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. However, it's important to communicate a detailed collection plan for HOA fees. By managing homeowner expectations about 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 fee collection.

You and your neighbors who have volunteered and been elected to serve on the HOA board are responsible for making critical decisions on the Association's behalf about managing the community and Association funds.

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  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.

Whether you’re out of town or out of commission, you can still attend the homeowners association board meetings by tuning in online. This is not to be confused with a meeting via email -  this is not allowed.

A homeowners association and its members disagree from time to time. When there's a dispute, 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).

Doing good may be its own reward, but most homeowners association volunteers would probably agree that it’s also nice to be recognized for the time, effort, and commitment they put into serving others, particularly in what can sometimes seem to be thankless roles.

If your homeowners association operates on the fiscal year, then  Happy New Fiscal Year! Have your fellow HOA board members asked this question: how did we do last year? If not, then now’s the time to re-evaluate and ask the following questions so your Board sets the Association up for success.