HOA Management Blog
Sometimes an HOA manager gets the short end of the stick, but it’s part of the job and a small price to pay to help an HOA board effectively manage its homeowners association. The manager is usually seen in one of three ways, but there are steps board members can take to help the community see the manager in a whole new light.
Do you keep your water running when doing the dishes? Do you wash half loads of laundry? Do you enjoy extra-long, hot showers to start your day? In the midst of the California drought, residents are learning to cultivate new habits to conserve water as a result of the Governor’s statewide declaration requiring Californians to save water in every way possible.
Do you want to be the best Board you can be? Then you’ve found a goldmine because we asked a seasoned and experienced HOA manager what he hoped all HOA board members would learn early on to help them run an efficient, lawful, and successful homeowners association.
It’s always convenient to have some tools in your tool belt – you never know when you might need one. Instead of a hammer, nails, screwdriver and measuring tape, there are tools that are handy for an HOA board to have access to because you never know when you might need to refer to them.
In homeowners associations, residents are encouraged to attend and observe HOA board meetings. Does your Association have many residents attend the board meetings? Some Associations have many residents that participate and attend meetings and other communities may never have a resident attend a meeting. This entirely depends on the Association.
The most important thing a Board needs to know is that it cannot give away the authority to make decisions. The manager is an integral part of a homeowners association, but there are some things the HOA board is ultimately responsible for and can’t delegate to a manager.
A homeowners association and its members disagree from time to time. The HOA board must provide the homeowner an opportunity to meet and confer with the board. Members must be provided with a fair, reasonable and expeditious procedure for resolving disputes with the Association without being charged a fee. The process is referred to as "Internal Dispute Resolution" (IDR).
You don’t want to be bored with numbers, spreadsheets, dollars and cents. You already know that’s what a budget is made up of. Instead, what actions are the most important for you to actually do to ensure financial success in your homeowners association? There are a lot of pieces and parts that come into play, but following this advice will help you get started in the right direction of financial health for your community.
Americans who live in community associations are overwhelmingly pleased with their communities. They are expressing strong satisfaction with the HOA board members who govern their homeowners associations and the community managers who provide professional support.
Fact: About 63 million Americans live in a new suburban community or planned unit development, according to the Community Association Institute. Living in a homeowners association has many benefits – such as recreational amenities, maintenance services, and being part of a community – but it can only function well when the rules of the Association are clearly set and enforced.
