HOA Management Blog

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. 

Homeowners associations often have to hire new contractors to do work for them. It may be for a new roof on the community center, repairs to a park, overlaying streets or for some other purpose. When your Association is considering hiring a new contractor, knowing what questions to ask them is vital in these situations. 

Your homeowners association (HOA) Board will rely on legal counsel on many occasions for various legal matters. It is imperative that the Board and your attorney maintain a close working relationship to protect the Board's and homeowner's interests in your community association. Competent legal advice and help is of vital importance to any HOA Board.

As a Board member of a homeowners association (HOA) you will be faced at times with making decisions to foreclose on homes in your Association. This is not a pleasant task, but it is a necessary one at times. Some homeowners will challenge the entire process and you and the Board should know what you are doing and why.

In the proper course of governing the community, an HOA board has to conduct meetings of all kinds. Using a format to run these meetings insures an orderly gathering and makes sure that all parties have their say in any discussion. Although adherence to a particular parliamentary procedure is not required, it is the method most often used by Boards to discuss business at meetings.

As a Board member of a homeowners association you have many duties. Sometimes you might feel like you’re in a tug-of-war when dealing with uncooperative tenants who refuse to adhere to the rules. The Board must act in these situations though and the group needs to stand firm in all matters.

One of the stated goals of a homeowners association is to oversee the upkeep of common areas in the community, such as clubhouses, pools, fitness rooms, and parks. When choosing contractors to maintain and repair community property it is imperative to choose a licensed contractor to perform the work. Unlicensed contractors put the homeowners association at risk for a myriad of problems that could arise.

An HOA Board needs the involvement of the entire Association community to function at its best. Often this is just not possible because of the lack of  homeowner commitment and involvement. No matter what is causing homeowners to stay away, steps can be taken to get them motivated in running their neighborhood Association.

If you are a new homeowners association Board member there are a number of things you need to know about the position. This role means you will be making decisions for your Association. As an HOA board member you will be expected to act in the best interests of the Association.

An important role of a homeowners association is to maintain and enhance property values by enforcing neighborhood covenants and maintenance of common areas. For this to happen the Association must have a strong Board of Directors and each person who sits on the Board must perform their job. This will also help homeowners find value being a part of the Association community.

As an HOA Board member, how many times have you heard the excuse “I never got a letter” from a homeowner when attempting to collect fines or notify them about a rule violation? This is a common excuse that homeowners make, and while sometimes it does happen, HOA Board members should know about the Mailbox Rule and best practices they can do to increase the open-rate of letters.