HOA Management Blog
To enhance something means “to increase or improve in value, quality, desirability, or attractiveness.” In a homeowners association the property can be physically enhanced or maintained, but enhancing can also refer to building community among the HOA board and members of the Association.
A common question homeowners in an HOA ask is, "What Does the HOA maintain in our Community?” Usually, this comes with a bit of anger behind the question. Unless the CC&Rs provide otherwise, the homeowners association is responsible for repairing, replacing, or maintaining the common areas, while owners are responsible for maintaining their separate interests and any exclusive use common area.
Have you ever driven through a neighborhood and notice how run down it looks with unkempt yards, peeling paint on structures, and bumpy roads? It's unappealing to potential buyers and frustrating for homeowners.
How is your homeowners association holding up? Do you have buildings in need of repair? Has the HOA board set aside funds for inevitable future repairs? If you don’t know the answer to these questions, then it’s time to find out. Why? Because it’s the Board’s job to protect and maintain the association and keep it safe. Sometimes, the safety of lives is even at stake. You don’t want to wait for something bad to happen before taking action, like one homeowners association did in Florida. Read more in the article excerpt below.
Finding a contractor who will perform quality work at a reasonable price can be a daunting task for any HOA board. It’s always a good idea to use contractor caution and ask for references, contact the Better Business Bureau and your state licensing bureau to see if there are complaints against a prospective contractor.
In addition, the following warning signs can alert you to unscrupulous, disorganized, inexperienced or financially troubled contractors who may deliver broken promises, bad work and blown budgets rather than professional results.
You wouldn’t dream of inviting an unverified contractor into your home to make repairs...let alone the homes under your care as a member of the HOA board. The results of a third-party contractor’s work will ultimately affect tens to hundreds of fellow homeowners.
Make the process easier and more effective for your HOA board by following a well-planned checklist. That way everyone’s on the same page from start to finish. Here are 10 tips your HOA board can use to hire a third-party contractor.
We all know how important it is to try and consider taking a green approach in our daily routines. What if you could go green while also helping the community in your homeowners association? Residents can help their homeowners association minimize its maintenance expenses, which can also avoid HOA fees from increasing, by observing a few simple green considerations.
There's always work to be done, especially in a homeowners association. It’s crucial that an HOA Board plan for general, ongoing maintenance and upkeep. This is important in order to keep the Association a safe place to live and keep it an appealing place to live. Members don’t want to live in a run-down neighborhood and potential buyers won’t give an Association a second look if it’s unkempt, dirty or in disrepair.
One of the benefits of living in a homeowners association is having access to common areas and certain maintenance responsibilities covered for you as part of the HOA fees you pay to live in the Association. Do homeowners in your Association know the maintenance items they’re responsible for and the items the Association is responsible for?
A new member has been elected to your HOA board. Suddenly, you learn that they seem to have a general mistrust of any current vendors of the association, perhaps because they did not choose them. They call for at least three bids on every project, no matter how small. This person seems to be trying to fix something that may not have been broken in the first place.
A board of directors will have its fair share of challenges with new board members automatically calling for new vendors, even when the ones they are working with are really solid.
