WWW.NORTHDALE.ORG
NOVEMBER • DECEMBER 2019
NORTHDALE CIVIC ASSOCIATION COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER due to health or physical limitations, to do the NCA Deed corrective work themselves. Members of the Restriction board have stepped in to pressure wash Committee Report NCA some properties when it was determined that When Merit Association conducts its property inspections and documents deed restriction violations, they are acting as a neutral thirdparty. They ascertain the condition of the property without personal knowledge of who lives in the home or the homeowner’s personal situation. It is imperative that the homeowner correspond with Merit if there are extenuating circumstances which prevent the homeowner from taking corrective action to correct the violation. Do not wait for the ‘final’ letter to arrive before reaching out to ask for an extension or help. It is important to have your request documented by sending an email to NCA@meritfl.com. Or, send snail mail to Merit Association at 3433 Lithia Pinecrest Rd. #301, Valrico, FL 33596. At the September NCA board meeting several homeowners that attended offered to provide assistance to property owners that are unable,
the homeowner was very elderly and/or disabled and needed assistance. Help is out there, we just need to be apprised of the need. The enhanced deed restriction enforcement campaign kicked off in early 2019 in the Gables I neighborhood. This test case area of 297 homes gave the NCA and Merit Association a feel for how extensive the labor and expense would be to expand throughout all of Northdale. As a 40-year old community showing its age, the evaluation we received was that we had a lot of work to do. In July Merit Association expanded the inspections to include all the villages that make up the Northdale community, about 2,400 homes in all. The most common complaint residents are voicing is that the letters are not specific enough to identify exactly what corrective action they are expected to take. This
generally seems to apply to issues involving pressure wash or paint violations. Several times NCA board members have gone out to look at a home when the homeowner couldn’t ascertain what to do. In a few instances, mold or mildew was on the side or upper level of a home that the homeowner hadn’t noticed. However, in other cases, it was apparent that several different surfaces were in need of pressure washing to remove mold or mildew from the home, driveway, sidewalk, etc. When truly in doubt about what work is needed, send an email to Merit asking for a photo on their next inspection to document the problem. If we viewed our homes from the perspective of a potential buyer, we may see issues that we might otherwise ignore. Thank you to the many homeowners that are supporting our efforts to improve the appearance of Northdale properties. We’ve seen improvements every month and Northdale is looking better every day! Ann Frisbie Deed Restriction Committee Member
Annual dues are $50.00. Please make your check payable to the Northdale Civic Associa on. Interested in joining the Northdale OWLS? Find a registra on form at WWW.NORTHDALE.ORG. The $15 annual OWLS’ dues are included with your NCA membership. Mail Payment to: Northdale Civic Associa on, 3853 Northdale Blvd. Box 374, Tampa, FL 33624 Or, you may pay using your credit or debit card online at: WWW. NORTHDALE.ORG Thank you for your support! PUBLISHED BY IKARE PUBLISHING INC. WWW.IKAREPUBLISHING.COM • 813-991-7843