HOA Management BlogRecent Posts
You live in a homeowners association and one of the favorite features in your home is the enclosed patio. It’s where you go every morning to sit and enjoy your cup of coffee before beginning the day. As you take a sip, today you notice the peeling paint, cracked concrete, and dying plants. The patio really could use an update. You decide you'll submit your maintenance request at the next HOA board meeting for some new paint, a trellis, small irrigation system, and definitely new concrete.
Fast forward a few months. You’ve learned that your enclosed patio is a “restricted common area.” This means the actual patio belongs to the homeowners association, but can only be used by the owner. So, who is responsible to maintain the patio?
Approximately four in 10 homes in suburban America are occupied by people who rent. Even though people who rent in the HOA have no vote on homeowners association matters, they are an important part of your community. Today's renters may be tomorrow's owners - or even board members! If the unit you own is occupied by a renter here are a few tips that will help you and your renters live harmoniously in the homeowners association.
A homeowners association provides a great neighborhood for people to be active, especially as the warm weather sets in and they can be outdoors for much of the day. It’s important to set bike safety rules so homeowners are as protected as possible while riding their bikes in the neighborhood.
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.
