Download Rules and Regulations here!
August 2008
Residents/Neighbors:
Royal Forest is a small community. It is the intent of the Homeowners’ Association to enforce the by-laws established in the best interest of our community and its residents. The cooperation of all residents is required if we want to keep our community both eye appealing and a pleasant neighborhood for our families to live.
It is the responsibility of the homeowner to furnish their renters with a copy of all by-laws, rules and regulations. The homeowner will be assessed for all non-compliance fees incurred by the renter. The homeowner is also responsible for furnishing a copy of any/all leases to the Homeowners’ Association to be kept on file. All new homeowners are also required to provide a copy of their warranty deed.
All homeowners that plan to rent their units must contact Banyan Property Management at 561-649-8585 for your prospective tenants to fill out the appropriate paperwork and to be interviewed. All new potential owners or their title companies must also contact Banyan Property Management for estoppel information and to be interviewed. There is a fee for both. The fee for renters is $50.00 per applicant and the fee for homeowners is $100.00 per applicant.
A. Rules & Regulations
The following is a basic summary of the rules and regulations, which must be adhered to by all residents, both homeowners and renters:
1. ABSOLUTELY NO DRIVING ON THE GRASS, PARKING ON THE GRASS OR PARKING IN THE ROAD
If a vehicle is parked on the grass or in the road (with the exception of commercial vendor vehicles, King’s Wrecker will tow the vehicle. The cost of towing will be the responsibility of the vehicle owner. The notice on the bulletin boards is your warning. You will receive no additional warnings. All parking for homeowners and tenants is restricted to your garages or driveways. All guests must park in the guest parking in the pool area or isolated parking strips. NO HOMEOWNERS OR TENANTS ARE PERMITTED TO PARK IN GUEST PARKING AREAS. Vehicles with no tags, expired tags or vehicles not being used or moved will receive one warning notice. If it is not removed or properly tagged, it will be towed at the owner’s expense. If we are unable to identify a vehicle with no tags, expired tags or vehicles not being used or moved in the pool area, the vehicle will receive a sticker. If the vehicle is not removed or properly tagged within 24 hours, it will be towed at the owner’s expense.
2. MAINTENANCE FEES
All maintenance fees (currently $150.00 per month) are due on the 1st of each month and considered late if not received by 5:00 PM on the 15th of that month. Any payment that is not received by 5:00 PM on the 15th will be assessed a 15% late fee (currently $22.50). Maintenance payments are to be made payable to Royal Forest HOA and mailed to Royal Forest Homeowners Association, Inc., c/o Anchor Commercial Bank, P. O. Box 31908, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33420-1908 along with the appropriate coupon. If you do not have a coupon, payments must still be made in a timely manner. Please ensure that your unit number or Royal Forest address is listed on the check so that it is credited to the correct account. Absolutely no checks will be accepted at Banyan Property Management or by a director of the Royal Forest Homeowners’ Association.
The association has the right to restrict any homeowner or tenant from using the amenities in our community if they are delinquent in their maintenance payments.
3. HOMEOWNER AND TENANT APPROVALS
Any homeowner that has a prospective new buyer, tenant or roommate must contact Banyan Property Management at 561-649-8585 to complete an application and pay the appropriate fee to implement a background check and for approval by the Board of Directors of the Royal Forest Homeowners’ Association. No sale may occur nor will the tenant or roommate be permitted to move into a unit until this process has been completed and you have final approval from the Board of Directors. Fines may be imposed upon any homeowner that does not follow this procedure.
4. PETS SHALL BE PERMITTED
A pet shall be defined as a domestic or household dog, cat, fish or bird. Pets shall not be permitted in any of the common areas unless under leash. Each pet owner shall be required to clean up after the pet in order to properly maintain the common areas. Each dwelling unit owner shall indemnify the Association, and hold it harmless against any loss or liability resulting from his, his family member’s, or lessee’s ownership of a pet in Royal Forest. If a dog or any other animal becomes obnoxious to other dwelling unit owners by barking or otherwise, the dwelling unit owner shall remedy the problem or upon written notice from the Association, he will be required to dispose of the pet. ABSOLUTELY NO ANIMALS ARE PERMITTED IN THE POOL OR PARK AREAS.
5. GARBAGE CANS/RECYCLE BINS MUST BE BROUGHT IN FROM THE STREET THE
SAME DAY AS PICKUP AND KEPT OUT OF VIEW BEHIND YOUR BACK FENCE
Garbage days for this community are on Wednesday (regular garbage) and Saturday (garbage including small pieces of furniture or appliances, recycles and landscaping debris). If you have large pieces of furniture or appliances to be disposed of, you must contact the Solid Waste Authority to make arrangements for a pick up day and time – it may not be left at the curb. The regular sanitation trucks will not pick up this material.
Absolutely no garbage is to be placed at the curb before 6:00 PM the evening before pick up day. All garbage should be placed in a garbage receptacle and covered tightly. We strongly recommend that garbage not be placed in bags and left at the curb as we have raccoons as well as several cats in the development overturning garbage pails with no lids and tearing garbage bags apart. If you choose to leave your garbage pail uncovered or place bags at the curb and an animal strews debris into the street or on the grass, it will be your responsibility to remove it.
Garbage receptacles and recycle bins must be removed and placed out of view the same day as garbage is picked up.
Proposed fines will be imposed upon any homeowner that either places garbage at the curb before 6:00 PM the evening before garbage day or does not remove their receptacles from the curb the same day that garbage is picked up. Any garbage or landscaping debris that is placed at the curb that is not picked up by our sanitation department must be returned to your unit and stored out of view until the Solid Waste Authority is contacted to make arrangements for its removal.
Landscaping debris must be placed in front of YOUR unit. Absolutely no landscaping debris is to be placed in the common areas of our community. Proposed fines will be imposed if a homeowner or tenant is seen placing landscaping or tree debris in our common areas.
6. ADHERE TO 15-MPH SPEED LIMIT/STOP SIGNS
The speed limit within the complex is 15 MPH. There are also “STOP” signs placed throughout the complex at various corners as well as speed bumps. Remember, there are many children playing and people walking within our neighborhood. For the safety of all residents, the speed limit must be carefully adhered to and signs obeyed.
7. POOL, PARK AND COMMON AREAS ARE TO BE UTILIZED WITH SAFETY AT ALL TIMES
A pool key has been issued to all homeowners and pool and park rules are posted in their designated areas. All new homeowners are responsible to obtain the pool key from the prior owner. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO SWIMMING BETWEEN DUSK AND DAWN. Children under the age of 16 are not permitted in the pool area unsupervised. There is no glass bottles permitted. Anyone using profanity or is a nuisance to other residents in the pool area will be asked to leave the premises. The gate to the pool area is to be kept locked at all times. Babies and toddlers are not permitted in the pool with diapers on. All homeowners and tenants are restricted to four guests with the exception of when a party is being held. The maximum amount of people in the pool at one time is 17. Pool keys must be in the possession of all residents or tenants utilizing the pool area. Pool keys must not be given out to anyone. The pool is for the enjoyment of Royal Forest residents and their guests. A $25.00 charge will be assessed for a new pool key. For the safety of our children and the liabilities, please be aware of where your children are playing at all times as they should not be climbing in trees of other residents or in the common area.
The chain link fence bordering our development to the North, East, West and the canal is private property. If any of our children are seen climbing or destroying these fences, the parents will be sent a letter of non-compliance and fines may be incurred after the first warning. The parents will also be held responsible for the repair of any damages caused by their child. If you witness any children that do not belong to our community in our development or destroying our property, please call the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office immediately. Swimming in the canal behind the complex or playing in the streets unsupervised is prohibited.
The clubhouse may be reserved on a first-come basis by contacting one of the directors of the Royal Forest Homeowners’ Association or Banyan Property Management to check availability and for approval. A $75 deposit is required of which $25 is non-refundable. Remember - the pool is never reserved, only the clubhouse. When your party is over, you must remove all decorations and debris from the clubhouse, park and pool area. The refrigerator must be cleaned out and wiped down inside and out and all food and beverage removed if it is used. Any tables that are used must also be cleaned as well. The Homeowners’ Association reserves the right to hold deposits until one of its directors has ensured that the clubhouse and pool area has been cleaned up properly. Then and only then will your deposit be returned.
The park area is open to all residents and their guests from dawn to 8:00 PM.
8. VANDALISM AND SECURITY OF HOMES AND PERSONAL PROPERTY
Assure that all personal property is secured and out of visible access. Several personal items have been stolen from yards or left in the common areas in the past. As a precaution, please have children’s toys put away in the evenings or when you are away so not to entice any further thefts, and also to avoid front yard clutter. As an extra security measure, we suggest that you keep your front light on or use motion detectors during the evening hours as a deterrent. If you see anything or anyone suspicious in our neighborhood, immediately call the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office and file a report. We have to look out for our neighborhood interest, but home security is in the hands of each individual resident.
Homeowners will be responsible for the cost to repair or replace any damage to our common areas, clubhouse, pool or park area created by a member of their household, tenant or guests.
9. COMMERCIAL VEHICLES AND TRAILERS
It has been determined by the Royal Forest Homeowners’ Association that a commercial vehicle is considered to be any vehicle that has the capacity of over one ton and will not be permitted. Trailers are permitted in our development as long as they are parked completely in your driveway. Absolutely no trailers are to be parked on the grass or in the pool parking area. Any resident that owns a vehicle, whether it is a car, truck or trailer that is considered being an eyesore will be issued one warning of non-compliance. If you receive a non-compliance letter and the vehicle is not removed immediately, a tow truck will be called to remove it at the owner’s expense.
There are no boats permitted in our community.
No vehicle will be permitted that obscures the view of the front of your unit and no vehicle (per Palm Beach County code) can extend over the landscape strip directly in the front of your unit.
10. UNIT NUMBERS
All homes must have a unit number located on the front of the unit that can be clearly seen from the street. Unit numbers must be kept clear of debris and foliage.
10. INSURANCE
Claims for losses that occur on common property or involve the exterior of any unit, must be submitted to the Association, not the insurance company. The Association will then submit the claim to our insurance agent for processing. Any claim submitted directly to the insurance company will be declined. The Association currently has a $1,000 deductible for each occurrence that the claimant is expected to absorb for anything other than windstorm damage. The current deductible for windstorm is 3% of the assessed value for the total building. If we experience a hurricane and the entire building is damaged, both unit owners will be expected to share the cost of the deductible. If only one of the units experiences damage, it will be the responsibility of that unit owner to incur the total deductible.
B. BEAUTIFICATION
1. PAINTING
There are (4) different color combinations in Royal Forest. All units must be painted with the correct color combination or the Board of Directors will have you repaint with the correct color at your expense. The approved colors and combinations are available at Porter Paint at the corner of Forest Hill Boulevard and Kirk Road. Ask the salesman for the book showing the approved colors for the Royal Forest Development.
If you and your connecting unit would like to change the present color combination of your home to one of the other approved colors, you and your connecting unit owner must do it at the same time, BUT, BEFORE YOU DO, YOU MUST GET BOARD APPROVAL. The doors and garage door must be painted the same color as the house itself. Also, before painting your home, you should pressure clean the home with some sort of mildew killer. If you paint on top of the mildew, it will only bleed through. Killing the mildew will maximize the longevity of the new paint. In addition, all rotted wood on the unit or garage doors must be replaced before painting. It is also recommended that on units that are painted white, the window shutters be painted the same color as the trim of the unit as it is more appealing to the eye. However, if you choose to keep the shutters white, the color of the shutters on both connecting units must be uniform.
2. ROOFS
Each homeowner is responsible for the maintenance and replacement of their roof. You may wish to use a roof-cleaning vendor that is approved by local roofing contractors so as not to damage the shingles. There are safe methods for cleaning the roofs. Contact a local roofing contractor for their recommendations. Remember that you must use a licensed and insured contractor when replacing your roof.
3. FENCES
Fences must be replaced with one of the approved styles of fence for the development. They are a flat top, shadow box design with either 4-inch or 6-inch slats in wood or in white vinyl. Wood fence posts must be 4 x 4 pressure treated and poured in concrete. Wood fences must be painted with a high quality exterior white paint. Vinyl fences must be kept clean (bleach solution recommended).
4. DOORS
When replacing the doors to your unit, you must replace them with either an approved solid metal door or a metal door with an arch window.
5. DRIVEWAYS
Driveways must be kept clean and free of oil and rust stains. If your driveway becomes stained, check with a local vendor such as Home Depot or Lowe’s for the best solvent to use. Driveways are not to be used for vehicle maintenance with the exception of minor repairs. Driveways and walks may be painted, however only the color paint that has been approved by the board can be used. This paint is available at Porter Paint.
C. NON-COMPLIANCE (BEAUTIFICATION ISSUES)
1. FINES - BEAUTIFICATION
The Florida Statutes allow homeowner’s associations to levy fines for non-compliance in the amount of $100 per day per each violation not to exceed $1,000. Notice of at least 14 days to the offending party sought to be fined must be given an opportunity to be heard before a committee of at least three members appointed by the board who are not officers, directors or employees of the association or the spouse, parent, child, brother or sister of an officer, director or employee.
The Board of Directors of Royal Forest Homeowners’ Association has made the decision that although these state statutes allow us the right to enforce these guidelines; the new guidelines for Royal Forest will be as follows:
First Offense: $100.00 fine (per violation)
Second Offence (same violation): $250.00 per violation
Third Offense (same violation): Matter referred to our attorney for recovery
2. EXPLANATION OF BEAUTIFICATION FINES
If you are sited by the beautification committee to make repairs, you will be sent a first notice giving you 30 days in which to comply. If the repairs are not made within that 30 day period, you will be sent a warning notice giving you 14 days to make the corrections. If the corrections are not made within that 14 day period, the procedure listed below will then be implemented.
3. FINING PROCEDURE - BEAUTIFICATION
First offense: Notice of at least 14 days to the offending party sought to be fined $100.00 will be given an opportunity to be heard before a committee of at least three members appointed by the board who are not officers, directors or employees of the association or the spouse, parent, child, brother or sister of an officer, director or employee. The decision of the fining committee will be final. The decision of the committee will be sent in writing to the offending party. If the fine is considered valid by the committee, it will be imposed at that time and payable immediately. If you do not appear for your hearing on the specified date or contact the association in advance requesting an extension or to advise that the issues have been resolved, your unit will be assessed the applicable fine whether the work has been completed or not.
Second Offense (same violation): If the correction is not made within 14 days of that notice, an additional $250.00 fine will be imposed and payable immediately.
Third Offense (same violation): If the correction is not made within 14 days of that notice, the matter will be referred to our attorney for recovery. Attorney fees will be the responsibility of the prevailing party decided by the court.
Remember that making the correction does not mean that you do not need to pay the fine imposed. In order to avoid additional fines, the corrections must be made and the imposed fine must be paid within the period of time allotted.
D. NON-COMPLIANCE – ALL OTHER ISSUES
If you are sent a notice of non-compliance for any issue other than beautification, you will be given ten (10) days in which to comply or your unit will be assessed a $100.00 fine that will be due and payable immediately.
E. PAYMENT OF ALL FINES
The new Florida state statutes now allow for all associations to collect payment of any balance that is open on a homeowners account before collecting new balances. In other words, if you have a prior late fee or an imposed fine on your account that has not been paid and your payment for the current month is paid, the association has the right to apply this new payment to any balance that may be on your account first, thereby possibly making your payment for the new month either late or unpaid. In this case, a late fee will continue to be applied to each month that it is due until your account is paid in full. If your maintenance account is in arrears in the amount of $260.00 for any reason, your account will be turned over to our attorney to begin lien proceedings. You will receive no notification from the association. Once your account has been turned over to our attorney, all communications will be conducted between you and our attorney. All costs, interest or attorney fees incurred will be your responsibility and will placed as an additional balance owed on your account.
If there are questions/comments regarding any of these issues, please feel free to present your concerns to the board at a monthly meeting, the first Wednesday of each month at 7:00 pm in the Royal Forest clubhouse. If a concern of any resident requires immediate attention, please bring it to the attention of one of your board members:
Leslie DiStefano President
Maryanne Brockley Vice President
Marc Bayless Asst. Vice President
Yuni Merlino Secretary
Judy Rufer Treasurer
Any inquiries to the board must be in writing and signed in order to be addressed (not anonymous), but the identity of the individual writing the letter is never given out to public record. This will afford the board an opportunity to notify the individual writing the letter when/how the matter has been addressed. Inquiries can be either be mailed to 1599 Royal Forest Court, W. Palm Beach, FL 33406, presented to the Board of Directors at a member’s meeting held the first Wednesday or each month in our clubhouse at 7:00 PM or sent to Banyan Property Management.
We appreciate your cooperation in keeping our neighborhood a pleasant and safe place to live.
ROYAL FOREST HOMEOWNERS’ ASSOCIATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
