HOA Management Blog

Many homeowners associations operate on the fiscal year (July through June). If your Association is one of them then hopefully you have your new and improved budget ready to go because July is just around the corner.

As an HOA board member you probably know the basics of HOA accounting, and that the process is reversed from the typical American’s household budget. In an HOA, first expenses are estimated and then the source of revenue is determined, mostly in the form of HOA fees. Check out the article below to make sure that your budget contains all of the basic components to keep your homeowners running smoothly.

It’s the responsibility of the HOA board to protect, maintain and enhance the Association. This comes in all shapes and sizes – from compliance with the Davis-Stirling Act to the type of grass members can have in their yard. In the current drought that California is experiencing, the latter may come into play more often as the homeowners association finds new ways to conserve water.

Breaking up is hard to do. After evaluating an HOA manager, a Board may decide it would like to change managers, change to a different management company, or it just doesn’t need the services of a manager at all any longer. Before parting ways the Board should ask: are we willing to sacrifice service and take on more responsibility?

People and organizations are often afraid of evaluation because they’re afraid of failure. If we don’t fail we can’t learn, and if we aren’t given the opportunity to learn, we can’t grow. It’s in the best interest of the homeowners association for the HOA board to take the time to intentionally evaluate the HOA manager, ask questions, give honest feedback, and decide how the relationship can improve or if it’s time to part ways. Below are questions to help guide the evaluation process.

Everyone wants a safe place to call home, and your homeowners association should strive to make all residents feel secure. While the HOA board is diligent in your efforts to reduce possible dangers in your community, you cannot do it alone. It is up to everyone to pitch in to keep crime rates down. Thankfully, taking a few simple steps can go a long way in keeping theft, vandalism and other felonies and misdemeanors out of the association.

Being an HOA board member is no easy task. There are meetings to attend, decisions to make, and duties to fulfill. With the extra demand on your time and resources that comes with being a member of the board, you and your fellow board members can probably take all the help you can get.

Whether your homeowners association is big or small, the members of your board can most definitely use the quick tips below. Print them out and stick them in your wallet, include them in the board packet at your next meeting, or email them out in your next board correspondence. You won’t regret it.

Every organization comes with its fair share of challenges. The difference between an organization that thrives and one that just survives is how these challenges are handled. There are common issues in a homeowners association that challenge the Board’s responsibility to protect, maintain and enhance the asset. Continue reading to see if your HOA board can relate and resources to help you meet the challenges head on.

If your HOA board has decided to hire a management company to help with the day-to-day running of the homeowners association, it’s important to review the contract and pay close attention to what the management company is actually contracting to do.

Just like any other business agreement, the Association will be entering into a contract agreement with the management company and there are some important questions the Board should ask before signing on the dotted line.