HOA Management Blog

An HOA functions like a mini-city, collecting funds, managing finances, maintaining facilities and adopting and enforcing rules.  An elected board of directors oversees these activities.  Board members have fiduciary responsibilities, defined in law and HOA documents.  All these activities and responsibilities apply to an HOA whether it has 1,000 units or only 25.

Thus, HOAs are complex, requiring professional expertise to manage properly.  The question is, who will be the HOA manager to do this? Before assuming that members of the board can manage all of the HOA’s affairs, let’s look at what’s involved in more detail.

As a homeowners association board member, your responsibilities to the community you oversee are many. Homeowners look to their board to keep their community safe, well-maintained and properly managed. Board members are obligated to do everything in their power to meet its members needs while complying with the community’s CC&Rs as well as any state and local regulations. Unfortunately, there are instances where your HOA board may unknowingly be putting the community at risk. Hiring an HOA manager can take the pressure off of your board members. Let’s take a closer look at the pitfalls that can exist and how you can avoid them. 

Every HOA's number one priority is the legal fiduciary responsibility to enhance and maintain their property.  The only way to do that is by collecting HOA fees.  That's why a clear collection policy is a must-have for your HOA board.

Sounds like fun, right?  Maybe not.  But the new year is a great time to communicate a detailed collection plan for HOA fees.  By managing owners’ expectations about HOA fees and the need for timely payment, you can help your board (and especially your treasurer) meet their goals and reduce the need for costly HOA fees collection.

You serve on your homeowners’ association’s board of directors. You work hard, preparing for and attending meetings and listening to the homeowners that elected you.  And you do all this on your own time.

Despite your best efforts, your HOA Board may be putting itself in legal jeopardy. Specifically, do you and your board know and understand what is required for annual disclosures?

Your homeowners association may have a strict pet policy. Maybe it’s “no pets under any circumstance” or “no dogs over 50 pounds” or bans certain breeds of dogs or limits the total number of pets allowed in each unit. How does your HOA board navigate the situation when an owner requests to have a dog or some other type of animal?

Do you have to put up with the smoke and smell from marijuana? The simple answer is NO. 

Possession and use of marijuana is now legal in California stemming from the passage of Proposition 64. That brings the total number of states where recreational use is legal to seven. That does NOT mean that your HOA property owner can smoke it and blow the noxious smoke into another unit’s area.

Most of us homeowners dread the end of summer—sunny days, mild nights, vacations, the beach, ball games, picnics and so much more. Although fall and winter bring holidays, homeowner association gatherings, the warmth of a fireplace and football (actual and fantasy), for many people the winter months mark the return of seasonal depression.

It’s that time of year—you’ve exchanged your swimsuit from long days at the community Association pool for sweaters and scarves just in time to roll down your sleeves and prepare your home for cooler weather. As we watch the warm days fade into the sunset, consider adding the following items to your winterization checklist, and ensure your home is in tip-top shape for the fall and winter seasons in your homeowners association.

As a volunteer of the Board of Directors, you have the opportunity to help the homeowners in your community through issues that impact one of their biggest investments. Unfortunately, at times, owners forget that you are a volunteer of the Board and not a full-time employee. It’s very important to set boundaries with homeowners and fellow HOA board members on the appropriate time to discuss HOA related issues and do HOA related tasks.