Leisure World News

A4 April 2022 • Community • www.lwca.com Garage and Estate Sales Rules Please be aware of the following Leisure World Rules and Regulations regarding garage sales, estate sales and feeding of animals. Sales: Garage, Estate and Other Garage Sale Definition: A garage sale shall be defined as any sales including craft sales, rummage sales, etc., in which multiple items for sale are displayed outside the residence or in the garage or carport, when such items are visible from another manor, the street, sidewalk, or to passersby on sidewalk. Individual Garage Sales Individual Garage Sales and Other sales: (craft sales, rummage sales, etc.) are prohibited. LWCA-wide garage sales coordinated by the Recreation Department are permitted twice a year. Estate Sales Estate Sale Definition: An estate sale is a sale held for the purpose of liquidating estate furnishings or other property or possessions, all of which must be the property of the manor owner, that is conducted by a Leisure World resident or their authorized representative. Estate sales by individual residents or their authorized representatives at manors within LWCA are restricted to LWCA residents or their guests and shall not be advertised to the general public. Items for sale must be the property of the manor owner and may not be displayed outside the manor or in any manner whereby they are visible from the street, the sidewalk, other manors, or to passersby. Prospective buyers are required to enter the manor in order to view the items for sale. Feeding Animals The placement of food or water for wild animals (“wild animals” is any species normally considered wild animal including pigeons, geese, ducks and any feral ordinarily domesticated animal) is prohibited. The Community Manager or designee may authorize exceptions. Feeding birds on or within 36 inches of the ground or on a surface exceeding 12 inches in diameter is prohibited. All manors are restricted to one (1) seed feeder and unlimited hummingbird feeders. Birdbaths shall be located at least 28” above the ground. Thank you for your cooperation! Community Sales and Wild Animal Feedings COMPLIANCE CORNER It is that time of year again when many snowbirds decide to flee to cooler climates! But before you do, see our list of helpful reminders. One to Two Weeks Before You Leave Some items on your checklist take a bit longer than others. A week or two weeks before your departure date, you should consider any of the items that need your attention. 1. Arrange for your mail and regular deliveries to be stopped or forwarded. Do this at least 10 days before the effective date. 2. Notify your telephone, Internet service provider or satellite TV provider to put your service on hold. 3. Notify any newspapers when you will stop delivery and when to resume. 4. Notify Security and Administration of your departure date and when you will be back. 5. Arrange for storage of valuables that you will not be taking with you for the summer. For instance, store jewelry or important documents in a safe deposit box. 6. Coordinate emptying of refrigerator with trash pickup. Start eating up the leftovers and cleaning out the refrigerator. 7. Speaking of trash, start trimming trees and bushes in your patio so you can have that trash picked up before you leave. 8. Do not drain your hot tub. Th¬e heat will damage it. Turn off the heating system for the water but leave the filtering system on. 9. If you have a fountain, either empty it and turn it off or leave the water circulating to avoid mosquito problems. One to Two Days Before You Leave 1. Remove chairs, furniture and decor from patio or porch. The summer heat will damage anything that is cloth, plastic, or wood if you leave it outside. 2. Replace backup batteries in alarms, automatic watering systems, thermostats, security systems. 3. Seal up non-refrigerated products like cereals, grains, boxed foods, baking products and pet foods in plastic bags or containers with tightly sealed lids to keep bugs and moisture out. 4. If you will be turning the refrigerator off while you are gone, empty it. Leave the doors open while you are gone for circulation. 5. If you will be leaving the refrigerator on while you are gone, toss any foods that will spoil. You can keep items like condiments and water in the refrigerator. A working refrigerator that is nearly empty uses more energy, so add bottles of water. Empty the ice tray and turn off the automatic icemaker. 6. If you have a soft water system or reverse osmosis water system, determine if any action is necessary on your part before leaving. 7. If you are leaving a car in the garage, disconnect the battery. You might even want to cover the vehicle to protect it from dust. 8. In Districts 1, 3 or 7, if you have a golf cart, it must be stored in your garage while you are gone. Put water in the battery and charge. Ideally, batteries should be kept as cool as possible. Local cart dealers provide such services. 9. Remove propane tanks and combustible/flammable chemicals from the garage. 10. Set your irrigation timer appropriately for summer heat so all your shrubs and trees are not dead when you return. 11. Even though you are not in the house — and whether you water the yard or not, there will be weeds. Consider a yard care service that will take care of the weeds, do some trimming, mow the lawn if you have one and check for irrigation system problems while you are gone. Make sure it is a company that you know and trust — obviously, the workers will know that you are not living in the home. Districts 1, 3 and 7: Notify the Landscape Department the dates that you will be gone. 12. If you have a pool, arrange for a pool service to handle the maintenance while you are away. 13. Arrange for exterior pest control while you are gone. 14. Got house plants? They probably will not be alive when you return, so either lend them to a neighbor or take them up north with you! 15. Provide a key to the house and your contact information to a neighbor or relative who lives nearby and ensure that Security has this information. 16. If you intend to cover your windows, note that LWCA rule 2-106 states: “No temporary outside window coverings may be installed. Only plain white Styrofoam-type covers are allowed for inside use. Before You Lock Up and Go! 1. Either shut off your master breaker or unplug the appliances, entertainment units, computers — everything. The lightning from our summer monsoon storms can wreak havoc with electrical equipment. 2. Leave large open containers of water in each room for moisture. 3. If you left the master breaker on, turn off the air conditioner, or set the thermostat if you will be leaving the A/C on. How to decide? Some people turn off the A/C totally. Some leave it on but at a high temperature, like at 90 or 95 degrees. The temperature you decide should be determined by what items are being left in the house. Is there artwork that you don’t want to dry out in the heat? Do you leave your wine collection in the house? 4. If you have natural gas, turn off the gas at the main valve. 5. Flush all toilets and run all faucets to clear the drains. Use plastic wrap to cover toilet bowls or pour a cup of vegetable oil into the bowls to prevent water from evaporating allowing sewer gases and cockroaches into the home. 6. Turn off the water to the house at the main valve. Drain any remaining water from the faucets, long showerhead extensions, etc. 7. Turn off ceiling fans, indoor and out. Sometimes we forget to look up before we leave the house! 8. Leave all the interior doors open so the air can circulate inside the house. 9. Close all the blinds and drapes to keep as much heat out of the house as possible. 10. Have candles? Store them in the refrigerator (if you are leaving it on) or put them in the coolest, darkest part of the house. 11. If you use call forwarding on your landline, now is the time to remember to set it. 12. Open the doors to the washer and dryer, the dishwasher, and any other appliance that typically seals up. Put a few spoonfuls of vegetable oil in the dishwasher and in the garbage disposal so the seals do not disintegrate in the heat. 13. Unplug the garage door opener. 14. Turn the water heater off. 15. Ask a neighbor to check every couple of days to remove any fliers, phone books, packages or other items that may be tossed into your driveway or left by your front door. 16. Consider hiring someone — either a trusted neighbor or a professional company, like Re/Max Classic’s Property Management - to stop at the house periodically to check for leaks inside and out, walk the house, visit after monsoon activity to check for storm damage, etc. By following these helpful guidelines, you will be able to relax this summer, knowing your beautiful Leisure World home is taken care of — ready for you when you come back in the winter! Checklist Before Leaving this Summer!