Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions (CC&R’s) are the rules and regulations of your home community. If you buy a home, like a single-family home, town home, and condo, in a planned community, you’ll be required to be a member of a Home Owners’ Association (HOA). The rules of the HOA are described in a document called the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&R’s). They describe the requirements and limitations about what you can do and not do with your property. The objective of the CC&R’s is to protect neighborhood property values. For the majority, the rules are easy to accept. For example, it is easy to agree with a rule that requires you and your neighbors o keep lawns free of trash and mowed. Other rules might seem unreasonable to you. For example, perhaps you want to know if you can launch a Kayak in the community lake. The HOA CC&R’s, might not allow this. Or, only certain types of crafts with or without a motor. Perhaps you want to fence your yard to make your pool more private. After reading the CC&R’s, you find out the HOA doesn’t allow certain types and sizes of fences. Not to mention the fact that some HOA’s don’t allow fences that are not see through rod iron. If this is a problem for you, look at buying a home in a different neighborhood because changing the rules is never easy and requires a high percentage of members to agree to change it. Likewise, if you’re planning a big project down the line such as changing the color of your roof or home, you’ll need to check with the CC&R’s to make sure that the color you have chosen is allowed. When buying a home, make sure you are in agreement with the CC&R’s. The HOA can enforce the rules by making fines, taking away privileges, filing a lawsuit, or foreclosing. Consult an attorney and HOA if you need clarification regarding your CC&R’s.