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.

In the midst of the state-wide drought, residents of California have been mandated to follow water restrictions. Reducing water use means making significant changes in your everyday habits and routine, but it can also mean substantial savings on water, sewage and energy bills for homeowners association residents.

When you think of an age-restricted homeowners association, you might conjure up a picture of elderly couples in Hawaiian print shirts and khaki shorts, riding on golf carts, sipping drinks by the pool, or playing cards in the clubhouse. While sometimes this isn’t far from the truth, age-restricted Associations are much more than that!

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.

Does your homeowners association have wildlife that has taken up residency in your community, specifically birds? Birds are beautiful, graceful and melodic. They give a sense of being close to nature and add to the feel of a community.

But too much of any one thing is never good. Whether it’s a trail of droppings, territorial aggression or destructive nesting and feeding patterns, birds can make life more expensive and a little more difficult or unpleasant for members living in your Association, maintenance crews, and managers.

Here are some solutions to help HOA board members be proactive.

The California Drought is bringing more than just water woes. Some members of homeowners associations are having a harder time conserving water than would be expected, especially in the area of watering landscapes.

One new idea is drought-tolerant landscaping, which usually consists of visually appealing cement, rock, sand, dirt, and plants that need minimal to no water. However, this option doesn’t always align with the policies and procedures of the homeowners association. Below is an excerpt from an article that provides a good example:

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).

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.

It's never a good time to lose your job so how do you survive job loss while owning in a homeowners association? The National Foundation for Credit Counseling offers the following tips for surviving a layoff:

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.