If you manage an active adult community, you've heard it before: "Someone was on my reserved court" or "I walked all the way there and it was full." Court conflicts are consistently among the top complaints in 55+ communities, and they can escalate quickly when residents feel their time isn't being respected.
The good news? Most court conflicts stem from a few predictable issues, and there are practical solutions that don't require expensive infrastructure changes.
1. Make Real-Time Availability Visible
The single biggest source of frustration is uncertainty. Residents don't know if courts are in use until they make the trip. In Florida's heat, that wasted walk isn't just annoying—it's exhausting.
Solutions like CamView let residents check court status from their phone or computer before leaving home. When people can see that courts are occupied, they wait. When they can see courts are empty, they go. Simple visibility prevents most conflicts before they start.
2. Post Clear Court Rules at Every Location
You'd be surprised how many disputes come from residents having different understandings of the rules. Is there a time limit? Can you hold a court for a friend? What happens if someone doesn't show for their reservation?
Post the rules prominently at each court location, and include them in your community newsletter periodically. Consistent enforcement starts with consistent communication.
3. Implement Grace Periods for Reservations
A 10-15 minute grace period works wonders. If someone hasn't arrived within that window, the court becomes available to others. This prevents the frustration of seeing an empty court that's technically "reserved" for an hour.
Make sure residents know about the grace period policy, and enforce it consistently.
4. Create Peak and Off-Peak Guidelines
Not all hours are equal. Morning hours (7-10 AM) and late afternoon (4-6 PM) are typically highest demand in Florida communities. Consider different rules for peak times:
- Shorter time limits during peak hours (1 hour vs 1.5 hours)
- No back-to-back reservations by the same person
- Walk-on availability for unused reserved slots after grace period
5. Address Repeat Offenders Directly
In most communities, 80% of conflicts involve 20% of residents. If specific individuals consistently cause problems—whether by overstaying, ignoring reservations, or being confrontational—address it directly rather than creating more rules for everyone.
A private conversation often resolves what community-wide emails cannot.
The Technology Factor
While policy changes help, technology can eliminate entire categories of conflict. When residents can see court status in real-time, when reservations are tracked digitally, and when there's a clear record of who was where and when, disputes become much easier to resolve—and much less likely to occur.
CamView was built specifically for this use case. We've seen communities reduce court complaints by over 50% simply by giving residents visibility into what's happening at their amenities.