HOA Board Blog

Question:

One of our owners is complaining about 2 barking dogs outside of our complex from a private residence backyard (adjacent house). This resident wants the association to pursue a formal complaint with the city about the barking dogs. I feel this is an individual issue not falling under the responsibility of the association. However, this nuisance does impact the quality of life for 1 or more of our residents and may have a long-term negative impact on resale value of this/these units if not addressed. How do you suggest we as an association should pursue this, if at all? Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Answer:

Your question is a common one. The answer depends on how much time the board, community manager, and you want to spend on dealing with barking dogs. Phoenix has a noise ordinance and I believe a barking dog hotline that is available for people to call. Based on the information you gave, the Association has no obligation to follow through on this situation. This noise is coming from outside the community. The association shouldn’t be expected to control problems that originate from outside their borders. If it is bothering the homeowner, it is the homeowner’s issue and they should deal with the problem themselves. It sounds to me that the homeowner wants the HOA to take care of their problem and in this case it is not a valid request.
On the other hand, if you have the time to assist in this matter, there is nothing stopping you from assisting in trying to find a solution to this problem. Personally, I think there are more appropriate things to work on other than barking dogs. Neighbors need to try to be more responsible when it comes to dealing with neighbor problems, like barking does. So it comes down to, it is your choice to make on whether to have the HOA involved in this problem or not, but the HOA is not obligated

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