HOA Pool - any successful ways to keep out non-residents? UPDATE post 23

[bumbershoot]

Great ideas everyone. I'll definately mention it to the HOA. I just feel so mean for complaining. These kids are low income and have no where else to swim. I can't really blaming them for wanting to use our pool.

Eh, don't feel so sad for them. We were low income growing up, and lived on an unincorporated street literally surrounded by fancy neighborhoods. We would NEVER have thought to go to a pool that we weren't entitled to. Might have made some friends who lived over there, to get invited, but we wouldn't have crashed a pool like that.

During summers we went to the high schools with open pools, there are plenty of those where I live now (and one BIG one when I grew up at a community college). I saw someone else posted that you're in Durham? Seems to me I can think of a college or two that might have some sort of summer pool program for kids... Not as easy as walking into another neighborhood, but it wouldn't be against the rules.


So, they are making a choice to break rules (is there law involved with this?), when I'm SURE they could find other options. So don't feel bad for them. They know they don't live in your neighborhood.

 

[sorcerormickey]

Our community has a pool, playground, and basketball court. All paid for with HOA dues.

The pool is gated and every house receives a key, but if you forget the key, there is an over-ride button on the top of the fence you can just push and be let in. But, I NEVER see anyone in the pool. Almost every house has a pool, so why we need a community pool is beyond me.

The basketball court is a different story. It is ALWAYS in use, mostly by people who do not live here. After many complaints, the HOA put up a sign that it was for residents only, but that was not helpful.

I never thought about the liability issue of people who are not supposed to be using the facilities. That's not cool.

 

[lecach]

small update:

I emailed the management company (we're still transitioning over to a full HOA) and she said she would forward my comments. She also said that the insurance policy protects us all against injuries to anyone - residents or trespassers. She said that "as an owner you are within your rights to ask nonresidents to leave. If they do not you can call the non emergency number". I emailed back that I was not comfortable confronting these kids because they could easily find out where I live (my house is at the entrance to the neighborhood) and retaliate. And that the sign at the pool with the non-emergency number says "do not call about trespassing".

So we'll see what the board says - apparently there is a pool committee. I dont know if they will contact me or not.

 

[Nana Annie]

No lifeguard. The neighborhood isn't huge, and the cost of a lifeguard would probably make our HOA dues go up. But if it's necessary, so be it.

You may want to go to your next HOA meeting and suggest a life guard. It may be far cheaper to hire a lifeguard than pay the insurance premium if some non-neighborhood child drowns in the pool.

Ours are by swipecards with photo id's. You have to swipe the card and then hand it to the front desk person to check the picture. They have a few set days pre-season when you can come down and get your card. When you get your card, you have to bring a photo-id and a copy of your latest utility bill. And all members in a family must have their own id card.

 

[BeNJeNWaFFLe]

To me, it's odd that they used a keypad and a code as a way of locking the pool. Once someone knows the code, they will have access. You can't tell people to just forget the code. And if you change it too often, residents will get annoyed. A key lock or requiring a resident pass seems like a much better solution.

In my town we have 9 town pools. Yes, 9. They are free to any resident in the town. You just have to go to the town hall and prove you are a resident (electric bill, etc) and you are given a pass. One pass per household. When you enter the pool, there is someone there checking for them.

 

[Keggy]

We also have a key to our neighborhood pool that says do not copy. I personally have never used it so I don't even know if it works! Our neighborhood pool is next to a man made lake and there is a huge sign next to the pool that says, "Watch for snakes!" NO THANK YOU!!!!!

 

[jgmklmhem]

At the house we were renting the HOA had a pool. We had to have our swipe card and enter a code specific to our card at the gate (no human contact lifeguard or "gatekeeper" there). The HOA also had the ability to turn off certain cards if the dues were not paid. It worked for the most part in keeping people out that were not supposed to be there.

 

[m&m's mom]

We have the same situation and have had a ton of problems. There are old cards used, multiple people being let in etc. We have had vandalism as well. My DH and another guy caught one group of them. They were not from our neighborhood.
We have spent so much money on this problem it is riduclous! I am taking some of these ideas to the board for their info.

 

[Ciao Mickey]

small update:

I emailed the management company (we're still transitioning over to a full HOA) and she said she would forward my comments. She also said that the insurance policy protects us all against injuries to anyone - residents or trespassers. She said that "as an owner you are within your rights to ask nonresidents to leave. If they do not you can call the non emergency number". I emailed back that I was not comfortable confronting these kids because they could easily find out where I live (my house is at the entrance to the neighborhood) and retaliate. And that the sign at the pool with the non-emergency number says "do not call about trespassing".

So we'll see what the board says - apparently there is a pool committee. I dont know if they will contact me or not.

I would ask for a copy of the insurance policy. Just because she said that you're not liable doesn't make it so.

If you informed her that people were tresspassing, why didn't she call the police?

 

[lecach]

Well it's kind of hard to call the police if the people in question aren't there now. She said I could call the police non-emergency number. Yeah - I am sure that helping us with pool trespassers would be their top priority

 

[Wishing on a star]

Here is one simple approach.

Send everyone on the current HOA mailing a list a notice with the new code-number and change the code, effective on a given date.

HOWEVER, my guess is that a few kids in the HOA have all let their friends in the area know the current code, and this will just happen again. In other words, this is similar to a homeowner inviting guests.

The bottom line is that unless the HOA wants to hire some kind of lifeguard, or better yet just general security or maintenance, to keep an eye on things, then the problem will persist. Without a warm body to enforce the rules, there will be blatant and open disregard.