HOA Management BlogRecent Posts
You've tossed your hat into the ring to become an HOA board member for your association. The ballots have been counted and you've been selected. But, what are the responsibilities of a new board member to their community? You owe a duty of good faith and fidelity to the homeowners association.
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.
As a homeowners association member, it’s important to understand that committees are an integral part of the operations of your community. Committee members help keep a community vibrant; and by augmenting paid staff, they can save an association hundreds or even thousands of dollars each year.
As a homeowner or renter in a homeowners association, you know the importance of setting aside a little bit of money each month in case of an emergency. After all, you never know when you might have to replace an appliance or take your car to the mechanic. In order to effectively do this you’ve probably analyzed your budget and determined an amount that you can comfortably set aside each month so it’s there when you really need it.
Keeping assessments from constantly increasing in a homeowners association is one of the most important things an HOA board and its members can strive to do. The Association must balance keeping up with all its financial obligations and making sure fees stay as low as possible. Generally, these two feel like they work against each other.
Maintaining the common area in a homeowner's association is one of the HOA board's most important responsibilities. Landscape maintenance requires consistent upkeep. It's usually in the board's best interest to contract with a professional company to provide landscape maintenance services in order to save on cost and have consistency within the look of the community.
