The Villas of Calavera Hills Homeowners Association

February 2012
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Click on a link below to jump to information on:
Help Us Conserve Water
Tenant Registration is Required by Villas CC&Rs
Roof Leaks
Villas Virtual Garage Sale
Potential Property Tax Decreases
SDG&E Free Energy Efficient Kit
Furnace Alert - Please Check Your Furnace - IMPORTANT
Visitor Parking Spaces are Not for Homeowners
Please Use the Spa Cover
How to Donate a Tree for the Villas
Register Your Cell Phone for Emergency Notifications
Bird Seed Problems
Trash Can Lids are Required
Garage Door Maintenance Tips
Report Crime at the Villas
Get to Know Your Neighbors
Please Pick up After Your Pets

Please Help Us Conserve Water

On January 1, 2009 the City of Carlsbad raised water rates by 20% and sewer rates by 10%. Your water and sewer costs are paid from your monthly HOA assessment dues (currently $250 per unit per month). Without decreasing water consumption at the Villas, the increase in water rates means that we have to either cut services to absorb the increased cost or increase dues. Help us keep water costs down by saving water. See our new Water Conservation Page for tips on how to save water at the Villas. Thank you for helping us keep the Villas “green” and keeping our costs down.

Tenant Registration is Required

Do you need to register your tenant? Homeowners who rent their condo are required to register their tenants with management per the Villas CC&Rs. This helps us contact the resident during emergencies or events that may impact them. Please complete the Tenant Registration Form found on the Forms page and return to Association Management Group. Your cooperation is appreciated.

How to Report a Roof Leak and Get it Fixed

With the first heavy rain of the season, homeowners should keep an eye out for signs of roof leaks. If you notice a leak please contact Association Management Group ASAP. AMG provide 24 hour support. Outside of business hours please call the main AMG phone number and they will page a representative to call you back and advise you on how to minimize damage. Please note that any necessary roof repairs cannot be completed until the rain has stopped. The Association is committed to keeping your home safe and comfortable so please let us know if you have any problems during this winter storm.

Homeowners are encouraged to make an appointment to have your furnace inspected by a heating technician licensed by the State of California. Additionally, the following are suggestions for improving the fire safety of all horizontal forced-air furnaces in the attics:

Protect the wood deck or rafters on which the furnace is mounted by covering it with a non-combustible material such as cement board that extends a minimum of 12 inches past the side of the furnace.
Provide an air space beneath the furnace. A licensed contractor can perform this work and can offer the homeowner several ways to accomplish this.
Make sure your furnace is installed correctly and serviced at least annually. The inspections should include a safety inspection of the burner assembly and heat exchanger.

Reminder - Visitor Parking Not For Resident Use

Residents are not permitted to park in visitor parking. Each condo has one garage and one assigned parking space. Residents with more than two cars will need to park their additional vehicles on Chatham and under no circumstance are allowed to park in visitor parking. Residents parking in visitor parking may be subject to towing. Please be considerate of your neighbors who are obeying the rules and don’t take up the visitor parking.

The Board is working on options for addressing the parking problems that are found in some areas of the Villas. In the meantime if you have noticed a problem in your area, and you are comfortable doing so, try talking to your neighbors first. If that doesnt work, or its something that you are not comfortable with, document the problem. This could include dated photos and a list of dates and times that the problem occurred with a description of the vehicle including number plate. Send the information to AMG and they will forward it to the Board. While the Board does not currently have a process in place for addressing parking problems this will allow us to identify the exact nature of the problem and to work on a plan to deal with the worst offenders.

Please Use the Spa Cover

An energy efficient cover has been purchased for the spa. The cover is designed to maintain the temperature of spa water when it is not in use. The water is heated by electricity and the cost is paid by homeowners through monthly dues. Keeping the spa covered when not in use, even during the day and on warm days and nights, will significantly reduce that cost. If you use the spa please make sure you replace the cover when you are finished. To those of you who already do this, thank you. Please be considerate of your fellow homeowners and make sure you do this simple task to keep costs down at the Villas.

Donate a Tree or Shrub to Your Community

In April 2008 the Villas Board adopted a Homeowner financed tree planting policy that allows homeowner to pay for the purchase and planting of a tree. Homeowners who are interested in participating should contact management for more information. Please note that trees must be approved by our arborist and will be placed in a location agreed upon by both the homeowner and the Association.

Register Your Cell Phone and E-mail for Emergency Notification

Residents who live in San Diego County are encouraged to register their cell phones and e-mail addresses for emergency notifications by visiting the AlertSanDiego website. AlertSanDiego will provide emergency alerts to your cell phone and e-mail address during a disaster including evacuation notices. This is in addition to the land line calls received by those who have land line phones.

Bird Seed Attracts Rodents

Our pest control contractor, Orkin, has issued a warning that they are seeing increased rodent activity around areas with seed type bird feeders and ask that we encourage residents to not use seed feeders.

Trash Can Lids

Please make sure you cover your trash can. Uncovered trash cans may encourage rodents or pests and can smell awful when the weather warms up. Please be considerate of your garage companions and cover your trash can.

Garage Door Maintenance Tips

It is the homeowners responsibility to maintain garage doors. To ensure smooth operation, doors should be lubricated about every six months with a spray silicon lubricant (not WD-40). Spray all hinge pivot points, springs and rollers (bearings only) but do not lubricate the track. The outside of the door can be cleaned with a soft cloth and soapy water and should be rinsed with water. Harsh cleaning products or abrasives should not be used as they will scratch the painted finish and may cause rusting.

Information about garage door opener maintenance can be found at the Liftmaster website.

Please note that all garage doors must be secured. Since garages are shared with other homeowners, each garage door needs to be able to be locked and should not be able to be opened by hand. Unsecured garage doors should be reported to Association Management Group so that the homeowner can be notified and asked to secure their garage.

Do you know how to access your garage during a power outage? Use the emergency key provided with your garage door unit to unlock the center quick release lock on the outside of your door. Insert key, turn, and tug on the lock core and attached cord until track becomes disengaged from the door.
Raise the door by hand. Be sure to close the door completely on your departure, and re-engage door with track by returning door to its operational state when power is resume.

Report Crime

Residents have been reporting to management that they have noticed an increase in criminal activity at the Villas. It is imperative that homeowners and residents who witness a crime contact Carlsbad Police Department at (760) 931-2197. Illegal behavior will not be tolerated and we encourage homeowners to be proactive in calling the police. We also ask that you report the incident to the Board, via management, so that we can get a clear picture of where the problems are occurring. The Board wants to make sure that the Villas remain a safe and comfortable place for all residents. Homeowners can be part of the solution by calling the police when witnessing a crime and informing
the board of what is happening in our community. The Villas Neighborhood Watch Committee has not been active in recent years but there may be a need to reinstitute the committee if there is increased criminal activity in our community.

Get to Know Your Neighbors

Do you have contact numbers for your immediate neighbors? Get to know your neighbors and swap phone numbers. In case of an emergency, such as a water leak or fire, you will be able to notify your neighbors quickly of any problems.

Please Pick Up After Your Pets

Please pick up after your pet and be a good neighbor and keep our community clean. Pet owners who disregard the rules are subject to fines. Owners are encouraged to pick up after their pets at all times as a courtesy to their neighbors and fellow pet owners. One careless pet owner makes all other pet owners look bad.

Homeowners are welcome to leave comments
Please remember this is a family website and keep posts appropriate for all age groups. Thank you.

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