HOA Management Blog
Is your HOA board ready for the association’s annual meeting? Typically, most homeowner’s associations hold their annual meetings at the end or beginning of the year. Not only is it a great way to keep members informed, but it’s also the time for many HOAs to hold board elections – in fact, it’s also the law in many states, such as California.
Planning for future repairs and maintenance costs of common areas in the homeowner’s association is one of the most important jobs of an HOA board – and also one of the most neglected. Sometimes, boards are just short-sighted, focusing on the essentials that need to be done in the association now. While today is important, tomorrow must not be forgotten.
One issue that makes it difficult for boards to plan for the reserves is the pushback they receive from current homeowners because they have a hard time seeing how assessments for future projects will benefit them now. Learn how a reserve study protects owner value for both future and current homeowners in the association in the article excerpt below.
You’ve sent out the candidate solicitations, you’ve gone through finding members who are willing to serve on your board, printed the ballots, and mailed out a professionally prepared cover letter with two envelopes (postage paid!) – just like your CC&Rs or Bylaws outline. Now you have a new HOA board, right?
Then, someone you’d least expect notifies you, as the Director, that they are disputing the election because your HOA does not have election rules!
It’s that time again in your homeowners association – time for the Annual Director Election. To be proactive and try to drum up participation from the membership, the HOA board may want to send out a notice to the members asking for volunteers to assist in this process.
Some homeowners associations experience a high volume of graffiti within their neighborhoods. The association should be monitoring these incidents and should immediately remove graffiti from common areas when this happens. Members are encouraged to do the same with their property, as well as taking steps to deter vandals in the neighborhood.
The presidential race is in full-swing and everyone is gearing up for campaign season. While some people prefer to keep their opinions to themselves, others want you to know exactly who they’re voting for and why. How does all this come into play when you live in a homeowner’s association?
First, it’s inappropriate for the HOA board to act politically. In other words, the Board as an entity should not declare a “side” so to speak. That being said, it can support both sides of the political spectrum by doing the following.
Community associations have a lot in common with municipal governments. As members of a governing body -- and typically also members of the homeowner’s association -- HOA board members should meet regularly to discuss and vote on important community issues, like paying the Association’s bills, funding reserves and contracting with vendors to keep community amenities in good repair. The Board makes decisions about these and other important topics using a democratic process.
If you’re a member of an HOA board, you probably know that having insurance for your homeowners association is a necessity to protect the HOA and its members. But do you know what type of insurance you need to have or what the Association is responsible for and what the individual homeowner is responsible for? It can be a confusing topic to understand, especially if you have outdated CC&Rs – or haven’t even read your CC&Rs.
When your community is recruiting new HOA board members, there are certain qualities to look for in prospective members and good strategies for getting these individuals involved.
Living in a homeowners association is more than just residing in a structure of wood and nails. It’s about building relationships and being part of a community. There are key relationships that HOA board members can nurture and encourage residents in the Association to develop as well.
