FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Trash disposal is part of your HOA dues and is handled by Patriot Disposal Services. Trash is picked up on Monday and Thursday. Recycling is picked up on Wednesday. It is recommended you place your trash containers outside the night before because they often pick up around 6:00AM. They occasionally miss a pickup for the community; in that case, they usually pick it up the next day.

Due to labor shortages, trash vendors in the DMV have mostly moved to a system where an arm grabs the whole can, lifts it up and dumps it into their truck.  Instead of having 1 driver and 1-3 people tossing the trash/recycling into the truck, they now only need to have one driver. Therefore, putting extra trash and recycling next to the container is usually ignored and left curb-side. If you have an unusual amount of trash/recycling, you can contact PDS directly to arrange a special pickup, but you are responsible for any extra charge they might impose.

There are also special pickups after the Christmas holiday for Christmas trees.

Any additional services are the homeowners's responsibility to coordinate with PDS and possibly pay extra for.
The HOA's contract with Creative Landscape calls for cutting your grass, edging, trimming of front bushes, leaf removal, fertilize, aeration and mulching. Pest control, adding top soil, grading, irrigation, "repair of lawn", adding/removal of bushes, trees, flowers, etc. is the unit owner's responsibility. Please remember some landscaping changes mentioned above may also require a HOA Design Application before undertaking such action. Always check with CMC or ARC before you do any work or if you have any questions.

There have been several recent Groups.io emails from homeowners (HO) concerning landscaping issues, particularly in the yard area of Kensington homes. In general HO's need to understand that most "yard" landscape issues are the HO's responsibility. The HOA does cut the grass, the HOA blows the leaves, the HOA performs aeration and over-seeding in the fall, and the HOA cleans the gutters once a year and paints each residence every 5 years, but beyond that anything else you require or desire is normally the HO's responsibility. That means weed control, yard bald spots, new sod, drainage issues, back bush pruning, etc. will more than likely fall to the HO to perform. Before scheduled painting each HO should ensure you do not have any bushes or trees up against your resident structure which will prevent the contractor from doing his job. The work schedule is weather dependent. If you have a question about a tree or bush belonging to you, please check your plat map which you received when you purchased the property; if that tree or bush falls within your property lines then it belongs to you and it is your responsibility. Please direct any questions on any of the above to CMC for guidance.

Because the HOA has so much invested in our common ground area trees, we do ask our homeowners to please keep those common area trees and bushes around their unit lot watered to the extent they can. They are very expensive to replace and it is a big part of your HOA budget.
Homeowners are responsible for removing snow from their own walkways, sidewalks and driveways following the Fairfax county guidelines.

Since the streets in the HOA are not owned by the county, the HOA will continue to remove snow from them. The decision on when to plow the streets is a delicate balancing act of determining if the weather immediately after the snow event will melt enough to save us from paying to plow.
The following Parking Regulations have been adopted, effective October, 2025:
  • The KSHOA has designated Visitor-Only in certain Parking Zones There are open zones throughout the community for both resident and visitor. PLEASE READ THE POSTED SIGNAGE WHERE YOU ARE PAKING TO AVOID ANY VIOLATION.
    • Areas on Lavender Keep and Cypress Vines are posted with signs and are reserved exclusively for visitors
    • Resident parking in these areas is strictly prohibited and subject to immediate towing and/or fines in accordance with Association policy
  • Updated Parking Time Limits for Residents
    • The allowable time for resident parking in common areas has been reduced from three (3) consecutive days to two (2) consecutive days

  • For example, if you park on Monday, the vehicle must be moved by Tuesday at 11:59 PM.

  • Vehicles exceeding this limit are subject to towing and fines
  • To avoid a violation the car needs to be moved to a different location within the community

  • Alternative Parking Options
    • Homeowners with multiple vehicles who choose not to use their garage or driveway for parking may park in the Billberry overflow lot.
    • This measure helps ensure that guest spaces within the community remain available for their intended purpose
If a vehicle is towed from Kensington Square then it is more than likely that it was towed by Battlefield Towing, (703) 378-0059, as they have the contract with CMC and Kensington Square.
To maintain the community's aesthetic appearance, ensure public safety, and fairly manage our limited common parking, an HOA Parking Policy is essential. This policy prevents non-residents from using Kensington Square as a commuter lot for public transportation. Additionally, it ensures that adequate guest parking remains available, rather than being occupied by unit owners who choose to park in common areas instead of utilizing their own garages and driveways.
While we have discussed options like assigned parking spaces or windshield decals, implementing them would require administrative, financial, and enforcement resources that the HOA simply does not have. Vehicle counts vary drastically across the community, ranging from single-vehicle households to homes with five or six cars. To help alleviate the resulting parking shortage—and because Fairfax County fire lane regulations prohibit any street parking—we have designated specific "visitor" and "resident" areas and instituted a stricter overall parking policy.

While we prefer to avoid intrusive regulations, the ongoing abuse of open spaces and the underutilization of garages remain a significant issue. If these parking violations continue, we will be forced to transition to a mandatory, community-wide vehicle sticker system to strictly manage all parking.

1. Please read the parking signage in the area where you are parking. Ticketing and towing are enforced.

2. We have a total of 127 open spaces distributed across the community.

3. Vehicles are limited to two (2) consecutive days for both "RESIDENT" and "VISITOR" area parking. For example, if you park on Monday, the vehicle must be moved by Tuesday at 11:59 PM. To avoid a violation the car needs to be moved to a different parking location within the community. For extended parking stays the car can be parked in the Billberry overflow lot.

4. Commercial vehicles and trucks prohibited.

Parking Areas within the KSHOA:

Cypress Vine: (5) visitor only spaces

Lavender Keep: (24) open to all spaces and (5) visitor only

Fox Keep: (7) open to all spaces

Dickens: (9) open to all spaces

Billberry: (22) open to all spaces

Billberry Overflow: (28) open to all spaces

Lady Somerset: (5) open to all spaces

Portloe Terrace/Topsham: (22) open to all spaces

Falcon Wood Bend: (0) open spaces

Most of the parking problems come to the attention of the Board via resident complaints. The CMC inspectors and members of the BOD do check the neighborhood from time to time to identify where potential parking violations are prevalent. Some residents are almost habitual violators and we are trying to clean those up by issuing tickets and towing when the warning tickets are ignored.
Your short-term guests may park for up to two (2) consecutive days on the street or in the designated "visitor only" parking areas without special approval.

For example, if your guest parks on Monday, the vehicle must be moved by Tuesday at 11:59 PM.

By and large, residents of Kensington (not counting the single-family homes) should not be parking on the street in guest or visitor parking.

You can communicate to our CMC portfolio manager or via e-mail to parking@KensingtonSquareHOA.com and state your reason why you should be issued a temporary pass to extend that parking privilege.

As discussed, we have dedicated "visitor only" parking areas on Lavender Keep and Cypress Vines. Please always refer to the signage in the specific area you are parking.

If your guest(s) intend to stay for extended period of time they should park in the Billberry overflow lot.

About 7-10 vehicles are towed each year.
Yes. Due to the current parking shortage throughout KSHOA is largely due to unit owners utilizing common resident spaces instead of their personal driveways and garages. This underutilization of private unit parking has severely limited the remaining spaces available for both residents and visitors.

To address this ongoing issue, we have instituted stricter parking regulations to ensure fair access to parking for all residents and their guests.

Please be aware that our community parking spaces are clearly marked for either "visitors" or "residents."

  • Visitor Parking: Reserved strictly for guests. These areas are monitored, and residents parking in visitor slots will be fined and/or towed.

  • Resident Parking: We have allotted resident-only spaces throughout the community,

  • Time Limits: Vehicles are limited to two (2) consecutive days for both "resident" and "visitor" area parking. For example, if you park on Monday, the vehicle must be moved by Tuesday at 11:59 PM.
    • Available Open Parking: We have a total of 127 open spaces distributed across the community as follows:

    Cypress Vine: (5) visitor only spaces

    Lavender Keep: (24) open to all spaces

    Lavender Keep: (5) visitor only spaces

    Fox Keep: (7) open to all spaces

    Dickens: (9) open to all spaces

    Billberry: (22) open to all spaces

    Billberry Overflow: (28) open to all spaces

    Lady Somerset: (5) open to all spaces

    Portloe Terrace/Topsham: (22) open to all spaces

    Falcon Wood Bend: (0) open spaces

    No, move it in to your garage, your driveway, or have it moved to the repair facility. Likewise an expired license plate or Virginia inspection sticker can result in immediate towing. Remember you should perform car repairs only in your garage.
    No.
    No, in fact, you can be held responsible for their parking conduct. They should not block the street or access for emergency vehicles at any time and you should not be utilizing our limited guest parking slots for your business purposes.
    An email sent to parking@KensingtonSquareHOA.com will be read by all BOD members.   We have tried in the past to create a Parking Committee to advise the BOD but without volunteers we couldn’t get it started.
    Send an email to parking@KensingtonSquareHOA.com or contact Kylee Pineda @ CMC.
    In the past, we have had issues with non-residents accessing the basketball court, so we have added a door lock to the gate. To get the access code, submit a request using this form: Basketball Court Gate Access. The basketball court is open from 8:30AM to dusk. Please follow the rules posted on the signs near the court.
    All exterior gutters are cleaned once a year as part of your HOA dues. Normally the contractor starts on the second Monday of December and, depending on the weather, it takes about a week for them to get to all Kensington Square gutters. All residences are done UNLESS you specifically request that your residence not be included. If you ask to be excluded there is no refund since it is a total HOA contract, and if you ask to be excluded the contractor will not come back (at HOA expense) if you decide later that you want your gutters cleaned out.

    Keep in mind that as our community matures the trees are growing and there are more and more leaves, sticks, etc. each year. You can, of course, have them cleaned at your own expense and on your own schedule. Just keep in mind that townhome and ADU roofs/gutters are all close together in terms of construction, so you could be held liable for any damage your personal contractor causes to your neighbor's gutters, roof, residence, yard, etc.

    In general the outside areas of each Kensington Square residence is painted every five (5) years. Each unit takes 1 to 1.5 days and advance notification is provided to each homeowner.

    Please prepare your unit for painting ahead of time by ensuring than any tree branches, bushes and flowers encroaching the unit are trimmed back to allow for access by the paint contractor. Any residence building/maintenance materials, toys, etc. should be relocated away from the area to be painted. This is an owner responsibility and is not part of the HOA's contract with the contractor.

    The contractor will prepare and paint the following areas of Kensington units:
    • Window Lintels
    • window brick molding
    • bump-out bay windows unit panels and trim
    • porch, front and rear doors and trim
    • wrought iron fencing, railings, posts, picket
    • deck fascia, stair risers and foundation posts, generally speaking the exterior wood areas and doors and wrought iron fencing.
    Note: Shutters are not usually painted. Unless otherwise requested by the homeowner, the contractor will apply a clear oil-based sheen cleaner to the shutters to help preserve them. (Probably less than 50% of the 244 Kensington residences have shutters.)

    Contractor will caulk doors/windows being painted (if needed), scrape/sand loose/peeling paint, and prime needed areas.

    Weather delays could affect scheduling.

    Please direct any concerns or questions by submitting a support ticket to TownSQ so the request can be properly tracked.

    Painting schedule:
    • 2026 - Kensington Manor (all single family homes)
    • 2027 - 50% of Kensington Square (TH/ADU homes)
    • 2028 - 50% of Kensington Square (TH homes)
    • 2029 - Kensington Parc (all homes)
    • 2030 - Kensington Billberry (TH/ADU homes)
    Should you need to do some touch up work yourself, the paint colors are Homeowners are NOT allowed to change any outside paint colors without submitting a Design Application to the ARC and receiving approval back from the committee.
    The HOA is responsible for street maintenance. If you would like to get an issue addressed, open a support ticket on TownSQ.io so it can be assigned to the right personnel and tracked.
    See this PDF for how to make payments.

    If you would like to set up an ACH automatic withdrawal of your HOA dues from your bank account, follow the instructions in this document: CMC-Direct-Debit-Authorization-Form-2024.pdf
    When a shared mailbox is turned over from the Post Office to the HOA, each address is provided three mailbox keys. These keys should be transferred to the new owner when you move. Homeowners are responsible for broken or damaged mailbox key(s). Replacement keys or locks are available from the Chantilly Post Office. Contact them to get the appropriate form and fee structure.

    One resident says it is easier to go to the post office to get the form and pay the fee there and that it was fixed the next day.
    You should create a support ticket in the TownSQ web portal (also used to pay your HOA dues), run by CMC. Creating the ticket in this system will ensure it is routed to the right personnel and provides a tracking for status updates.
    The Kensington Square Board of Directors has worked diligently to ensure the HOA's property is maintained to the highest standards to protect your investment. They have been working with contractors, service providers, and reviewing the Reserve and Replacement Study to create a budget that covers the Association's current and next fiscal years. The assessment rates have not changed.

    A copy of the complete budget by line item is mailed to all Kensington Square homeowners. The PDF document on this web site provides the categories where our budget is allocated. However to protect our ability to negotiate with potential contractors and service providers those figures are NOT posted our open web site but can be found on the TownSQ.IO web site if you are a homeowner. If you have any questions please contact our CMC portfolio manager Kylee Pineda. If you are interested in learning more about and being involved with the budget and the budget process, please consider volunteering for the Financial Committee.
    There is a camera at the entrance to the community on Woodberry Meadow Drive, off of Rt 50 that captures photos of all movement, and also captures the license plate data of cars. The data are captured by Flock Safety, and the following personnel have access to it:
    • Rich Williamson - Board President
    • Mike Glassman - Board VP
    • Leanna Pietroforte - SMC chair
    • Joel McClung - SMC Camera sub-chair

    There are also 5 Nest cameras - 2 pointing at the basketball court, 2 at the gazebo on Billberry Drive and 1 mounted near the overflow parking lot on Billberry Dr. The video feeds are being stored.

    We would LOVE to have more participation by residents! Ideally, we would like to have representation from each of the sections of the community - Parc, Square, Manor, as well as the ADUs. Please send your request to the Board of Directors, or the chairperson of the respective committee and they will get back with you.
    Roof Replacement Process: You must complete the KSHOA form documents and obtain approval before any work can begin. All homeowners are responsible for the cost of roof maintenance, repairs, and replacements.

    1. Kensington Square Homeowners Association Application for Architectural Change

    2. Contractor's Information Form

    Owner Cost: All homeowners are responsible for the cost of roof maintenance, repairs, and replacements.

    Material Specification: Roofing materials/colors approved for the (TWs units in Square) are the (Certainteed Landmark Heather Blend UL 2218 Class), and (THs in the Parc) are the (TAMKO Heritage Rustic Black).

    Interlacing Shingles: To maintain a seamless appearance, shingles must be interlaced with adjacent roofs. There should be no visible borders or breaks between connecting properties.

    Roofing materials: Cannot be stored on HOA property.

    Neighbor Signatures: Obtain signatures from four (4) adjacent or most-affected neighbors as a courtesy acknowledgment of work.

    Pictures: Roofer to provide pictures of the finished roof.

    Rebate: One-time (TWs) only - Once these requirements are met the HOA will rebate you $2,500.

    There is no set date for the garage sale. In some years, we hold two, in others we hold only one. If you would like to have a community garage sale, please contact the Board of Directors and include the Communications Chair.
    Soliciting is expressly forbidden in the community. There are signs posted at all community entrances stating this.
    Here is a list of various HOA committees. Please send an email to the one that best matches your request, or to the HOA Manager (Kylee Pineda) if you can't find one that matches.

    If you don’t see your question answered here, please send your question to CC@KensingtonSquareHOA.com and we will answer and add it to this page.