New Resident Checklist

Welcome to Summer’s Grove. This list covers what new owners and renters most often need to know in their first few weeks. It is a summary; where the governing documents on the Documents page say more, they control.

Most day-to-day questions go to FirstService Residential’s Resident Services team:

Online: eastsupport.fsresidential.com
Phone: (800) 870-0010

Get set up

• Add your email to the FirstService Residential portal. This is the most important step. Every homeowner should sign up at portal.connectresident.com, and other people living in the home can be added too. Renters are strongly urged to ask their landlord to get them added. Mass emails to everyone signed up on the portal are how the association most often reaches residents, and they carry the most important notices.
• Set up assessment payments yourself, through ClickPay. Assessments are not paid automatically for new owners and do not come out of your mortgage escrow. Set up payment in ClickPay. If you use autopay, schedule the debit for one to two weeks after the quarterly charge appears on your account. If it runs earlier, autopay will not work correctly and you will be charged a late fee. This is one of the most common problems for new owners.
• Optional: join the residents’ Facebook group. It is unofficial and run by residents, not the Board, but it is very active and a good place to ask neighbors questions and see what’s going on. Find it at facebook.com/groups/summersgrove.

Parking

• Visitor spaces require a current visitor pass. Any car in a visitor space must clearly display the current visitor pass.
• All of the blacktop is a fire lane. If your home’s layout allows it, you may park on your apron, as long as zero inches of your tires touch the blacktop. This is the most common mistake new residents make. You cannot park in the fire lane for any amount of time.
• Keep the sidewalk clear. Don’t block the sidewalk with a truck or other large vehicle. Your tow hitch or grille should not extend past the curb. If any part of your vehicle is over the sidewalk, you are obstructing it.
• Need a spot in an emergency? You can park in the Metro parking lot across the street from the community.

The full rules are in the Parking Policy.

Everyday living

• Trash, recycling and bulk pickup. Trash is collected Monday and Thursday, and recycling on Thursday. Bulk items are picked up by appointment with Bates, the association’s trash hauler, at the resident’s cost. Bates is usually fairly relaxed, and you may get lucky with them taking a bulk item on a regular pickup day. If a bulk item is not picked up, you are responsible for removing it from the street right away and disposing of it yourself.
• Trash and recycling bins. Put bins out no earlier than the night before pickup and bring them back in the same day. The rest of the week, keep them out of public view. Homes with a one-car garage are exempt from both rules.
• Pets. Keep pets leashed and under your control at all times. Pick up all pet waste immediately. Bags of pet waste may not be left outdoors, except in a small enclosed outdoor trash can. Residents who don’t follow these rules will be reported to the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA), the City’s animal control, and may face fines from the City and the Association.
• Snow. The association clears the private streets and the common sidewalks. Owners clear their own lead walk and front stoop.
• Who maintains what. The association looks after the common areas and the front and side yards, including lawns, shrubs and trees. Owners keep their homes in good repair, including exterior painting. Trees on the property may not be cut or damaged.

Moving in

• Get approval before a moving pod, dumpster or trailer arrives. The Board must approve it in writing first. Send the request at least 7 days before delivery to the management company, with a copy to summersgrovehoa@gmail.com. Include the type and size of the unit, where it will go, the delivery and removal dates, and contact details for you and the vendor.
• Keep moving trucks off the main roads. Parking and loading on Eisenhower Avenue, Van Dorn Street and Metro Road is not allowed. Load and unload on the community’s own streets, alleys and driveways.

Before you change anything outside

• Get approval from the Architectural Review Board first. Any change to the outside of your home or lot, including a new paint color, needs written approval before work starts. The application form is Appendix A of the ARB Guidelines. All owners must sign it; applications from renters are not accepted.
• Know what doesn’t need approval. Repainting or replacing siding, roofing, doors, shutters or trim without substantially changing the original siding or roof color. Holiday decorations put up no more than 30 days before the holiday and taken down within 2 weeks after. Painting doors, trim or shutters any color on the McCormick chart in the ARB Guidelines. Satellite dishes smaller than 1 meter across.

Stay informed

• Read the governing documents. The Declaration, Bylaws, ARB Guidelines and Parking Policy are on the Documents page.
• Come to a Board meeting. Board meetings are open to owners and held on Zoom. The schedule is on the Meetings page, and pool season details are posted under Announcements.
• Save the Resident Services number. Emergencies should always be reported to Resident Services by phone.