Frequently Asked Questions

The owners do, through the Wafco Mills Condominium Association. The owners elect a volunteer Board of Directors. The Board sets policy, adopts the rules, and approves spending (By-Laws).

Priestley Management Company manages the community for the Association. Seth Geise is the Association Manager. Priestley works for the Association. It does not set the rules.

Seth Geise at Priestley and the Board of Directors work only with owners. If you rent your home, please contact your landlord or property manager.

Your landlord or property manager. They handle your repairs, your lease, your parking tag, and your questions about the rules.

Seth Geise at Priestley and the Board of Directors work only with owners. If you rent your home, please contact your landlord or property manager.

More for renters: Renters and Residents page.

No. Three separate communities share our block. Historic Wafco Mills (the old mill at 801 McGee Street) and Walker Commons each have their own board, dues, and rules. For their homes, please contact their own board or manager.

Common property belongs to all owners together. It includes the roofs, outside walls, brick, parking lots, lights, landscaping, and the trash enclosure.

Limited common property is shared property that only one home uses, like your porch, balcony, deck, or stoop. You use it, but you may not change it without written Board approval.

Source: 1982 Declaration. See also Who fixes what?

Move fast. In stacked homes, a leak almost always reaches more than one home.

1. Put a pot or towels under the drip.
2. Tell the neighbor above you right away. Ask them to turn off their water at the main valve.
3. Call a plumber. Owners call their own repair person. Renters call their landlord.
4. Call your HO-6 insurance company. The owner of the home where the leak started should call theirs too.
5. Take photos and write down the date and time.

The rule

Each home has its own plumbing. The owner is responsible for all pipes and drains that serve only their home, including pipes inside the walls, ceilings, and floors. A leak from those pipes, even one hidden behind a wall, is that owner's to fix, along with damage it causes to other homes.

Where it comes from

1982 Declaration, Art. XVIII (owners keep up the utility fixtures and connections that serve their home, and are responsible for damage from not doing so). Maintenance Responsibilities chart, approved May 2021.

What may happen next

The two owners and their insurance companies work out the repairs and who pays. The Board and Priestley do not schedule or manage repairs inside homes.

Who to contact

Owners: the neighbor, your plumber, and your insurance company. If you do not have the other owner's contact or insurance information, owners may ask the Board to help connect you. Renters: your landlord.

No. Each home at Wafco Mills has its own plumbing. Pipes and drains that serve only one home are that owner's to fix, even when they are hidden inside a wall, ceiling, or floor.

The owner whose pipe is leaking calls their own plumber, opens the wall if needed, makes the repair, and closes it back up. That owner is also responsible for damage the leak causes to neighbors' homes. Both owners' HO-6 insurance companies sort out who pays.

Source: 1982 Declaration, Art. XVIII. Maintenance Responsibilities chart, approved May 2021. See Water is leaking from my ceiling.

The main valve is usually near the water heater. In lower homes it is often in the closet under the stairs. In upper homes it is often in a closet in the kitchen. It may have a red handle and may sit back inside the wall.

Find yours today, before you need it. Check once in a while that it turns. An old valve can stick or break in a leak.

If you rent, ask your landlord to show you where it is.

The rule

Owners fix everything that serves their own home: plumbing (including pipes behind the walls, ceilings, and floors that serve only that home), heat and air, appliances, windows, and doors. The Association takes care of common property, like roofs, outside walls, parking lots, and landscaping.

Where it comes from

1982 Declaration, Art. XVIII (owners) and Art. XIX (Association). Maintenance Responsibilities chart, approved May 2021.

What may happen next

Owners hire their own repair person for inside items. Owners may report common property problems to the Board.

Who to contact

Inside your home: your own repair person. Common property: owners may use the form in the owner area. Renters: your landlord.

Open the Maintenance Responsibilities chart. Need a repair person? Owners can log in to see vendors owners have used. The Association does not guarantee their work. Please check licenses and insurance yourself.

Please do not. The roof is common property. The Association takes care of it (1982 Declaration, Art. XIX). The Board has said that unplanned roof visits can affect the roof warranty.

If you think the roof is leaking, owners may send the Board photos or video. The Board decides if a roofer should look.

The rule

Keep the heat at 60 degrees or higher and turn the water off. This keeps pipes from freezing.

Where it comes from

Rules and Regulations (Dec 2025), Empty Units.

What may happen next

A frozen pipe can flood your home and your neighbors' homes. The owner is responsible for damage from not keeping up the home (1982 Declaration, Art. XVIII).

Who to contact

Your own repair person if something goes wrong.

The rule

Get written Board approval first for any change to the outside of a building. This includes windows, storm doors, paint, lights, wires, dishes, or anything attached to the brick. Send detailed plans with drawings. Storm doors must be full-view with a baked-on enamel finish.

Where it comes from

1982 Declaration, Art. XVI. By-Laws, Art. 9(d). Rules and Regulations (Dec 2025), Structural Additions or Modifications.

What may happen next

Changes made without approval may have to be undone at the owner's cost. A fine may follow (see How are the rules enforced?).

Who to contact

Owners: send the request form to the Board. Renters: your landlord.

Please never drill into the brick. Holes let water into the walls.

Window and door standards. Request form. After a change, update your HO-6 policy to cover it.

The Association has a master policy for the buildings. It does not cover the inside of your home or your things. An HO-6 policy (condo owner insurance) covers your walls, floors, fixtures, belongings, and liability. It also helps when a leak from your home damages a neighbor's home.

The Board asks every owner, even with no mortgage, to carry an HO-6 policy and send proof. The 1982 Declaration (Art. XX) says each owner may carry their own insurance. [Board to confirm where the HO-6 requirement is written today.]

Send your HO-6 proof. Ask your insurance agent which coverage and deductible fit your home.

Dues pay for the things all owners share. The yearly budget includes:

• Insurance on the buildings
• Management by Priestley
• Trash removal
• Care of common property, like landscaping and the parking lots
• Money saved in reserves for big repairs

Owners can read the budgets and monthly financial reports in the Owner Document Portal.

Reserves are savings for big, costly repairs that come every so many years, like roofs, paving, and brick work. Each year, part of the dues goes into reserves.

When reserves are not enough for a big project, owners may have to pay a special assessment. That is an extra payment on top of dues, billed to every owner.

The yearly budget shows how much goes to reserves. Owners can find it in the Owner Document Portal.

The rule

Dues are due before the 10th of each month. Accounts 30 days past due are charged interest. When dues are 3 months behind, a lien (a legal claim on the home for the money owed) may be placed on the home.

Where it comes from

Rules and Regulations, Association Dues (checked in the July 2020 version). [Board to confirm the December 2025 wording.] North Carolina Condominium Act, G.S. 47C-3-116.

What may happen next

Late notices and fees. The Board decides any lien or legal step.

Who to contact

Owners: Priestley for your account balance. See contacts.

Fines are never automatic. When a rule is broken, the owner gets a written notice. A renter may get a copy too.

The rule

An owner who keeps breaking a rule may be fined up to $100 after notice and an opportunity to be heard. That means the owner can explain to the Board before any fine. Owners are responsible for their tenants and guests following the rules.

Where it comes from

North Carolina General Statute 47C-3-107.1. Rules and Regulations (Dec 2025), Violations of Other Wafco Rules.

What may happen next

A written notice first. A hearing if the owner asks for one. Then a possible fine.

Who to contact

Owners: the Board. Renters: your landlord.

The rules apply the same way to everyone, including Board members.

The rule

Leases must be in writing and for at least 30 days. Homes may not be used as a hotel or for short stays.

Where it comes from

1982 Declaration, Art. XI.

What may happen next

A written notice to the owner. A fine may follow (see How are the rules enforced?).

Who to contact

The Board, with questions before you list.

1. Give your tenant the current Rules and Regulations and a parking tag when the lease is signed, or within 10 days.
2. Tell the Board your tenant's name, phone, and email as soon as the home is rented.
3. Within 10 days after the lease is signed, send the Board a copy of the signed lease and the tenant's signed receipt for the Rules. The New Tenant Info Sheet works for the receipt.

Every lease is subject to the governing documents. A tenant who breaks them is in default of the lease (1982 Declaration, Art. XI).

Source: Rules and Regulations (Dec 2025), Renters and Tenants. New Tenant Info Sheet. Rules and Regulations.

Buyers and their lenders usually ask for Association papers, such as a resale disclosure and a statement of dues owed. Priestley prepares these for a fee.

See the Real Estate Agents Info page.

If your car is gone and did not have a current Wafco Mills hang tag, or was in a no parking area, it may have been towed. Call the towing company, not the Board.

Wafco Mills uses Bobby's Friendly Towing, 336-854-1410. If you parked in a space marked for Historic Wafco Mills, that community may use a different towing company. Please ask them.

Full rules: Parking page.

Park only in Wafco Mills spaces, with a current hang tag. Guests park on the nearby side streets. There is no visitor parking.

Do not park in spaces marked for Historic Wafco Mills, at the curb, in a fire lane, on a sidewalk, or in the Cedar Street lot. No boats, trailers, or cars that do not run.

Source: Rules and Regulations (Dec 2025), Parking. Space details, maps, and how to replace a tag: Parking page.

The rule

Put all trash and recycling inside the dumpsters in our trash enclosure at the end of Walker Avenue. Never leave bags on a porch, deck, pad, or beside the dumpsters, even for a few minutes. Bags bring rats and bugs.

Where it comes from

By-Laws, Art. 9(c). Rules and Regulations (Dec 2025), Trash and Dumpster Use.

What may happen next

A written notice to the owner. A fine may follow (see How are the rules enforced?).

Who to contact

Owners: the Board. Renters: your landlord.

Please use only our own enclosure, not the dumpsters across Cedar Street. The enclosure door code is sent straight to residents. Please do not share it.

Pickup day, recycling, and big items: Trash and Recycling page. Furniture and other big items go to the White Street Landfill, 2503 White Street.

The mailboxes belong to the U.S. Postal Service. Fill out the Postal Service lock change form and take it to any post office. The Postal Service charges a fee. You can ask them to mail the new keys to an address you trust.

Open the lock change form.

The rule

Keep pets on a leash and under control outside. Do not tie a pet to a tree or stake, or leave a pet alone outside. Pick up after your dog every time. Scoop bags and cans are at stations around the grounds.

Where it comes from

Rules and Regulations (Dec 2025), Pets. By-Laws, Art. 9(b). Greensboro City Code.

What may happen next

A written notice to the owner. Animal Control may act on a loose pet. A fine may follow.

Who to contact

Loose or dangerous animal: Guilford County Animal Services. Rule questions: owners, the Board; renters, your landlord.

Neighbors from College Hill walk dogs here too. A friendly reminder to pick up helps everyone. Guilford County Animal Control.

The rule

Use furniture made for outdoors. No indoor furniture. Do not store other things there, except a grill and bicycles. Do not hang laundry, towels, quilts, or blankets on railings.

Where it comes from

Rules and Regulations (Dec 2025), Outdoor Fixtures and Patio Furniture; Laundry, Linen, Cloth.

What may happen next

A written notice to the owner. A fine may follow.

Who to contact

Owners: the Board. Renters: your landlord.

The rule

You may keep a grill on your porch, balcony, or deck, but not on a parking pad. Light it only in an open area, never on a covered porch or balcony, because of fire risk. Never leave a lit or hot grill alone.

Where it comes from

Rules and Regulations (Dec 2025), Outdoor Grills.

What may happen next

A written notice to the owner. A fine may follow.

Who to contact

Owners: the Board. Renters: your landlord.

The rule

Please ask the Board before you put a sign, flag, or banner on common property, a porch, a balcony, or a deck. A "For Sale" or "For Rent" sign may go inside a window. North Carolina law protects some flags and political signs, so the Board will tell you what is allowed.

Where it comes from

Rules and Regulations (Dec 2025), Signs. By-Laws, Art. 9(a). North Carolina General Statute 47C-3-121.

What may happen next

Items put up without asking may need to come down.

Who to contact

Owners: the Board. Renters: your landlord.

Please do not drill into the brick to hang anything.

The rule

Get written Board approval before planting on common property. If you plant, you care for it. No fruits or vegetables in common areas.

Where it comes from

Rules and Regulations (Dec 2025), Flowers and Plants.

What may happen next

Plants that are not cared for may be removed by the Association.

Who to contact

Owners: the Board. Renters: your landlord.

Keep firewood up off the ground, on brick or the deck, so air moves under it. Wood on the ground brings termites. Do not keep wood on a parking pad, and keep it from touching the brick.

Source: Rules and Regulations, Storage of Wood (checked in the July 2020 version). [Board to confirm the December 2025 wording.]

The rule

No throwing balls or flying discs on Wafco Lane, in the parking area, or in the center courtyard. No skateboards, roller skates, or in-line skates in the parking area or on sidewalks. They can hit cars, buildings, and people.

Where it comes from

Rules and Regulations (Dec 2025), Use of the Parking Lot and Courtyard.

What may happen next

A written notice to the owner. A fine may follow.

Who to contact

Owners: the Board. Renters: your landlord.

The Downtown Greenway, right behind the buildings, is a great place to walk, bike, and play.

The Association's rules do not cover smoking inside a home. Outside, please think of the neighbors downwind, and put butts out and in a trash can. Butts on the ground are litter (By-Laws, Art. 9(c)).

If smoke from a neighbor bothers you, a kind word is a good first step. Anything illegal is a matter for the police.

The rule

No one may make noise in the buildings or courtyard that bothers other residents.

Where it comes from

Rules and Regulations (Dec 2025), Noise; Noise and Disturbances of the Peace. By-Laws, Art. 9(b).

What may happen next

The police may give a citation if it keeps going. Owners may send a copy of the police report to the Board. The Board may send a written notice to the owner of that home. A fine may follow.

Who to contact

Loud music or parties: Greensboro Police non-emergency, 336-373-2222. In an emergency, call 911.

Trash must go only in the trash enclosure (By-Laws, Art. 9(c)). Owners who see a problem may report it with photos, the date, and the place. Please do not post photos of people. A report needs real proof before the Board can send a notice.

Start with a calm talk with your neighbor. Most problems end there.

If that does not work, a mediator can help. Mediation is a meeting with a neutral helper who helps both sides find an answer. One Step Further offers low-cost mediation in Greensboro.

The Board does not act as a mediator between neighbors, and does not manage repairs inside homes.

Owners or residents who need an accommodation related to a disability may make a request to the Board. Each request is reviewed individually.

Renters may also ask through their landlord.

1. Click "Login" at the top of this site and create an account.
2. Go to the owner sign-up page.
3. Email the Board for the sign-up password. It is sent only to owners.