The staff members working the Architectural Desk for Keystone Pacific only make sure the application has been completed and submitted with your plans, a review fee/deposit check has been submitted (if applicable) and the correct number of plans have been submitted. This information is then forwarded to the party responsible for reviewing plans on behalf of the community association.

Who is responsible for reviewing my plans?

Your community association CC&R’s contain a section devoted to architectural review, which indicates how many members need to be appointed to a committee and whether or not this task can be delegated to a third party consultant, as some CC&R’s give the committee the right to delegate this task to a qualified third party consultant.

Who makes the final decision on approval or denial?

The designated party responsible for reviewing plans. Keystone Pacific staff members do not review plans.

How do I find out how much time the committee has to review my plans?

Your community association's CC&R’s will provide this information and/or the architectural guidelines. Review periods vary from 30 to 90+ days. This means the committee and/or third party consultant can take up to that many days to review your plans. Keystone Pacific has no jurisdiction over the committee members or the third party consultant. The committee is appointed by the Board of Directors and the third party consultant is retained by the Board of Directors and works under contract with the community association.

What if my plans are denied – do I have to wait another 30-90+ days for review?

Yes, each time a plan is resubmitted, the time frame allowed for the review process starts over.

Why can’t you “rush” the review upon request?

Keystone Pacific has no jurisdiction over the time constraints of the committee and/or third party consultant.

Can’t I pay for a “rush” review?

This policy would need to be adopted by the Board of Directors and could only realistically be implemented if a third party consultant were to agree to this by contract. This concept would not be feasible with a volunteer homeowner committee.

What do I do if the plans are not back yet and the time period for review is past?

Please call Keystone Pacific’s Architectural Desk at (949) 838-3239 or e-mail architectural@keystonepacific.com to request information.

Why can’t I contact the reviewer directly with my questions?

The third party consultant would be inundated with calls, thus taking away from their limited time to perform reviews in a timely manner. Homeowner committee members are volunteers. Therefore, their personal information cannot be provided. All questions should be submitted in writing and will be forwarded to the appropriate party and a response will be provided in writing.

Who pays for the qualified consultant to review the plans?

The community association pays for this service. If a third party consultant is contracted to review plans, the fees are paid from your submittal fee. The CC&R’s typically give the community association the right to collect fees in order to offset the costs related to plan review costs when a third party consultant is utilized.

Why can’t Keystone Pacific give me approval?

Keystone Pacific is an independent third party managing agent and has no authority to review, approve or deny plans on behalf of any community association. The only responsibility of Keystone Pacific is to make sure the application has been completed and submitted with your plans, a review fee/deposit check has been submitted (if applicable) and the correct number of plans have been submitted. This information is then forwarded to the party responsible for reviewing plans on behalf of the community association. Keystone Pacific also takes receipt of the plans from either the committee and/or third party consultant and then notifies the homeowner of the decision.

Why can’t Keystone Pacific give me the decision over the phone?

A plan review usually results in many comments from the reviewing party. In order to avoid any miscommunication, Keystone Pacific has a policy that all decisions made by either the committee and/or third party consultant must be communicated in writing.

Can I pick my plans up?

If you would like to pick your plans up, you need to notify the Architectural Desk and every effort will be made to accommodate this request.

Why can’t my contractor call and get the information or pick up my plans for me?

Unless the homeowner provides written authorization for a specific person to receive information on their behalf, Keystone Pacific can only communicate with the homeowner. All decisions must be mailed to the homeowner’s mailing address on file.

Why can’t Keystone Pacific give me interpretation of the guidelines or at least give me a general idea of whether my idea will be approved?

Due to the volume of plans being processed for multiple community associations by the Architectural Desk team at Keystone Pacific, there is no way to provide guidance or interpret architectural guidelines for every community. As a homeowner, you will need to consult with the professional assisting you with your plans regarding any questions you have pertaining to the guidelines.

If I want to make changes to my approved plan, do I have to re-submit?

Yes, any plan changes need to be submitted for approval.

If I am just painting my house the same colors, do I have to submit for review?

The safest bet is to submit. Many community association documents require architectural approval regardless of whether or not the existing paint color is being used. Some documents do not require an architectural application to be submitted to repaint the existing color; however, you should refer to your architectural guidelines for the answer to this question or contact your community association manager.

Why are site photos sometimes required?

Depending on the complexity of the improvements, the committee and/or third party consultant needs a point of reference when visualizing the project you are proposing.

What does a Neighbor Awareness form do for you?

A Neighbor Awareness form is merely a means of notifying your neighbors that you plan to make exterior modifications to your home. Your neighbor does not have the right to approve or deny proposed modifications to your home, but they do have the right to be aware and make comments for the reviewing party to consider. The committee and/or third party consultant is required to approve your plans if the plans meet the architectural guidelines.

Why use a Neighbor Awareness form if it doesn’t influence the review?

Some community associations utilize this form, as it is believed it keeps people informed. Some think it allows the owner the opportunity to modify proposed changes if their neighbor has a concern. There are several community associations that do not require a Neighbor Awareness form. Please refer to your architectural guidelines and/or architectural application to determine whether or not your community association requires this form.

How many signatures are required on the Neighbor Awareness form?

If you are on a single loaded street, meaning you have no neighbors across the street from you, then you only need to obtain the signatures of your neighbors to the left, right and behind you. If you are on a double loaded street, meaning you have neighbors across the street, you need to obtain the signatures of your neighbors to the left, right, behind you and across from you. You should obtain the signatures of the owners of any property adjacent to your property on the Neighbor Awareness form.

Please note: In addition to the signatures on the Neighbor Awareness form, some community associations also require you to obtain signatures on the plans themselves.

What would happen if I just leave a signature off the form or have a neighbor sign a few doors down, versus my immediate neighbors?

Leaving a signature off the form or getting a distant neighbor to sign may void your plan approval if later challenged. Additionally, it may also result in your plans being denied by the committee and you may be requested to obtain the signature that was omitted.

What if my neighbor is a renter?

You may indicate this on the form and you should also mail a letter via certified mail to the address anyway notifying the owner of the property of your intentions to submit for exterior modifications. It is important to provide a copy of the letter and returned receipt with your application.

What do I need to do after my improvements are finished?

Once your improvements are complete, you need to fill out the notice of completion form and attach photos of the improvements from all angles. You can e-mail these photos in JPEG. format to architectural@keystonepacific.com or mail hard copies. Please keep in mind that the photos should show the set back requirements have been met (use a tape measure in your photo) and needs to show an overview of the improvements. The committee and/or third party consultant will take these photos and compare them against your plans to make sure all improvements were installed per your approved plan.

Where do I get the notice of completion form?

If your community association has a website, the notice of completion form can be found under the architectural section or forms section. If your community association does not have a community website, please e-mail architectural@keystonepacific.com and request one to be e-mailed to you. You can also call the Architectural Desk at (949) 838-3239 and ask that one be mailed or faxed to you.

How difficult is it to get my notice of completion signed off?

If you installed your improvements in accordance with your approved plans and provided pictures of all your improvements, it is very easy to get your notice of completion signed off. If you didn’t install a tree that was on your plan, expect to be told to install it – per your approved plans. Failure to install improvements per the approved plans will hold up your notice of completion approval. Likewise, if you installed improvements which were not on your original plans you may be asked to remove the improvement and/or resubmit for approval and your Notice of Completion will be denied.

Can a site visit be performed in place of a notice of completion?

Site visits may be able to be performed in place of a photo Notice of Completion review if you are willing to pay, in advance, for the cost of the third party consultant to perform the review and if the consultant agrees to provide this service. If your review is performed by a homeowner committee, you could request this; however, it would be up to the committee/board to do this and most likely this would not happen due to the time involved.

What if my notice of completion keeps getting denied, what do I do?

The best thing to do is to address your concerns with the Board. If you have no plans to complete all of the items on the list, then you should resubmit your plans showing only what you actually installed. The Board of Directors does have the right to call you to hearing and assess fines if you choose to ignore the notification to correct items. Most CC&R’s provide homeowners with 30 days to correct issues. Failure to rectify any violations may result in the Board moving forward with hearings and fines.

How soon can I get my deposit back once my notice of completion is approved?

Community Associations cut checks once a month. If you happened to obtain approval for your notice of completion right after a check run was issued, you would have to wait until the following month. In that event, the refund of your deposit could take up to 45 days.

What if I do not agree with the reviewer’s decision?

You may fill out a variance/appeal form that will go to your Board of Directors for review and consideration, if the governing documents of the community association allow for this. Some documents do not and the final authority lies with the committee. Sometimes there is a fee required for these requests when a third party consultant is being utilized, which must be paid to the community association prior to the work being performed.

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