Is your homeowners association located in an area that wildlife frequent? More specifically, is your Association located in such a location that deer regularly visit your community? While deer are beautiful creatures to admire, the HOA board may want to caution owners from interacting too closely with these animals.

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. In fact, there are ways you can reduce your water usage by nearly half without purchasing expensive equipment. The following suggestions will help you get in the habit of saving water indoors at home.

As homes in your homeowners association begin to thaw from the cold months, it’s time to start thinking about preparing your home for spring and summer! The steps you take now can help avoid costly maintenance and repairs later.

Homeowner associations, like most organizations, have adopted information technology for everything from accounting and bookkeeping to email and other forms of communication such as preparation of documents and presentations, etc.  However, HOA board members and their management staff must recognize and address the inherent risks in modern electronic technology, especially data breaches & server hacks that compromise information the HOA is responsible for keeping private.

As a homeowner, you probably received a new home warranty when you purchased your home - many owners within your homeowners association may also have one. If no major problems have been encountered with your home, then you probably have not read the home warranty paperwork, but you should!

More often than not, a Board may come to the conclusion they no longer need the help of a manager because its members are arrogant, there’s “bad blood,” or it just doesn’t want to pay for the services any longer.  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.

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.

The Board of Directors for most condominium associations in California have felt very comfortable in the past letting owners know that they could not install solar on the common area roof. The roof is a common area after all and its maintenance and replacement are the responsibility of the homeowners association.

Whether you own or rent your home within a homeowners association, insurance is essential to protect your property and household goods. Comparison shopping for the best rates will certainly save you some money, but you also can save by following these tips.