Being on a Condo Board entails numerous tasks. Some include intense planning, such as a major project or special assessment. Other tasks must be more oriented towards being a leader within your community. There are certain Condo Association Board duties which make up the bread and butter of your activities. No matter what else you […]
Material Alterations
We receive numerous questions from our condominium association clients regarding proposed “material alterations” to the common elements. In general, the board is empowered with authority to maintain the common elements. Read the article………………………
Does Electronic Voting For Community Associations Really Work? How Do You Implement? (FL)
Q: I heard that the law in Florida recently changed and that owners in community associations can now vote electronically. What is required to implement electronic voting in my community? And does it really work? Read the Q&A……………….
The Subrogation Situation
With increasing frequency, insurance companies that provide unit owner insurance are suing community associations to recover payments made to the unit owner that are related to water leaks in the unit. The problem with these lawsuits is two-fold. First, the insurance companies are waiting years to bring them, although still within the statute of limitations […]
HOA Meetings That Don’t Stink
We know. Your HOA runs like a well-oiled machine. The grounds are beautiful. Everything works. Your reserves are funded. Neighbors never fight. People always pay their fees on time. And nobody ever complains about anything…except the meetings. Yeah, right. Why are you here again? Read the article…………………..
Why Your Community Association Should Plan Like a Business
Community associations are essentially businesses, and board members should treat planning and budgeting the way they would approach corporation planning. Here are tips on how to start.
How Is Maintenance Calculated? Let Us Count the Ways (NY)
New Yorkers paid an average of $1.73 per square foot in co-op maintenance in the fourth quarter of 2018, according to real estate appraisal firm Miller Samuel. So for an 800-square-foot apartment, the monthly maintenance bill was $1,384. But that number can fluctuate wildly, even within a co-op. Here, according to Brick Underground, are the […]
A ‘kinder, gentler’ community starts with you
“Where is it written that we must act as if we do not care, as if we’re not moved? Well, I am moved. I want a kinder, gentler nation.” That was the late George H.W. Bush as he accepted the Republican nomination for president in 1988. Bush, of course, would go on to serve in […]
Mediation: What Is It and Why Do It?
Mediation is often confused with arbitration. They have similarities, including that both are overseen by third-party neutrals that do not have financial stakes in the outcomes. The key difference is that while arbitration results in the neutral evaluating the outcome (which typically is binding, but by agreement can be non-binding), while in mediation the third-party […]
When to Use Your HOA Reserve Fund
This article is the third in a series on reserve studies. In the first article, we discussed what a reserve study is and why conducting one is important for the financial health of your association. We also provided basic information to help you obtain a reserve study. We’ll discuss the difference between the reserve fund […]
Turning Over a New Leaf: Fixing Previous Board Mistakes
A board’s role is to govern and set the policies, procedures, standards, budgets and programs for an association. Some decisions boards make are extremely beneficial, while some don’t have a substantial impact, and others fail miserably. Unfortunately, when a board makes a bad decision, it isn’t immediately obvious, and a future board of directors may […]
When a Renter Is a Hoarder, What’s a Co-op To Do? (NY)
The tenant in a rent-stabilized apartment in a co-op has turned into a hoarder. Neighboring apartments are being infested with mice and roaches. What should the affected shareholders and the co-op board do? Read the article……………………….
Can You Claim HOA Fees on Your Taxes?
When the holiday season approaches, many homeowners begin preparing for the year ahead. Contemplating New Year’s resolutions is common during this time, and a popular resolution is to become more financially stable. One of the most satisfying ways to get money back into your pocket is through tax refunds. This poses the question of whether […]
Meeting Tips #2 – Prepare TO Die? Or is it Prepare OR Die? Same thing!
The Five Ps: Proper preparation prevents poor performance. Think about meetings of any type you’ve attended where the participants were well prepared. Quality discussion, good decisions, the right balance of thorough and efficient, right? Board members are fiduciaries. They have been entrusted with taking care of association members’ assets. Their decisions can make a difference […]
How to Get the Most from Your HOA Reserve Study
This article is the second in a series on reserve studies. Last week, we addressed the importance of getting a reserve study done. This week, we’re going to discuss how to make the most of it. Spectrum Association Management always encourages associations to live below their means, but we recognize that preparing for future costs […]
Emotional Support Animals
With the growing popularity of emotional support animals, condominium associations are increasing forced to confront the issue of whether or not to permit emotional support animals to reside in units at associations that do not allow pets. Emotional support animals differ from service animals in that service animals are specially trained animals that assist people […]
Job One for New Condo Boards: Get a Building Physical (NY)
New York City is bristling with shiny new condominium towers. As fledgling condo boards are discovering at an alarming rate, those towers are often bristling with construction defects. In many cases, the defects are so serious that the buildings fail to pass their first mandated facade inspection, formerly known as Local Law 11, now the […]
Get Involved: How to Handle HOA Micromanagement (FL)
HOAs can provide big benefits to home owners within a close-knit community. But when do the rules go too far, and the HOA ends up micromanaging? Read the article……………………
What does a community association manager do?
Community associations today employ highly-qualified professional community association managers, and we think residents should know what the manager has—and has not—been hired to do. Some residents expect the manager to perform certain tasks that just aren’t part of the job. When the manager doesn’t meet those expectations, residents are unhappy. In short, the manager has […]
No Pets Allowed: Accommodating Pets in Housing and Public Places
Anyone who has had the honor of sharing their life with a dog can relate to the experience of looking into your fur-baby’s eyes and feeling a sense of calm. In fact, research has revealed that petting a dog for a short period of time may actually lower blood pressure.[1] So, does this type of […]
True or False: 7 Privacy Questions in an Association
Living in a condominium, homeowners, or townhome association requires an owner to divulge personal information that is safe-guarded by the inherent fiduciary duties of the Board of Directors. Although providing information like the make and model of your vehicle might appear invasive, the Board collects this information in an effort to efficiently run the Association […]
When Does Interest Accrue on Delinquent Assessments? (FL)
The ability to collect interest for delinquent assessments is found in a community associations governing documents and is also recognized in Fl. Stat. Chapters 718 for condominium associations and 720 for homeowner associations. Specifically, section 718.116(3), Florida Statutes for condominium associations provides in part that unpaid assessments shall bear interest from the due date until […]
The Science of Vendor Selection – A Practical Approach
Does embarking on a new project in your association seem as stressful as going to the dentist? Oftentimes, projects seem daunting based on scope and cost as it’s sometimes like pulling teeth for Board Members to part ways with the almighty assessment dollars. Many Board Members rely on keeping assessments low as a barometer of […]
Association Reserve Studies Explained
A reserve study is a long-term budget-planning tool designed to identify the current status of an association’s reserve fund, which offsets the association’s ongoing disrepair and future costs. A reserve study has two parts: Read the article…………………
10 Tips for Field Service Businesses Working With an HOA – Pt 1
For a field services business that primarily services residential customers, nothing is more valuable than repeat customers. Especially when there are several months, even years, between one service and the next. Your ideal customer is someone who trusts your company and schedules services through your field service business every time they need work done. By […]
What is Remote HOA Management?
Not all communities are created equal. They come all sizes and income levels, from groups of only a dozen or so condos to developments of a hundred or more multi-million dollar homes. The needs of each community will vary just as wildly. The time and money members are able to devote to their association varies […]
HOA Board Roles and Responsibilities
It is common knowledge that homeowner associations have a board of directors, but the exact roles and responsibilities of the board are often misunderstood. Simply put, the board is responsible for running the association, occasionally with the assistance of an HOA management company. While the board may consist of 3-7 members as a whole, typically […]
Managing the Headache of Compliance (NY)
The daily to-do lists for property managers in New York never seem to get any shorter. Overseeing capital projects, supervising staff, seeing to repairs, responding to shareholders, communicating with vendors… The list goes on. Read the article………………
Performing Rights Organizations and Associations
So your community association has survived Hurricane Irma and completed all the repairs. In celebration of this milestone, the association decided to hold a community wide cookout with live music. The celebration was a success and thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. Now, two weeks later, you are in receipt of a certified letter from a Performing […]
The Finer Points of Fining a Unit Owner- Part 2 of 2: The Hearing, this is not Law and Order or Judge Judy (CT)
The hearing date is set. Felix has been notified and the Board has done everything right. What’s next? The hearing. Many board members are not fond of the hearing. It is unknown what is going to be said, what evidence is going to be presented and, quite frankly, the idea of sitting in a small […]
Hurricane Insurance Claims for Condominium Associations,
There is a lot of information on how associations can prepare for hurricanes but much less information as to what happens after the hurricane, particularly as it pertains to insurance claims. A question that managers and board members need to consider is, what is required after a hurricane to ensure compliance with your insurance policy […]
Enhance and Protect Your Community Association’s Brand: Why Boards Should File Trademarks
In today’s fast paced world of technology and innovation, so many of us hear how important is to establish a “brand.” Even community association board members should be thinking about how they can brand their association’s business operations to bring an expectation of professionalism to the association’s operations. An effective brand can help create a […]
6 New Years Resolutions for your Community Association
Happy New Year! Hopefully the holidays were filled with nothing but joy and spirit (or spirits!) For some of us, the holidays can bring new or unforeseen challenges in the community association context, whether it be parking problems from all the visitors, frozen pipes from the ice and snow, or the architectural committee playing Grinch […]
Navigating the Dreaded Assessment Increase
Well, it happened again. I was on the phone today with a very nice woman who had fallen behind on her condominium assessments. As we discussed a payment plan to help get her caught up, she said, “When I moved in here were so much lower.” I didn’t say anything. We moved on to discuss […]
Who Does What? Common HOA Management Duties Defined
Some of the most common questions we receive are from homeowners who are unclear about how the property management company fits into their HOA-governed community. It’s understandable: HOA management is full of industry jargon, mysterious acronyms, and documents with complicated names. In this article, we’ll provide a succinct, easy-to-understand outline of common HOA management duties, […]
“Pay Up Or Else!” — Motivating the Habitual Late Payer
As every manager knows, collecting everyone’s fees is crucial to an HOA’s success. Every homeowner in your association agreed to pay the fees when they moved in. (Hint: most HOAs have better luck collecting payments online as opposed to checks.) But each and every month, every HOA in existence deals with late payments. There are […]
Ban on Pets in the Laundry Room Could Boomerang (NY)
A co-op board has updated its pet policy, specifying approved entrances and exits and forbidding pets from lingering in common areas, including lobbies and laundry rooms. The rule applies to service dogs and emotional support animals, and it carries a $225 fine for every violation. Can a co-op board do this? Read the article…………………..
Balancing Access to Sensitive Information
During the course of their tenure on an association’s governing board, board members will come into possession of a seemingly endless amount of information. While owners are entitled to access the association’s books and records regarding the general operation and management of the association, there are certain categories of sensitive information that board members should […]
HOAs Get Tough on Delinquent Residents
Leah Lally, a 51-year-old homeowner in Tampa, Fla., learned the hard way that dealing with a homeowners association (HOA) can escalate into a costly and years-long legal battle. In 2015, Lally got nearly $700 behind on the $135-a-month association fees on her five-bedroom home. She explained to the association’s management that she faced financial hardship […]
Written Contracts are Important in an HOA?
Question: I am a Board member of our Association, and am responsible for landscaping, grounds maintenance and security. Over the years, our Association has had a number of contractors who render service to us — whether this be in the form of snow removal, landscaping services, or trash removal. Some Board members are not happy […]
HOA Living 101: The Best Advice You Can Get About Serving on Your HOA Board
As a board member, you’re responsible for balancing the needs and obligations of the community with those of individual owners. Your fellow neighbors trust you to fulfill your fiduciary duty of acting within your authority, exercising due care, and always working in the best interest of the association. To help you become the best board […]
Building Pet Policies: Some Best Practices
To the joy of some condo owners and the frustration of others, most buildings have some type of pet policy in place. These policies are really for the protection of the other residents — sooner or later, someone will come along with enough animals to really test the patience of his or her neighbors. Read […]
New Condo Boards Need to Pick Their Battles (NY)
The market for them might be softening, but new condominium towers keep opening in New York City. And every time a new one opens, the buyers of apartments are faced with a challenge few of them have ever faced before: forming and running a successful condo board. Read the article…………………….
What is Design Review, and Why Do I Need It?
Have you ever been walking through a neighborhood, looked at a house, and said to yourself, “Boy, am I glad that is not my neighbor!”? The likelihood is all of us have done this at some point…maybe the paint scheme was a tad “out there,” the yard was not quite maintained, or maybe it just […]
Conflicts of Interest and HOA Board Recusal
Any acting HOA board member has an obligation to act ethically and avoid all conflicts of interest when making decisions for the community. Board members have the responsibility to recuse themselves from their responsibilities any time they have a problem keeping their fiduciary duty to the HOA – or, in other words, representing the HOA’s […]
The Co-op Board President Who Misses Nothing (NY)
She was born Lillian Chin, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, and she grew up on the West Side of Manhattan when the neighborhood still had rough edges. Her father toiled long hours in restaurants and her mother was a garment worker in Chinatown, and Chin and her four siblings grew up conversant with what it […]
Planning for the Future of Your Community Through Reserve Funding (NC)
As properties within homeowners and condominium associations age, inevitably maintenance expenses will begin to pile up. Roofs will need to be replaced, deteriorating roads will need to be repaired, and siding may need to be replaced. These are examples of major expenses that do not occur every day, but can often otherwise be anticipated. Planning […]
What Does Florida Law Say About A Community Association Bulk Services Agreement Such As Cable And Internet Service? (FL)
Bulk services agreements are those agreements entered into between a condominium association or homeowners association and a company for providing similar services to the community’s entire membership. These are most commonly used for providing the community with broadband services, such as phone, cable and internet service. The benefit of bulk services agreements is that the […]