Are Residents Happy in Your Homeowners Association?

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?

Enforcing rules within your homeowners association is an important duty of the Board. While not always easy or well-received, making sure residents are informed of the rules in your community and face consequences when they do not follow them, is essential for the well-being of the community.

The Foundation for Community Association Research, an affiliate of Community Associations Institute (CAI), sponsored a fairly recent national public opinion survey to answer these and other questions.  Here are some of the key findings:

• 71 percent of residents say they are satisfied with their community association experience. Only 12 percent express dissatisfaction and 17 percent are neutral on the question.
   
• 89 percent believe their association board members strive to serve the best interests of the community, while 11 percent say the opposite or they aren’t sure.
   
• 76 percent say their professional managers provide value to their communities, while 24 percent say the opposite or they aren’t sure.
   
• 70 percent believe their community association rules “protect and enhance” property values. Only 2 percent say rules harm property values, while about 29 percent see no difference or didn’t know.

We’d hope that within your homeowners association you would do even better than the national averages. If that is not the case, you may solicit the membership to find out their ideas in how to make your community a better place to live. If they are especially pleased about your community, they should be encouraged to share that too!  It’s always good to know that you are on the right track.

Although the only goal should not be making members happy, a homeowners association Board should look at the community as a whole. While still meeting their fiduciary duties and making decisions for the best of the community, the Board can work toward keeping a good balance that will provide a positive atmosphere where members will be more likely to enjoy their communities.

To learn more about enforcing rules in your Association, download our free guide:

Related Articles:

Are the Homeowners Association Rules Reasonable in Your Community?

3 Key Tasks a Homeowners Association Board Does for Residents