Frequently Asked Questions
The Homeowners Association Board has put together a list of the most pressing questions home owners have.
General Questions
I've noticed something at the property that needs to be repaired. Who do I contact?
Please contact our community manager Colby Hillson
email: colby.hillson@yateswood.com
phone: 206-268-3320
Board meetings are held monthly on the 4th Wednesday of the month. Please check out our events page for the current calendar. Colby, our property manager, sends out the Zoom invite; please contact him for the link.
How can I attend Board meetings?
ANY amount of time you can volunteer is not only appreciated but also makes a huge positive impact on our community!
If there is a particular area you would like to focus on, whether it is trees and landscaping, pool maintenance, or something else entirely, please reach out to Colby.
In addition, we are always looking for help walking the property once a month whenever you have time in your schedule and reporting issues can be a major help in identifying any potential issues early on and make sure they are addressed in a timely and cost effective manner.
I would like to get involved to help our community, but I don’t necessarily have the time to be a Board member. How can I help?
How many vehicles are allowed on the property for each unit?
Two vehicles are allowed per unit. Registration for each vehicle is required with our property manager, or the vehicles are subject to being towed.
Please ensure any guests part in visitor parking spots and not resident spots.
Are residents allowed to park their cars in designated visitor spots?
Visitor spots should be reserved for visitors and cars should be parked there for a maximum of 24 hours.
Be considerate of your neighbors and visitors, especially with the pool area visitor parking.
Yes, but if neighbors are enjoying their outside decks, please refrain from smoking while they are there and be thoughtful and considerate of your neighbors.
Is smoking allowed on our decks?
Can I leave my bicycle or my baby's stroller in the front hallway?
No, front hallways should be completely clear of all of your belongings without exception. Such belongings are a fire hazard and block ingress and egress to other units.
Are charcoal BBQs allowed on our decks?
No, having charcoal BBQs on decks is against the law due to fire concerns.
What if I see residents speeding or driving dangerously?
The speed limit in Knollwood is 15 MPH. Please report any license plates of speeding cars to property management company.
Community Financials Questions
How can I get a copy of our financial statements and annual audit to see where our dues actually go?
All Knollwood financial records are available upon owners’ request via our property manager Colby Hillson.
In addition, we are in the process of setting up a password-protected owners’ portal on our new website for additional access to financial statements.
Dues Questions
Our dues are higher than other people I know in Redmond. Why is that?
Knollwood was constructed in 1979 and, like any facility of similar age, things periodically need to be replaced. Elements like roofs and pavement seal coat simply do not last 40+ years without replacement. Additionally, over the years we, as a community, have decided to work toward preventing the need for special assessments, whereas other communities do not have such protections for their residents.
What do our monthly dues contribute to?
Dues contributions can be broken down into 2 main categories: monthly operating expenses and reserve contributions.
Monthly operating expenses are day-to-day expenses such as water, sewer, garbage, snow removal landscaping services, and pool maintenance, as well as minor day-to-day repairs on the property.
Reserve contributions go towards saving to pay for future large capital projects such as roof replacement, driveway sealcoat/restriping, and driveway roundabout resurfacing. Reserve contributions also cover large unexpected expenses such as severe damage not covered by insurance.
Can't we just do a special assessment instead of raising dues all the time?
Hitting Knollwood with special assessments leads to unpredictable funding levels and a lack of clarity to owners for how to make their own personal financial plans year to year. Next time you see any of your neighbors at Knollwood who were around for the 2008 and 2009 special assessments, ask them what that was like if you would like to know more. It is not an ideal funding model.
Communities with special assessments have troubles selling units due to assessments attached to units and an association that is not strongly backed financially. Additionally these communities have residents who have to move due to unpredictable costs, pushing out long-term owners due to financial hardship, causing more turnover. Both of these reasons cause long-term damage to the community.
Large Maintenance Projects Questions
Fire Alarm
Existing fire alarm system seems to be working even after 2 years since report that a replacement is needed.
Can we continue to delay this huge expense since it is operating fine currently?
Batteries must have been secured for the last 2 years, right?
The fire alarm replacement is not simply an issue of batteries. The manufacturer of our original system was bought out a few years ago and unfortunately no longer make service parts so the long term costs of keeping the current system running are astronomical, if it is even possible to do so. It was a tough decision to make this upgrade but it is in the long term interest of Knollwood.
Roofs
Why do we need to replace the roofs in Villages 1 and 2? They seem to be holding up.
The roofs in Villages 1 and 2, like the roofs in Villages 3 and 4 that were replaced in the past few years, are at the end of their useful life and need to be replaced. Being proactive to replace these roofs is preferable to waiting until we have multiple leaks to do a reactive repair. Planning ahead puts the Association on a more sustainable funding model.
Building Expert
Residing our buildings 15 years ago was a crippling expenditure and the most tremendous financial burden in our Knollwood history. Buildings are showing signs of deterioration and moss. Do we need independent building expert to inspect if siding is holding up without past due protective painting?
We have a reserve consultant who inspects Knollwood and provides a reserve study each year and gives us an estimate of remaining useful life of the various elements of our community. In addition, we have periodic inspections from vendors during routine project work which also identify other areas that need to be addressed.