Huntcliff FAQs
Uncategorized
Covenant Renewal 2025/26 and Related Matters
- What is happening?
- What is the “Consent Agreement”?
- Specifically, what am I being asked to consent to?
- Why is the covenants renewal required now?
- What do the covenants and restrictions that would expire if not renewed, govern?
- Why is this important to renew these covenants and restrictions?
- What if Huntcliff fails to renew its covenants and restrictions?
- What is the Georgia Property Owners Association Act (POAA)?
- Why does HHA want to be governed by the POAA?
- Can HHA join the POAA now?
- Why act now if the POAA Amendment hasn’t passed?
- What happens if we approve now and the POAA Amendment never passes?
- Can I approve one matter and not the other?
- What if I do not sign the Consent Agreement?
- What if I still have questions?
- What do you need from me?
- How do I sign?
- When will this start?
What is happening?
We are seeking to renew the covenants and restrictions in our Declaration of Covenants, which will expire in 2026. Also, pending enactment into law of an amendment to the Georgia Property Owners Association Act (“POAA”), we are asking for your approval for HHA to opt into the POAA as further explained below. We will circulate to all Huntcliff homeowners a “Consent Agreement” for you to sign seeking your approval of these two matters.
What is the “Consent Agreement”?
It is the document prepared by HHA that homeowners are being asked to sign. By signing you will consent to the matters described in this FAQ. Your Board has unanimously recommended you provide your approval, as these matters are important to HHA.
Specifically, what am I being asked to consent to?
- renewal of HHA covenants and restrictions, and
- if the POAA is amended as anticipated,
- electing that HHA be governed by the POAA, and
- taking advantage of provisions of the POAA to:
- eliminate the requirement to renew our covenants ever again and
- add an ability for 2/3rds of HHA’s homeowners to amend our covenants in the future.
Why is the covenants renewal required now?
Our covenants and restrictions must be renewed every 10 years. The last renewal occurred in 2016; the next renewal deadline is June 2026. Commencing early ensures we have enough time to collect the required 2/3rds of homeowners’ approval.
What do the covenants and restrictions that would expire if not renewed, govern?
- Architectural standards
- Exterior modifications
- Maintenance obligations
- Use restrictions
- Landscaping rules
Why is this important to renew these covenants and restrictions?
Our covenants and restrictions protect property values and preserve the character of Huntcliff. Studies show that neighborhoods with covenants maintain 4–8% higher property values than those without, due to consistent architectural and maintenance standards and curb appeal.
What if Huntcliff fails to renew its covenants and restrictions?
Huntcliff’s covenants and restrictions pertaining to our lots and homes would expire. Despite such expiration, HHA would otherwise continue to operate as before. The obligations of homeowners to pay annual assessments would not be affected.
What is the Georgia Property Owners Association Act (POAA)?
Enacted in 1994, the POAA governs homeowners’ associations that elect to be governed by it, providing them with several advantages and improvements. Upon formation, new Georgia HOAs uniformly elect POAA coverage. It can be found at Georgia Code, Sections 44-3-220 –235.
Why does HHA want to be governed by the POAA?
- As a general matter, given the breadth of the POAA, opting into its coverage will align HHA better with modern standards and legal expectations, as today HHA is not governed by any statutory framework specific to HOAs. HHA is what is known as a “common law HOA” – which means, for the most part, it is left to rely on numerous appellate court decisions for direction instead of a statutory law.
- POAA codifies the rights and responsibilities of a HOA, reducing ambiguity and providing a clearer foundation for community governance.
- It clarifies certain board and member governance procedures and requirements, making it easier to operate an HOA efficiently and within the law.
- Once HHA is subject to the POAA, a provision of the POAA will afford HHA the ability to amend its Declaration of Covenants should 80% of the Members so authorize (which they will do in the Consent Agreement) to eliminate the renewal of the covenants and restrictions and empower its Members to amend the covenants in the future upon 2/3rds approval.
- The POAA gives HOAs enhanced legal tools to collect assessments from non-paying members, including automatic liens on delinquent properties, and the ability to charge late fees and interest and to recover attorneys’ fees.
- Board members acting in good faith within their authority receive liability protection under the POAA, encouraging homeowners to serve on their HOA board.
- POAA supports financial practices like budgeting, maintaining reserves, and formal financial reporting.
Can HHA join the POAA now?
Not yet. A House Bill in the 2025 Georgia Legislative Session (“POAA Amendment”), co-sponsored by Representative Deborah Silcox (Huntcliff’s legislator), would allow older HOAs like HHA to opt in to the POAA upon 80%-member approval. The POAA Amendment was Committee-approved in 2025 but was not submitted for a vote. It will be reintroduced in the 2026 Legislative Session. The POAA has bipartisan support with strong prospects for success.
Why act now if the POAA Amendment hasn’t passed?
As HHA is now obtaining member approvals for the renewal of our covenants and restrictions, the HHA’s Board determined to double up on the matters sought for approval, anticipating that the POAA Amendment will be passed in the 2026 Georgia Legislative Session.
What happens if we approve now and the POAA Amendment never passes?
HHA will not be able to opt into the POAA unless and until the POAA Amendment is passed. However, the covenant renewal would still proceed and be effective. The POAA-related matters – the removal of the renewal requirement to be replaced with an ability to amend the covenants with 2/3rds member approval – would also not take effect as those changes are dependent on HHA being able to opt into the POAA.
Can I approve one matter and not the other?
As these matters are not controversial, the Board would recommend and request your signature of the Consent Agreement as presented. But if you choose to approve only one matter, let us know and we will provide you another version of the Consent Agreement to allow you to do so.
What if I do not sign the Consent Agreement?
If you do not sign, you will in effect be voting “No” on these matters. HHA will still have to garner the 2/3rds approval for the covenants’ renewal that will require Consent Agreements signed by about 300 homeowners and for approval of the POAA-related matters signed by about 350 homeowners.
What if I still have questions?
Email them to [email protected], and a Board representative will contact you.
What do you need from me?
Please sign the Consent Agreement, included in the email by which you received this FAQ. It is also available at https://www.huntcliffonline.com/consent-agreement/.
How do I sign?
We are providing an ability to sign the Consent Agreement electronically. Or you can print it, sign it, and deliver or mail or email (pdf) to the addresses listed at the end of the Consent Agreement. For family homes, only one spouse need sign.
When will this start?
Now. This process has historically required considerable time and effort. Your prompt signature will reduce the signature collection burden confronting your volunteer Board, while helping to ensure a smooth renewal of our covenants and future flexibility for HHA.
My neighbor’s dog is outside barking incessantly. Is there something I can do? I see a dog running loose in the neighborhood. What should I do?
Call the City of Sandy Springs Department of Animal Control at 770-730-5600 for uncontrolled or barking dogs or for other animal complaints or concerns. The Huntcliff Homes Association follows the Sandy Springs ordinances and encourages residents to use the City’s enforcement officers. The Huntcliff Covenants and Association are very limited in their ability to investigate or resolve animal complaints.
All dogs must be licensed and on a leash if off the premises of their owner according to the Sandy Springs Ordinance and Fulton County regulations. For assistance call the Animal Services Dispatch to request enforcement at 404-613-0358. Identify the location of the loose dog and the owner, if known. The city officers will investigate within a day.
Click here for Sandy Springs information on pets and livestock.
For lost or found dogs, members of the online discussion board, NextDoor Huntcliff, can post a notification to the neighborhood. Click here to sign-up or login to NextDoor.
What do I do if I see someone speeding or driving erratically on neighborhood streets?
The Sandy Springs Police Department would like any complaint about speeding, driving erratically or other traffic violation to be reported to them using this link. Additionally, if a resident feels physically threatened by someone, for whatever reason, the SSPD encourages a call to 911 to have an officer sent to the location. Any 911 call regarding physical threates from one person to another will be responded to by police officers immediately.
Our house needs repainted and we want to paint it a different color than what it is now. Do we need to get approval from someone for that?
Yes. Approval is needed from the Architectural Control Committee to change the color of the exterior your house. No approval or permission is needed to repaint in the existing color or in a previously approved color. To download and print the application form for exterior changes/improvements, click here. Send the completed application to Bob Clydesdale, 8915 Huntcliff Lake Court, Atlanta, GA 30350,
Cell – 404 398 1176
[email protected]
I’m having a contractor start some construction on my house. How early is he allowed to start working outside?
According to the City of Sandy Springs Noise Ordinance, construction hours are limited to 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, and none on Sundays and Holidays. Anyone seeking to work outside these hours must first receive a Noise Variance from the City’s Department of Community Development.
How can I obtain a complete copy of the Huntcliff Homes Association Charter, Covenants and Bylaws to provide to real estate agents and closing attorneys?
A complete file of all three documents is available to download here: Charter, Covenants and Bylaws
How do I get a User ID and Password?
If you are a resident of Huntcliff and do not have a user id and password (or have forgotten it), you can e-mail a request for the information by CLICKING HERE.
What happens if I forget my password?
There are two ways to get a password. There is a link on the User Login page “Forgotten Password” that will reset your password for you automatically. You will receive an email from the site with your temporary password in just a few minutes. There is also a link at the bottom of every page (“Contact Site Administrator”) that will send an e-mail. In either case, you will have a temporary password, which you can (and should) change the next time you log in.
How do I change my password?
There is a link on the User Login page “Change your password” that will prompt you for you User ID, old (temporary) password, and new password.
Can our family have more than one User ID and Password?
Yes. Simply send an e-mail to the site administrator with the specifics of your request. Several families already have more then one user id and password and it only takes a few minutes to set one up.
The information in the directory is inaccurate, what should I do about it?
You can edit your directory information by selecting the “Your Entry” button on the directory page. You can add, change, or delete information. You should also notify the site administrator if your name is incorrect or you want to change your e-mail address.
Homeowner's Directory, Privacy
Can anyone outside of our community view the directory information?
No. The Homeowners Directory is one of the “secured” features on the site. All secured features require a User ID and Password, and those are only issued to our residents.
How do I print the Association documents?
All of the Association Documents are stored in a Adobe Portable Document Format (pdf) which requires the Adobe Reader® to access. The reader is available as a free download from Adobe and a there is a link on the Documents page to get your copy. Once you have installed the reader and opened the document, you will find a print icon (a small button with a picture of a printer on it) in the title bar. Use that to print the documents.
How do I print a page on the web site?
You can use your browser’s print button to print any page on the site. If you do not want to print the graphic elements on the page, we recommend that you first select the “Printer friendly” link at the top of the page, then use your browser’s print button. Once the printing is complete, user the “Back” button to return your screen to a normal display.
Can I make my e-mail address available to the Association without exposing it to my neighbors?
Yes. You can request to remove the e-mail address in the Directory, which your neighbors can view; and retain it in the User record, which the Association uses for homeowner e-mails. Please contact the administrator to do so. But remember, only our residents have access to the directory, so there is no danger of your e-mail address being used for marketing purposes.
What if I change my e-mail address?
E-mail addresses are actually stored in two separate locations on the web server: In the Homeowners Directory and in your User record. Please use the Directory Update Form to notify the administrator of any change in your email address.
Can I submit articles to the web site?
Please do! Keeping the web site “fresh” is one of the biggest challenges for the site administrators. You can click on the “Contact site administrator” link on the bottom of this (and every) page to send your suggestions. Your submission may be edited, or if not deemed appropriate by the Council, not used. If that happens, you will be notified by e-mail of the reason.
Can I make suggestions for things I’d like to see on the web site?
Certainly, and they would be appreciated. You can use the “Contact site administrator” link at the bottom of every page to do that.
Why does the right side of the page scroll off of my screen?
That’s a screen resolution problem. The site has been optimized for 1024×768 viewing. You can use a lower resolution, but some horizontal scrolling will occur.
Sometimes the images don’t display, what is wrong?
That’s usually caused by a pop-up blocker. You should configure your blocker to recognize this site or disable it when you are on this site. Unfortunately, we can’t provide specific instructions because there are many pop-up blockers and they are all slightly different.
I sometimes get an “Invalid Session” message, what is wrong?
That’s usually caused by a cookie blocker. That means when you log on, the system can’t store your user information (see below) as a cookie. You should configure your cookie blocker to recognize this site or disable it when you are on this site. Since there are so many options for blocking cookies, we can’t provide specific instructions.
Sometimes when I click on a link, nothing happens. What’s wrong?
Most of the external links on this site open in a new window so that when you’re finished with it and close the window, you are returned to our site. Links not opening correctly are most likely caused by a pop-up blocker that is activated either in your browser or as a separate piece of software. To correct the problem, you should configure the browser, or the pop-up blocker software, to recognize our site. Since there are so many options for blocking pop-ups, we can’t provide more specific instructions.
Does this site use any kind of tracking devices?
Absolutely not! We do count unidentified “hits” on the home page, the total number of hits on all pages, the total number of hits on “feature” pages, and the total number of hits on external links (like the weather).
When you log in to a secured page, the system creates what is called a “session” cookie with your log in information. That way, you only have to log on one time. The cookie is removed when you exit the site or select the “log off” link on the left (under the menu buttons).
What if I cannot find the answer to my question in this section?
Just click the “Contact site administrator” link at the bottom of every page and ask your question that way.
What are the Venue Coordinator’s responsibilities?
The Venue Coordinator is your key to your event going off without a hitch. The Coordinator will communicate with you before your event to talk about your timeline and gather vendor contact information. She communicates with key vendors to schedule their load in and load out at the clubhouse. She facilitates your guest flow and is on hand to help with any emergencies that may arise.
How many chairs are available for events?
There are 165 white wood cushioned folding chairs available for seating in the River Room. There are 165 white metal folding chairs available for seating outside for a wedding ceremony.