If you live in Brandon, Riverview, or Valrico, there is a high probability your neighborhood is governed by a Homeowners Association (HOA). While HOAs are great for maintaining property values, they can make exterior home improvements feel like a bureaucratic nightmare.
Getting a letter from your HOA stating your exterior paint is faded, chalking, or in violation of community standards is stressful enough. The last thing you need is to spend thousands of dollars repainting your home, only to find out the color you chose is not approved. At T&J Painting, we work with HOA-governed properties every single week. Here is our step-by-step guide to getting your exterior paint job approved quickly and painlessly.
1. Request the Official Neighborhood Color Palette
Do not assume that because your neighbor painted their house a specific shade of gray, you can use the exact same color. Many HOAs require adjacent homes to have distinctly different exterior colors to prevent a “cookie-cutter” look.
Before you even look at paint swatches, contact your HOA board or property management company and request the current, officially approved exterior color palette. Most local HOAs have pre-selected color schemes from major brands like Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore. Sticking to these pre-approved schemes is the fastest way to guarantee your project gets the green light.
2. Submit Your ARC Form Early
In almost every Florida HOA, you must submit an Architectural Review Committee (ARC) or Architectural Control Committee (ACC) alteration form before a single drop of paint touches your house.
This form typically requires:
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The exact brand, color name, and color code for the body, trim, and doors.
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Physical paint swatches or links to the digital color profile.
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Your chosen painting contractor’s information.
Pro Tip: Do not schedule your painting start date until you have written approval. Some HOA boards only meet once a month to review these forms. Submitting your ARC form 30 to 45 days in advance prevents frustrating scheduling delays with your contractor.
3. Ensure Your Contractor Meets HOA Insurance Requirements
Your HOA will likely require proof that your painting contractor is fully licensed and insured. If an uninsured painter damages neighboring property or gets injured on the job, it becomes a massive liability issue for both you and the association.
Always hire a professional company that can instantly provide a Certificate of Insurance (COI) detailing their general liability and workers’ compensation coverage. Reputable contractors are used to this request and will happily email the required documents directly to your HOA management company to speed up the approval process.
4. Beware of “Color Matching” Pitfalls
If you want to keep your house the exact same color it is now, you might still need HOA approval. Furthermore, taking a chip of your 10-year-old, sun-faded paint to the hardware store for a “color match” is a risky move. The new paint will look drastically brighter and richer than the faded version, which can sometimes trigger an HOA violation if the original color scheme has since been retired by the board. It is always safer to submit the original color name or select a fresh color from the current approved list.
Let T&J Painting Handle the Stress
Dealing with HOA regulations does not have to be a headache. At T&J Painting, we know exactly what local property managers are looking for. We exclusively use premium paints like Sherwin-Williams, making it incredibly easy to match your community’s official color books.
When you hire us, we provide all the necessary insurance documentation upfront and help you finalize your color choices so your ARC form gets approved on the first try. If you have received a painting notice from your HOA, don’t wait until the fines start adding up. Call Jen and Tony at T&J Painting at (813) 723-9124 or stop by our office at 330 Pauls Dr Ste 104 in Brandon to schedule your free estimate.
