Basic Responsibilities That Come with Being an HOA Board Member

Your community within your homeowner's association is more than just a neighborhood. In many ways, it’s a lot like a business. Collectively, the regular assessments that each homeowner pays amounts to tens of thousands of dollars that need to be budgeted carefully and spent wisely.

You and your neighbors who have volunteered and been elected to serve on the HOA board are responsible for making critical decisions—on the Association's behalf—about managing the community and Association funds. There are many responsibilities that board members take on when they volunteer for the Board. This should never be taken lightly or be forgotten.

Here are just a couple of responsibilities that an HOA board member is accountable for when serving on your Association's Board:

• Your Board develops long-range plans—like when the parking lot will need to be repaved and when the elevators will need to be replaced – about the parts of the community that are shared property. The Board must set aside funds so that these kinds of projects can be accomplished on schedule or even ahead of schedule in the event there is an unexpected breakdown.

• You and your Board also send out requests for bids and contracts with vendors to do the work necessary to maintain your shared amenities. Board members decide who will do the best job of replacing the roof at the best price or who will be the most reliable company to hire to mow the grass and remove dead tree limbs.

The Board’s decisions can have a significant impact on your community’s appearance and, consequently, on the property values within the Association. Regardless of the Board's professional manager, the Board ultimately is responsible for overseeing Association operations.   

Be sure to communicate with the HOA board regularly, observe Board meetings, and attend annual meetings to elect responsible board members and to participate in the conversations about significant community issues. A homeowner that is a participant, and not just an observer in their homeowner’s association is beneficial to all within the community.

Ultimately, the Board is responsible to enahance, maintain and protect the homeowner's association. There are many moving pieces and parts involved that, with the help of a manager, can seem much less overwhelming and much more manageable.