[Packrat1]

You should try to find someone you trust to check on the house more often. Even a small leak or running toilet can cost a lot of money.

Also your neighbors may not be able to see completely in your back yard to see if a window or door has been broken.

[unf0rgiven6262]

Out of curiosity, how many people are actually in favor of their HOA policing their backyard?

[cully]

It's hard to balance what little the ARC will accept and whether you should consider correct placement of a sprinkler system now. If they really do allow fake stuff as you said some neighbors have just go for that for the time being.

[NoMoreRJ]

Originally Posted by cully

Look out your upstairs windows at those other yards and see what the least has in it.

BTW, what is on your ground in lieu of soil? Sand or crushed rock? Anyway, get upstairs.

They are in NJ but I'm sure they have Google Earth or Google Satelite view and maybe that will help.
Also, OP can check some of the listing on zillow trullia and realtor.com for pictures of backyards in the subdivision to get an idea of what they might want to do with the backyard. Online neighborhood browsing is easy.

Originally Posted by SpamDeleted

I just received a letter from my HOA that I must landscape my backyard. I've been meaning to do this, but I currently live in NJ and it's hard to arrange remotely.

Does anyone know the minimum landscape requirements that would comply with HOA rules? I've read through the CCR's, but it only says that the yards must be landscaped. I realize all HOA's will have somewhat different rules, but I'm just trying to get a general idea.

I'm wondering if just laying down some crushed rock will suffice until I move to LV and can put in trees, plants and a patio.

Thanks!

[tijlover]

Big worry wart that I am, the idea of those sprinklers going everyday, while I'm 1000 miles away from my house, yikes! I'm way too much of a worrier to put sprinklers in my big courtyard out back from my townhouse. I just do a deep watering, once a week, by hand!

How about some plastic palm trees, or some other plastic plants? How would they know, if you buy them to look real enough? Many times, I can't tell, when I see cacti in someone's yard, if they're real or not!

[NoMoreRJ]

Delete found the search tool button for the forum.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by observer53

Good suggestion, but the OP is living in NJ presently. It's a long way to go, at the moment, at least, to get upstairs.

Google earth satellite images?


At the very least, they're going to want rock installed to a depth of "X" inches. (Ours was two. Our mother in law's is three.)

I'd get rock delivered and spread and see if that makes it go away. If nothing else, it's step one.

[Blackscorpion]

HOAs suck, i dont know why someone would want to be a part of one. My house and property, my rules.

[jet757f]

Since when can the HOA make you landscape the backyard? All the HOAs that I have had including the one I have now only have appearance rules for the front of the house which can be seen from the street. How do they even know what you have in the backyard? Are they going onto your property and looking over the fence?

[ddrhazy]

Lay the crushed rock and see if that gets them off your back.