass, Plastics Brush, leaves, plant Bottles, paper Cardboard, paper products materials only products, cardboard Furniture, large metal objects, Christmas Trees 11. Exterior Decorations. Holiday decorations on or around a unit are permitted, but must be removed after the holiday period is over.

6 LATE FEE POLICY In order to fulfill its fiduciary responsibility, the Board has voted to implement a fair and consistent late fee policy. This policy was developed to keep within the letter and intent of the Declaration and By-Laws. Prompt payment of all fees is essential to funding the day-to-day operations of the Condominium. 1. Condo fees are due on the first day of every month. 2. A grace period exists until the seventh of the month. 3. Those fees not received or postmarked by the seventh of the month will be assessed a $15 late fee. If you have provided an address to the property manager, you will be e- mailed a late fee invoice. If you have not provided the property manager with an address, a late fee statement will be mailed to you with an additional $1 surcharge to cover the costs of printing and mailing the invoice. 4. Application of payments goes to the oldest outstanding invoice first. Please be sure to have paid the previous month s balance in full, including any late fee due, to avoid incurring any additional late fees. 5. Any account past due more than 30 days will accrue interest at the rate of 1.5% per month on the unpaid balance. Interest accrues from the original invoice date. 6. Any owner whose monthly fees are beyond 60 days past due will be subject to a lien and legal costs as determined by the By-Laws and the New Hampshire Condominium Act.

7 Oyster River Condominium By-Laws & Condominium Declaration Compliance Policy Occasionally, The Board is presented with concerns by association members on possible Condominium By-Law/Declaration violations. The following policy has been developed by the Board in an effort to maintain fairness, establish precedence and provide consistency in resolving conflicts that may arise from time to time. When violations occur, the Board will implement the following steps: 1. A friendly verbal request will be made to the unit owner by a Board member stating the specific By-Law/Declaration violation and request for corrective action. If the unit owner takes the corrective action within 10 days, no further Board action will be required. 2. If the unit owner does not take corrective action during the 10-day period following the initial telephone call, the Board will send a letter stating the specific By- Law/Declaration violation. Included with the letter will be a copy of the clause where the violation has occurred. An additional 10 days (from the date of the letter) will be granted for the unit owner to take corrective action. If the violation is corrected, the Board will take no further action. 3. If the violation has not been corrected after completing steps 1, and 2 above, the Association will exercise the necessary legal means to resolve the issue in question.

8 SELLING/RENTING YOUR UNIT There are several provisions contained in the Declaration and Bylaws of the Association particularly important if you are renting or selling your unit. If you are being represented by a real estate agent, the agent should also be informed of the requirements and restrictions of the Association. If you are renting your unit: 1. A copy of the lease or rental agreement must be provided to the Property Manager before the unit is occupied. 2. The unit or any part thereof may not be occupied or used for any purpose other than as a private, single-family residence. The word family used herein shall be deemed to include no more than two unrelated persons. (See Section 10 (a), pages 9 and 10 of the Condominium Declaration. 3. The person renting and occupying the unit should be provided with copies of all Association documents so that they are aware of the restrictions on the use of the property. If you are selling your unit: 1. Please be sure that you or your real estate agent provides copies of all Association documents to any prospective buyer. 2. Based upon situations the Association has experienced, be sure that the prospective buyer and your agent are aware of the restrictions outlined in No. 2 above regarding occupying the unit. 3. The buyer should be made aware of the monthly fee and the penalties for failure to pay it on time.

9 SNOW REMOVAL POLICY The travel area will be plowed as close to 7:00 a.m. as possible so that those residents who have to leave can do so. When the bobcat/plow clears vacant parking spaces, please move your vehicle so that the remaining spaces can be properly cleared. During a prolonged storm the roadway will be kept open as the primary concern and after the storm is over, the plow will return for the necessary clean-up of the parking areas. The amount of time that will be spent on this is not indefinite, and the plow will not return to clear individual spaces from which vehicles have not been moved. If these areas are not plowed because of a resident s delay in moving his/her vehicle, that resident will assume responsibility for clearing his/her own space. These procedures will only be effective by using good judgment and having the cooperation of all. Vehicles left unattended will impede clearance and cause problems. If you are at home, please cooperate by moving your vehicle for the bobcat/plow. If you are not at home during a storm, you should arrange to have it moved or shoveled out afterward by someone else, taking care not to have the snow thrown into areas that have been previously cleared. Any vehicles not being used during the winter should be removed and stored. Residents should also try to anticipate storms and place their vehicles in garages. Motorcycles should not be left out at any time. Walkways will only be cleared of snow at the end of the storm on an as-needed basis to be determined by the Board of Directors. Sanding and salting will be done on an as-needed basis at the discretion of the snow removal contractor. Front porches, steps, and rear decks will be shoveled by each owner/tenant. Inevitably, there will be some problems. Please direct these and any other questions to one of the Board members. If you are unable to reach a Board member, you may call In Demand Realty at

10 DOG POLICY Unit owners and renters are allowed to have a dog on the premises under the following conditions (See Section 10(c) of the Condominium Declaration). Dogs will weigh no more than 50 lbs. (This will become effective 6/1/11 for any owner or resident acquiring a dog). The dog must be housed inside of the unit. Allowing the dog to run freely on the landscaped areas of the Association property or tying the dog up outside of the unit is not permitted. When the dog is walked outside of the unit, it must be on a leash and walked on the far side of the roadway when on Association property. Dogs are not allowed inside of the swimming pool fence or in the pool at any time. Remember it is required to pooper scoop after your dog and dispose of properly. Do not leave dog or cat food outside which will attract raccoons, foxes, squirrels, etc. Any owner notified of a violation to this policy will correct it immediately and take appropriate action so that it does not reoccur. Failure to abide by any of these rules will result in the Association pursuing legal action. The Board thanks you for your anticipated cooperation in adhering to these rules. Please feel free to call any member of the Board if you have a question about this policy or any other related to the use and maintenance of the Association s property and facilities.

11 CONTACT INFORMATION The Oyster River Condo Association Board of Directors Tim Schuman, President Unit # Gordon Crosson, Vice President Unit # Jean Marquis, Treasurer Unit # Erika Hunter, Secretary Unit # Lorne Smith Unit # Scott Dustin Unit # Management Company In Demand Realty, LLC PO Box 9 Dover, NH Brian Blair, Property Manager Telephone: Fax: Website: indemandrealty.com idr@indemandrealty.com Insurance Agent Sevigney-Lyons Insurance Agency 208 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH Post Road, Wells, Maine Service Contractors Gas Company D.F. Richard ( ) Cable Comcast ( ) Electricity PSNH ( ) Lee Transfer Station Hours: Tues/Thurs: 1:00-6:00 p.m. Sat: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Lee Town Hall Selectman s Office ( ) Hours: Tax Collector s Office ( ) Hours: Mon: 8:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Wed./Fri: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.