When One Person's Trash Is Not Another Peron's Treasure: A Guide To Removing Discarded Or Improperly Stored Items

This article originally appeared in the January 2023 edition of Quorum.

Renowned tidying expert Marie Kondo famously said that if something does not spark joy, dispose of it. What she failed to mention, however, is not to toss it in your community's common areas or improperly store it in your yard.

So, what can your association do when people dispose of their things in all the wrong ways? Imagine: a broken fridge stored on its side in a neighbor's backyard, a rusty onewheeled bicycle in the wooded area behind the cul-de-sac, or a beat-up suitcase filled with random knickknacks (pans, clothes, hangers, books, and a single, lonely deserted shoe) thrown on the sidewalk.

Most governing documents include a general requirement that residents maintain their property in "good order, condition, and repair, and in a clean and sanitary condition," and/or free of debris, and that they not "commit waste" on shared areas. Some documents also go so far as granting