In general, the property management companies forward the submitted plans to a landscape architect whom is contracted to review the plans to ensure they are in conformance with the HOA's design guidelines and that the homeowner is not proposing anything that might compromise the health, safety, or welfare of the homeowner, their neighbors, or the common area property. Specifically, they want to make sure you've taken into account:
- minimum clearances from property line walls.
- minimum widths of required landscape planters.
- appropriately-sized trees that won't cause root damage to adjacent walls and / or paving. Provide a root-deflecting device for any trees planted within 5' of any wall or paving edge.
- appropriately-sized trees that won't have too-large canopy-growth into nearby buildings on your or any adjoining properties.
- surface grading (slope of the land) to ensure any water from your lot doesn't drain onto neighboring property or the common area.
- accent lighting that illuminates your property only and does not provide glare into neighboring properties
- nothing is attached to common area walls including landscape features (garden art, tile mosaics, etc.), clinging-vines, etc.
- all proposed improvements are visible primary from your lot and will not project above the perimeter property line walls.
View the HOA design guidelines as a checklist, make sure your designer has taken each requirement into account and checked them off, and make sure your improvement plans CLEARLY state these requirements / limitations and how you've satisfy them before your submit them for review / approval. Ideally, this should get your plans approved on the first submittal. Best of luck!!!
