Mailbox Repairs & Replacement

When our six year old subdivision was built the builder installed identical black mailboxes on black wooden posts. Over the years some homeowners have repaired their mailboxes but we have some homes in foreclosure and many others where the posts are rotting and the paint peeling.

The HOA Board has taken the position that responsibility for mailbox repair/replacement belongs with the homeowner and as such has never set up reserve funding up for this. However, there is nothing in our governing Docs which specifically says mailbox repair/replacement is a homeowner responsibility. Could one argue that replacing the mailboxes which by the way, everyone seems to want to keep in a uniform design/color, is an Association expense?

Can anyone provide any insight on this?

What do your documents say about the mailboxes? I have seen some covenants that specifically state what kind of mailbox must be installed. My personal thoughts are that the HOA can recommend or even require, but that the expense should be that of the individual homeowner. Some owners may take care of their boxes better than others and they should not be required to help pay for those that don't.

Suzanne,

Are the mailboxes on common property or each individual lot?

I'm in a town house community where we have the standard mailboxes within a wooden housing on common property. The Association takes care of the housing but the actual mailbox is the owners responsibility. In our other section, each mailbox is located within in the persons personal lot. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the member.

Since your HOA has taken the position that the box is the responsibility of the member, and your guidelines are silent about it, the Board should pass a resolution stating this policy and provide guidelines. Ours are simple and state that replacement boxes must be the same type, color and material as the box being replaced. If the member wishes to replace the metal with plastic, they must submit a design change request.

If your Association wants to maintain them and there is no funds, they can pass a special assessment for an initial replacement and then increase the annual assessments to plan for future replacement. I would suspect that offering the membership the choice of paying more money or maintaining the boxes/posts themselves, the membership would choose that they have the responsibility.

Tim

Roger,

That is certainly an option but looking better is a matter of opinion.

Tim

We are in a planned community and yes, the mailboxes are in front of each single family home. Lawn maintenance is an Association responsibility for which we pay quarterly dues. I assume individual mailboxes are on private property.

Interesting that our Docs specifically say that homeowners are responsible for replacing trees, shrubs, etc. that were originally put in by the builder, but nothing about mailboxes.

Suzanne,

Since you live in a planned community I would say the mailboxes are your resp. The fact that the assn performs lawn maintenance is not an issue. If the property on which the mailbox stands is not owned by you then it most likely is your right-of-way area. If you performed your own lawn maintenance would you be resp. for maintaining that area?

Best to start a new thread, Robert. This one's too old. In yur new thread, you might tell us is it's your own personal mailbox or is f it's part of a mailbox cluster.

This is an old post - better to start a new conversation to provide updated information