How to Form a Town House Association
If you live in a town house community, it might be beneficial for you to gather your neighbors and form a town house association. A town house association is responsible for maintaining the neighborhood in order to keep the property values high. In exchange for a monthly association fee, the association cares for and maintains community property.
- Discuss the association with your neighbors. If you want to form a town house association, you must get most of your neighbors on board with the plan. Invite them over for a meeting at your home and discuss the benefits of forming an association. Let them know how it will directly benefit their life and property.
- Consult with an attorney. As with forming any corporation or official group, you will want to seek the advice of an experienced real estate attorney. The attorney will help you form your association, create contracts and have them legalized. The attorney will assist you with developing a name for your association and filing your incorporation documents.
- Create a board of directors. Your town house association must have a board of directors to oversee the operation. If you are creating the association, you will most likely be president. Ask your neighbors to find interested candidates to fill the vice-president, secretary and treasurer positions. Discuss the responsibility of each position and find capable candidates who have time to commit to the task.
- Create a set of rules and bylaws. These rules typically have to do with the exterior appearance of the town homes in your neighborhood. You might restrict paint colors, lawn displays or vehicle types. The goal is to create uniformity throughout the neighborhood and maintain the local property values. It is a good idea to have the association members vote to approve or disprove the bylaws.
- Determine you association fees. Take into account all of the expenses your association will face each year, from snow removal to lawn maintenance and everything in between. Divide this total cost by the number of town homes in the association in order to calculate each individual membership fee.
- Have your first meeting. Once you have formed and organized your association, invite the neighborhood back for the first town house association meeting.