HOA Management Blog
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.
We’re always talking about the governing documents of a homeowners association, but what are they, why are they important, and what do they say?
Are you reviewing and updating your homeowner’s association’s strategic plan?
A strategic plan outlines priorities and projects for the immediate future and for years to come. It can accommodate revisions as changing circumstances dictate—without conflicting with the vision behind its creation. It also helps determine what the year’s budget will include and suggests what future ones might feature.
As a member of your homeowners association, when you bought a home in your community, you should have received copies of all the Association's governing documents—including the Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CC&RS) and Rules & Regulations—prior to or at the closing of escrow. The CC&Rs explain what the homeowners association is responsible for and what the homeowner is responsible for.
As an HOA board member, you should know what homeowners association documents your members are entitled to review. Association members are welcome to read official association documents. There’s nothing secret about the business of the association. In fact, you should already have copies of key documents like the bylaws or rules readily available.
Do you remember receiving the covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs) when you moved into the Association? Do you know that they are very important to you as the homeowner? Have you taken a look at these documents lately? If not, now is a great time to brush up on the do’s and don’ts of your community. There is no time like the present to make sure you are in compliance.
The Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CC&Rs) explain what the homeowners association is responsible for and what the homeowner is responsible for. They also outline how the Association lives together and operates. The CC&Rs are the highest level of documents in the Association, only overruled by the law; not to be confused with the Bylaws, which dictate how the HOA operates as an organization, or the HOA rules which the board has the authority to change.
We’ve all heard the term “read the small print before signing on the dotted line” but how often do we really do this? An HOA Board will be considering and entering into contracts on a regular basis and it’s not uncommon for otherwise cautious people to become jaded by the terms and conditions and just quickly glance over the documents.
When I was in High School, I took two years of Latin.I am not sure why. Even at that time, it was a language that was no longer used. Neither my family nor friends were ever impressed with 18 or even 80 conjugated forms of the verb 'porto'.
As I mentioned in Part 1 of this series, my chosen 'foreign' language of study in High School was Latin. Honestly, I had enough trouble with English at the time, yet Latin did become more interesting when I discovered that many of our English words came from Latin. When we consider California Homeowners Association governing documents and legal issues related to them, Latin terms can actually help give us some needed understanding. More on this later.
A homeowners association often struggles with obtaining renter information. The Hignell Companies recommends providing a welcome letter to renters when they become a part of a homeowners association because it begins a warm relationship that will help to build trust with renters. An example of a welcome letter is outlined below:
