This isn't the first time a Redditor found themselves clueless after receiving a notification from their homeowners association. In this case, the poster's HOA wanted to remove 20 trees that provided shade to about 15 south-facing townhouses in Arizona.
"One of my primary concerns is impacting the value of the property," the OP wrote in a post.
"My patio is currently shaded by these trees, which is the only thing that makes it usable several months out of the year. Without the trees, the patio and unit will be in direct south-facing sunlight the entire summer with no shading whatsoever."
According to the Reddit user, the HOA is considering removing the trees to reduce water consumption.
"I know HOAs have a lot of legal power in AZ, and the trees are technically on community property, but is there any recourse beyond petitioning the board?" they asked the members of Reddit group r/legaladvice.
From solar equipment to grass lawn fixes, HOAs have indeed the power to ask residents to make changes to their property, as expensive or sudden as those are. Meanwhile, residents who are looking to upgrade their homes to save money and embrace a more eco-friendly way of living by installing solar panels on their roofs, for instance, are often faced with strict HOA guidelines.
For our Redditor, the battle to preserve the trees starts now.
"If you and others are gonna fight this, you can take the HOA to the AZ Real Estate Administrative Hearings," one user said. "But I'm willing to bet as a fellow Arizonian, the water reduction will win over shade."
Another member of the group agreed. "It's a decision of what's more important – shade or water consumption. The board is entitled to make that decision. And you're entitled to engage politically in that process to try to influence the outcome."
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"Your local code enforcement may have restrictions on tree removal and require a certain amount of green space on the property and if that's the case and removing these trees would put them in violation," another commented.
Besides looking at the amount of green space, one more user proposed another solution.
"AZ homeowner here. Definitely research the tree species and see if you can present to them a method to save on water costs," they wrote. "If it's a native species, most of those trees need little to no watering except for normal rains."
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