Frequently Asked Questions


Dues:

  • What are the dues/insurance costs?
    • The HPHOA monthly dues/insurance costs are $425, which includes the building insurance, cost of the water, wastewater, and disposal utilities. Owners cover their own electric and, for some of our homes, gas costs. Our trash and recycle costs are also included in the dues. The operational expenses are divided equally among homeowner, These include the distributed cost of the HOA property and flood insurance on the building exteriors.
  • What does this cover?
    • A portion of the monthly costs cover the property/casualty and flood insurance properties for the building exterior, The homeowner needs to cover their own internal insurance. Mortgage companies require HOA insurance coverage that the HOA has on the properties. Homeowners are responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of their property.
    • Another portion is used for, trash and recycle pickup, lawn and shrubbery upkeep, alleyways upkeep, management costs, and Common area maintenance costs.
    • The remainder covers the City of Austin water usage, Austin wastewater charges, and the City drainage fee. The HPHOA is a subcontractor with the City and provides reduced water rates. These costs are shared equally among all homes. In a comparison of water and disposal costs with a stand-alone home. there is a significant savings on utilities
    • Unlike a stand-alone home,the Heritage Place homeowners do not pay the City of Austin directly for water costs. It is part of the monthly dues. The HOA water cost per home are about 70% of a single home. This comparison was done using 2014 published data for a 2,244 square foot home of $205 per month.
  • Are bills sent out by the Accountant?
    • Dues reminders/status of the account are sent monthly to each homeowner.
  • When are dues late?
    • After the 10th of the month in which they are due.
  • Are there assessments?
    • There have not been any over the last 20 years and none are foreseen.
  • Are there other payments?
    • All costs are covered with the monthly dues, which includes prorated insurance costs.
  • What does the insurance cover?
    • The insurance covers the exterior of the buildings and attached interior components in the case of accidental damage to the structures. General maintenance of the homes, including windows, doors, roofs, etc., are the responsibility of the owners.
  • Where should the payments be made?
    • Heritage Place HOA, PO Box 1304, Manchaca, Texas 78652
  • Are there other area dues?
    • The Onion Creek HOA has annual dues of $288 (2021) to provide 24 hour security and cover maintenance the 1,500 home development common areas.
  • What is the average cost for all Heritage Place dues and insurance?
    • The average monthly dues and insurance is $425.
  • What are the owners' responsibilities regarding the building upkeep?
    • The owner is responsible for all portions of the building as if it were a single dwelling. This means keeping all of the exterior in good repair, which includes roof, windows, doors, air conditioners, and other external structural details. (Note; Some HOAs cover various aspects of external maintenance. That approach normally requires special assessments rather than permitting homeowners to do repairs as needed.)

General activities:

  • How are members keep up to date on latest happenings
    • The Onion Creek HOA sends email notices on important events and meetings
    • Heritage Place HOA employs email for distribution of notices. Bills are sent via surface mail and/or email.
  • Are there any special requirements?
    • Please keep the courtyard gates closed to prevent deer from eating our plantings
    • Please do not leave your garage door open and unattended to keep critters out. The OCHOA rules and regulations also require unattended garage doors to be closed. Security will call the home owner if doors are left open.
  • Are deer a problem?
    • They are numerous and with the exception of eating plantings are not normally a nuisance, but caution is advised when driving. Very young deer can bolt into the street.
  • What is the issue with “critters”?
    • Raccoons, possums, and other undesirable creature can enter into the home through any openings and then into the attic and create havoc, for which the homeowner is responsible to fix
  • How is Trash Disposal and Recycling handled?
    • Our disposal service is provided by the Texas Disposal Service (TDS) company.
    • Trash pickup, with a weight limit of 50 pounds per 65 gallon trash container, is every Monday including holidays. (Note: most of OCHOA has pickup on Mondays but it is by the City of Austin. The individual HOAs with their own streets or alleyways are under contract with a private disposal firm. Austin only picks up from City streets.) It is recommended that the trash containers be put outside early on the pickup day morning. Critters can open the lids and make a mess. The disposal truck normally are through the neighborhood before 3 pm.
    • Recycle pickup is every other Monday.  The recycle cart is a 35 gallon container. This can be increased to a 65 gallon container. This pickup is normally before the weekly trash pickup and usually prior to 3 pm.
    • Hazardous material recycling is at the Austin Hazardous Waste facilities
  • What are the Parking regulations?
    • Pull in parking (off-street) is primarily for visitors and limited to 36 hours. The pull in parking spots are not part of the streets maintained by the city of Austin, but are HPHOA property, which we maintain.
    • Contact the Board for reasonable length exception requirements. The DDRs have actions required to be taken for unacceptable usage. .
    • The alleyways are fire lanes and regulated as such. Temporary parking for maintenance vehicles and loading and unloading is permitted. Service vehicles, like disposal trucks, need enough room to pass temporarily parked vehicles.
    • The Onion Creek HOA has additional rules about Campers and Commercial trucks, plus the City of Austin has rules on the number of vehicles permitted to be permitted to park on the street for each home.

    Meetings

  • Are there HOA meetings?
    • The Onion Creek HOA holds an annual meeting late in January at the Onion Creek Country Club and hosts special meetings with officials addressing important local issues.
    • The Heritage Place HOA holds its annual meeting typically 2 weeks later. Special meeting may be call to update homeowners on situation that may need their attention.

    Rules and Regulations

  • Is the HOA documentation available?
    • The DDRs are available in PDF format from this web site. The information is provided on all email communications with the homeowners.

    Security

  • How safe if the neighborhood?
    • The Onion Creek HOA has a 24 hour security service, Smith Protection Services, which patrols the neighborhood. Their vehicles are marked and have flashing yellow light on the roof of the vehicle.
    • The Onion Creek Country Club neighborhood has typically experienced one-tenth of the issues compared to the surrounding area. For a number of years, the Onion Creek HOA neighborhood has rated in the very top of the safest areas in Austin. The most reported issue is open and unattended garage doors, which provide the opportunity for unwanted entry into homes.