Getting Ahead of an HOA Notice About a Dirty Exterior

Plenty of homeowners meet their pressure washer because of a letter from the HOA. If you've gotten a notice about mildew on the siding, a streaked roof, or a green driveway, here's how to handle it calmly and keep it from recurring.

What an HOA can and can't require

Most covenants require that the home be kept in "good and clean condition," which reasonably covers algae, mildew, and heavy staining that's visible from the street. They generally can't dictate which company you use or force a specific method — only that the result meets the standard. Read the exact wording and note the cure deadline, usually 14 to 30 days.

Handle it in one visit

The fastest way to close a notice is a full exterior soft wash: house, roof, driveway, and any street-facing fencing done together. Soft washing kills the growth at the root, so the fix lasts through the next inspection cycle rather than greening up again in a month. Keep the invoice — a dated receipt is useful if the board follows up.

When the notice is not about dirt

Not every exterior citation is a cleaning job, and the distinction decides whether your cure period gets used well. The most street-facing surface on a typical house is the garage door, and boards cite them for things no wash will fix: a panel dented out of line, a finish that has chalked or peeled, a door hanging visibly crooked because one spring has failed, or an opener that has left it half-open for days. Read the notice closely enough to separate the cleaning items from the repair items before you book anybody, because a soft wash against a repair citation burns the deadline without closing it. On the Gulf Coast that repair side goes to Houston Garage Door Repair Co; elsewhere, ask a door company whether what the board described is a finish problem or a mechanical one before you assume either.

Staying off the list

Put a recurring wash on the calendar before the humid season, not after the letter. Homeowners in Central Florida's HOA-heavy communities often set up an annual visit with a soft-wash pro serving the Lakeland area so the house never drifts back into violation territory. A proactive cleaning is cheaper than a hearing.