Curb Appeal Notices

Our governing documents legally require the Stonebridge Ranch Community Association (SRCA) to mail notices to homeowners regarding curb appeal issues. This oversight is a benefit the SRCA provides on behalf of all our homeowners.

If you receive a compliance postcard or letter from the SRCA, please be assured, our goals are to: > Make sure you are aware of the curb appeal issue. > Help you understand the guidelines which relate to it. > Encourage you to correct the issue in a timely manner.

Our volunteers and staff support this process because the SRCA exists to protect property values. When we identify issues and residents are responsive to notices, we can increase the value of a single home— and hopefully that of other homes along the street, in that village, and in our community as a whole! Such a lofty goal is made possible when we work together.

10 PERCENT The cohesive appeal of our community matters because eight to 10 percent of Stonebridge Ranch homes are bought and sold each year. We want each family’s investment in our community to remain profitable. If you choose to sell your own home, we hope the SRCA attention to detail will serve you well.

Even better, when everyone works to keep their properties in tip-top shape, our daily quality of life improves. Through cleanliness and maintenance, we can make each twist and turn along our streets pleasing to the eye for both current and prospective residents.

STANDARD POLICY The average homeowner benefits when impartial, professional staff send curb appeal notices according to a standard policy.

This service relieves neighbors from having some uncomfortable conversations across the fence regarding common maintenance issues. Further, by following the steps of a publicized guideline, staff can communicate in a fair, orderly, and expected manner with each individual.

As we have repeated in previous articles, rumors sometimes circulate about the role of the management company in this process. Please note the following: > Our staff are not paid for each compliance notice they send. They are paid an hourly rate for their work. > Our staff are assigned no quotas. > Our staff are given no incentives to write notices. > Our staff do not vote regarding Stonebridge

Ranch curb appeal requirements. SRCA guidelines are determined by historical governing documents and by approval of the homeowners who volunteer on the Modifications Committee and the Board of Directors.

IT’S A PROCESS Receiving a notice can provide the jump-start a homeowner needs to get the mower blades turning or to purchase a can of fence stain. We encourage homeowners to review the steps of the SRCA Covenant Enforcement and Fining Policy.*

For curable issues, the multiple-step process begins with a simple postcard reminder. We then advance the chain of communication at regular intervals to allow time for correction. At every step along the way, we encourage homeowners to contact our staff if needed.

Importantly: ignoring official SRCA communications does not make a curb appeal issue go away, nor does it stop the covenant enforcement process. View the chart on p. 27 to see the basic flow of our communication process. Please also keep the following in mind.

To alert homeowners to curable modification issues, the association first mails a postcard. The postcard is meant to be informative. It can aid owners as they learn to implement Stonebridge Ranch standards of maintenance.

The most common maintenance reminders we send relate to the upkeep of fencing, lawns and landscaping, and exterior paint, as well as proper trash can storage. Maintenance issues naturally follow the season of the year and are somewhat predictable. The need to repair hail damage follows spring storms, for example, while yard upkeep is a more pressing issue after spring rains and in the heat of summer. The communication process is similar for exterior modification issues. Most common: we send notices when homeowners do not submit a required Modification Application † , or when they do not follow the specifications of their approved application.

We save valuable association funds by adhering to a single process which includes automated steps. Because our community is so large, we utilize postcards and letters to initiate communication with homeowners. However, we also employ

Bare and brown spots in the lawn are common summer curb appeal issues. Others include fencing upkeep, secure trash can storage, landscape weeding, and maintenance of shrubs.

full-time staff to serve you. Unlike smaller associations which cannot support onsite staff, we are able to rise to the level of communication you need. Notes Compliance Coordinator Pat Liles, “We’re here to help educate homeowners and advise

them as they rectify issues. Some residents don’t know that fences need a trim cap, for example. The first time they may realize this is when they receive a postcard from us. It’s nice when we can work together to keep Stonebridge Ranch looking beautiful.” If you receive a mailed notice ‡ regarding a curb appeal issue and have questions or feel confused, please do not hesitate to contact the staff at 214.733.5800, srca@cmamanagement.com, or www.stonebridgeranch.com/submit-aquestion/. If you prefer a face-to-face chat, you can make an appointment to visit with a compliance staff member at the office (6201 Virginia Pkwy., Monday to Friday from 8:30 AM to 5 PM).

As you can see from the chart on p. 27, for curable issues we send multiple notifications to a homeowner before the SRCA begins to assess fines. Sometimes residents contact us regarding an ongoing issue they see in a neighbor’s yard

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With mention of this ad and ask what the SRCA is doing to correct it. The answer is that many steps are going on behind the scenes when an issue isn’t rectified in a timely manner. State law protects each homeowner’s right to privacy. If you notice a maintenance issue in a neighboring lot and notify our compliance staff, be aware: we legally cannot provide you with information about that property, the owner, or the compliance steps that are being taken. The homeowner’s right to privacy can also impact renters. We send SRCA notices to the homeowner’s mailing address as noted in their private online account at https://cma. cincwebaxis.com/. To communicate directly with renters regarding an ongoing issue, SRCA staff must be authorized to do so in writing by the homeowner. Though this right to privacy can cause a delay in correcting issues, when homeowners and tenants communicate with each other and with staff, the process runs much more smoothly. ◀

*We post this file publicly (along with our other governing documents) at www.stonebridgeranch.com/governingdocuments/.

† Note that if the issue relates to non-submittal of an application, the SRCA does not start communication with a postcard. Instead, the first communication a homeowner receives is a letter (see chart). To learn more about modification applications, see www. stonebridgeranch.com/modifications-applicationprocess/.

‡ SRCA representatives are required by state law to communicate with homeowners via mail within 30 days of observing a compliance issue. The SRCA goes beyond this basic requirement by notifying homeowners sooner and following a multi-step process for curable issues. All violations which result in mailed notices are also noted on the homeowner’s account at https://cma.cincwebaxis. com/ immediately on the date of witness. Because there is always a possibility of postal mishandling, you can log into your private account once or twice a month to make sure no issues have been logged. If you need help registering or updating your personal account, contact the Customer Care team at 972.943.2828.

Our staff visit each village every two weeks to review exterior home upkeep. If they observe an issue that does not meet the standards of the Stonebridge Ranch Community Association (SRCA), they follow the steps required by our Covenant Enforcement & Fining Policy based on the type of violation (see the flow chart below). The process includes posting a notice to the homeowner's private online account at https://cma.cincwebaxis.com/ and mailing a postcard or letter. (You can read the complete policy at www. stonebridgeranch.com/association-policies/.) We can help you understand guidelines so you can correct the issue going forward. If you receive a notice and have questions about the observed issue, SRCA governing documents, the time frame for correction, or how to appeal to the Board of Directors, please contact us as soon as possible! Staff are available by email at srca@cmamanagement.com, by phone at 214.733.5800, or via the website at www.stonebridgeranch.com/submit-a-question/. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 5 PM.

These occur when an owner implements a modification without submitting a required application and getting approval, deviating from an approved plan, or installing a modification the committee has denied. Upon observing this type of issue, we mail a letter requesting a response within 10 days. The homeowner may choose to remove or correct the exterior modification before the next inspection. Or, they can contact our staff to discuss options, including how to prevent fines.

These are issues which can't be fixed, in most cases because they have already occurred. One example is hosting an event which is not permitted by SRCA guidelines, such as a garage sale. Upon observing an incurable issue, we mail a letter. It notifies the homeowner that a $300 ‡ fine will be assessed to their SRCA account in 30 days. Within this 30-day period, the resident may pay the fine or appeal to the Board of Directors. If the resident does neither, staff mail a letter noting that $300 is due.

These are curb appeal issues which can be fixed. They are the most common type we see and include lawn upkeep, fence staining, trash can storage, paint and gutter maintenance, etc.

*Per the policy, if the same issue reoccurs within six months, staff are required to reopen the violation on the owner's account and escalate it the next level. (I.e. if an owner receives a postcard related to trash can storage and staff observe a repeat of the violation, the next notice the owner receives is the first letter, not another postcard.)

†Once a fine is assessed to an account, it is due even if the issue is corrected. If the same violation occurs again within six months, staff reopen the violation and escalate the fine to the next level per the policy. (I.e. if an owner reaches the $100 fine level the first time, staff are required to reopen the violation at the $200 level.)

‡Per the policy, "Attorney's fees and all costs incurred by the Association in enforcing...become the obligation of the owner." This requirement is outlined in Section 5.1.D of the SRCA Covenants, Conditions, & Restrictions (see www.stonebridgeranch.com/ governing-documents/). Upon observing a curable issue, we mail a postcard. We ask the owner to fix the issue before the next inspection. (Sometimes the owner does so before the postcard even arrives. This is often the case with proper trash can storage. In such an instance, no further action is needed.*)

If the owner has not corrected the issue by the next inspection date, we mail a letter requesting resolution before the next visit.

We mail a second letter if the issue is not corrected within two weeks. This alerts the owner they must fix the issue within 30 days and that fines will begin to accrue at the next step of the process. Note: the SRCA issues fines as a last resort when homeowners do not respond to notices. We sincerely hope owners will work with us to resolve issues before reaching the fine level!

If staff observe no correction within 30 days, we mail a third letter noting the issue must be corrected within two weeks. This also alerts the owner that a fine of $50 † has been issued to their SRCA account. This fine increases to $100 and then $200 if the issue is not corrected before the next two visits. If unresolved by this point (over three months since first observation), staff bring the violation to the SRCA Board of Directors to consider further action. The Board may increase the fine and/or initiate legal steps. ‡

LET’S TALK TRASH! When we follow guidelines regarding trash and recycling bin storage, we help create a tidy look and feel in our villages. SRCA policies direct when and where bins may be stored. Got questions regarding compliance? Call 214.733.5800.

Our compliance staff pay close attention to the City’s scheduled trash days. Staff do NOT inspect your village on your trash day. Proper storage of bins reduces the chances for them to blow over. This helps prevent the spread of windblown trash debris in our community, which enhances the natural beauty. Trash and recycling bins may be placed out no earlier than 6 PM the day prior to your trash day. They must be stored by 7 AM the day after your trash day.

To enhance yard aesthetics throughout Stonebridge Ranch, bins must be stored away from street view (from property line to property line of your home). You may store them: •

In the garage.

Behind a six (6) foot cedar privacy fence.

Behind the front building line and screened by large dense evergreen shrubs.

Where applicable, in a back alley up against the house or fence.

If stored behind fencing or shrubs, SRCA guidelines require a minimum two (2) foot setback from the home’s front corner.

CLEANING?

If you need to leave out bins to be washed by a cleaning service, notify our staff in advance to prevent a violation on your account. We’ll make note for that day prior to our inspection rounds.

Review the Modification Design Guidelines at www.stonebridgeranch.com for complete bin storage details. You’ll find height and material requirements for fencing. To ensure fenced enclosures meet Stonebridge Ranch standards, the Modifications Committee must approve your Modification Application and site plan prior to install. (A Neighbor Acknowledgment Form is not required for bin fencing.)