All Colorado community associations are required by the Colorado Common Interest Ownership Act ("CCIOA") to adopt responsible governance policies governing issues like collections, meeting procedure, and records inspection. CCIOA does not provide a lot of guidance for the terms of these policies, but the policy regarding enforcement of covenants and rules and the imposition of fines, must provide the following:
- Notice and hearing procedures;
- A schedule of fines;
- A fair and impartial fact-finding process; and
- An impartial decisionmaker.
These minimal guidelines do not address a question we frequently see from our clients: "Do I have to tell my neighbor I ratted him out?"
Many homeowners prefer the option of anonymity when making a covenant violation complaint. The reasons for the preference are obvious – it allows the complainant some measure of protection from an irate neighbor, and can encourage free and open violation reports.
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