HOA Management Blog

If you live in a Common Interest Development, you may not realize that you are among the more than 60 million Americans who live in a property owners or homeowners association, including condominium communities. You may think that most residents are happy living in your community, and we certainly hope that this is the case, but how do these 60 million residents feel about their own associations? Are they happy with their elected boards? How do they feel about the rules?

Homeowners association members who pay their assessments late or not at all come up with some very interesting excuses. Here’s half a dozen of the most common excuses your HOA board might hear and why it’s smart to address them.

Homeowners associations are communities that put a high importance on safety, such as having a neighborhood watch in effect and keeping residents informed of any suspicious activities.

Even though you live in a homeowners association, and may even be a member of the HOA board, you might be surprised how many of your neighbors, owners and renters, don’t really understand the fundamental nature of common-interest communities or what a big business they are. Many others, including the media and government officials, lack a true understanding of the community association concept.

It’s the duty of an HOA Board to maintain common areas and some aspects of the individual homes in the Association; however it’s up to residents to take care of small maintenance jobs in their homes. Do-it-yourself projects can be immensely rewarding, but even a small repair can turn into a more frustrating and time-consuming job when you encounter unexpected problems. As an HOA Board member in your homeowners association consider providing these easy tips to residents to tackle common household hardware problems that will leave them with a sense of accomplishment rather than a sense of frustration. 

As a recognized homeowners association, your community has a board to help your HOA run smoothly. The board consists of volunteers who execute a wide variety of tasks you may not be aware of; however, their work affects every single resident.

A major issue that a homeowners association (HOA) and its Board may be faced with is whether to limit rentals in the community. While HOAs can restrict rentals, this issue may be hotly debated. Arguments can be made for and against the adoption of a rental cap.

Your homeowners association needs to hold elections for Board members every so often. While it is important to refresh the leadership of the Association every now and then it is just as vital to make sure any election is held in accordance with the rules and regulations of the individual HOA and the state. Fair elections are a staple of any democracy, on a very large or  small scale.

HOA Board meetings can sometimes get pretty heated in homeowners associations. As a Board member it is important that you work toward keeping meetings orderly and flowing smoothly. Yet, there are times when meetings get stormy. In these eventful times try to stay calm and be a voice of reason for the Board.

There are many options and questions to consider when choosing an HOA management company for your community. This list of five questions will help to ensure you hire the best fit for you and your community when it comes to an HOA management company.

 This is a guest post by: Drew Smithfield, a freelance safety and security writer. 

Some of the best security advocates you can find are just yards away from your home – they're your neighbors. Introducing yourself to your neighbors and establishing a relationship with them not only helps deepen your ties to your homeowners association community but also helps increase the security of your family and home.

As a member of your homeowners association board (HOA) you may ask, "Do we need insurance?" The answer is a big yes! The more pertinent inquiry would be, "What type of insurance does our HOA need?" It is vital that your organization has the proper insurance coverage for all possible types of problems.