Many people moving to  gated community for safety or privacy reasons. In some instances, gated communities can give you these securities. The biggest misnomer, though, is that if a community is gated that the guard gate will only let registered guests enter. This is true in some cases. If the roads in the gated community are maintained by the county or city (versus the home owner’s association), then no one can legally be refused entry. Anyone wishing to enter must stop at the gate and answer any questions the gate guard requests – name, address they are visiting, or purpose of visit. If the homeowner’s association maintains the roads, the residents of the community must register a guest’s name with the guard gate in order to gain entry or they will be denied.

Most gates will have a camera to monitor anyone coming and going which can be an advantage with respect to security. But the types of gates vary and some gates are very easy to walk around, jump over, etc. Overall though, a gate normally deters people from simply coming into a neighborhood to walk or drive around.

Gated communities also contribute to your cost of monthly/quarterly fees to the homeowner’s association. The costs are for the gate itself, any maintenance, and even labor if a person is employed to physically patrol the gate. If the gate is inoperable for some reason, there is no reduction in fees for the time the gate is not working. A malfunctioning gate can also provide unnecessary problems for homeowners’ ingress and egress or their guests trying to enter.

To learn more about gated communities or to set up a meeting with an agent, contact Your Global Agents today or stop by and visit us in our office