Do you know what the most common and costly natural disaster is? According to the federal government, it is floods. The unfortunate lesson from the 2017 hurricanes is that even elevated areas can flood. In fact, 20% of flood claims filed under the National Flood Insurance Program are made by homeowners living in areas considered […]
Five Steps to Greater Cybersecurity Health for Community Associations
Media reports concerning cyber attacks continue to increase. Over the past few years, some of the largest and well-known companies have been affected by data breaches. These companies have experienced millions of dollars in losses as a result. Even a small data breach impacting only a few thousand records can expose a business to significant […]
What Happens in the Boardroom Should Stay in the Boardroom
Co-op and condo boardrooms have at least one thing in common with Las Vegas: what happens there should stay there. Many new board members run on a platform about transparency, communication, and being a liaison between the board and the shareholders. All commendable reasons to serve, but not without risks. These good intentions can easily […]
Your Cheat Sheet for Creating a Rules Enforcement Policy
Living in a community association comes with certain responsibilities – such as abiding by the founding legal documents, paying assessments, and following the rules and regulations put forth in the declaration, bylaws and resolutions of the Board of Directors. Conversely, it’s the association’s job to establish an enforcement process that is fast and fair to […]
Committing to Committees
With August already behind us, many of you know the 2019 budget season is already upon us. Managers have already begun to pull various financial reports in order to start compiling their budgets to present to their Boards of Directors. As anyone in the industry will tell you, the budget process is a straightforward one, […]
Keeping it Private: Homeowners Struggle With Life on NYC’s Private Streets (NY)
Twice a week, 71-year-old Douglaston, Queens, resident Peggy Kalesis packs her trash-filled garbage cans into the back of her SUV and drives half a block from her home. She and her dozen Stuart Lane neighbors drop their trash in front of an understanding Depew Avenue resident’s home because Stuart Lane is one of the nearly […]
Important Parts of a Vendor Contract for Work in an HOA Community
HOA Boards often find themselves entering into vendor contracts for landscaping, pool maintenance, security, gate maintenance, and more. However, not all contracts are created equal. That’s why we’re about to offer tips to help you separate the good ones from the bad. Read the article………………
Collection Procedures Reviewed (FL)
Q: I was recently appointed as the treasurer of my association. I noticed that there are a couple of unit owners who have not paid their condominium fees for over a year. I asked the other board members what they have done about the delinquent owners, and they basically shrugged their shoulders and said that […]
Hurricane Irma Lessons Learned – One Year Later (FL)
On September 10th, 2017 Hurricane Irma struck Florida and caused damage that is still being addressed. What lessons did your community learn? Were you prepared before the storm with adequate hurricane protection on your property and emergency procedures and requirements already in place? Was your response after the storm as efficient as it should have […]
Association Myths Debunked: Emotional Support and Service Animals
Property Managers and Board Members oftentimes ask how to adequately handle matters involving Emotional Support Animals (“ESA”) and Service Animals. This issue typically arises within Associations with a “no dog” or “no pet” policy when an individual requests an accommodation to these policies for an ESA or Service Animal. Given the heightened sensitivity needed for […]
The #1 Problem Homeowners Associations Have With Management Companies
Are you tired of the lack of customer service from the management company your association has had for a number of years? It’s possible that the company was inherited from past HOA board members. Maybe they hired the management company because they liked a specific manager, but that manager no longer works for the company […]
Delivery Overload: Coping With an Ever-Increasing Number of Package Deliveries (NY)
The ever-increasing popularity of online commerce has changed peoples’ shopping habits — including the way apartment dwellers receive their deliveries. While concierges, doormen, and building superintendents have traditionally accepted packages on behalf of residents, the management and storage of those packages is evolving. Read the article………………
Is There An Autobahn In Your Association? The Need To Regulate Traffic Within Gated Communities
The use of automobiles in Florida can be a source of pure enjoyment, but often results in stress and frustration. This is especially true as you witness a neighbor speeding recklessly on the association roads. Safety should always be paramount. Unfortunately, not every driver operates their automobile in a responsible, safe manner leading to all […]
Tragic Alligator Attack Should Cause Community Associations to Consider Alligator Dangers (FL)
The recent and devastating death of Shizuka Matsuki, a Florida woman attacked by an alligator, has alarmed and dismayed Floridians while raising many questions for community associations and their residents about alligator safety measures. Floridians are understandably fearful of alligator attacks due to the widespread prevalence of alligators in our state (similar considerations apply to […]
Community Living Rules Enforcement
Question. We live in a nice community, but every so often someone breaks one of our rules. Sometimes the infraction is minor — such as washing their car on the public street. Other times, the violation is more serious, such as yelling, arguing and even threatening people. The violators may be unit owners or tenants. […]
How HOA Members Can Be Good Neighbors
HOAs (Home Owners Associations) exist to promote cooperation, safe neighborhoods and a stable environment for those who live within their boundaries. Rules and regulations are often necessary to ensure that neighbors treat one another with respect – especially in denser neighborhoods where people are in close contact with one another. Read the article………………
Communicating with Different Personalities in Your HOA
DISC theory is a method of identifying predictable actions and personality traits within human behavior. Knowing these personality traits will help HOA board members communicate more effectively with other board members and homeowners within the community. There are four DISC communication styles – Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Compliance. Here are some tips for communicating with […]
When the Board Decides to Raise the Monthly Assessments – Telling the Owners
At the end of every calendar year, board members for community associations gather around conference tables, dining room tables, or tables in local libraries to have the unpopular and often dreaded discussion of how to explain to owners in their communities that their association monthly assessments are going to increase for the upcoming year. We […]
How to Be an Effective Community Manager
Managing people is no easy task. Whether you manage a small team of professionals or an entire organization, the following tips will help you break down barriers and foster great relationships. Establish trust. Your employees and clients look to you for guidance, so be consistent with your approach to communication and problem-solving. Set and manage […]
Summer Fun Out of the Sun – HOA Ideas to Beat the Heat
The sunniest months are upon us, the kids are out of school, and summer fun is in full swing! This is the perfect opportunity for board members to build community relationships. While summer is a popular time for swimming and dive-in movies, not all homeowners take advantage of outdoor amenities, and not all associations have […]
Should Communities Use Fake Cameras? The Pros and Cons of Using Dummy Surveillance (FL)
When security is the topic of discussion for a community, dummy cameras are often proposed as a possible solution. Dummy, or fake, cameras are designed to look real in hopes that people will not know the difference. They are often seen as a budget-conscious deterrent that is better than having nothing at all. While there […]
HOA Board Transitions: Passing the Torch to a New HOA Board
When it’s time to pass the torch on to a new HOA board, it’s crucial that the change in power is made as smoothly and efficiently as possible to ensure the continued success of the community and avoid unnecessary management mistakes. Especially if there are numerous experienced board members leaving, it’s important to first establish […]
Home Day Care in the HOA: What you Need to Know
It’s not uncommon for an association to discover that a day care is operating out of a home. Often, problems arise when neighboring residents complain of noise, excess traffic, or other disruptions. Whether the day care owner discloses their business or its existence is made known to the board by other residents, certain steps should […]
HOA Embezzlement – Detecting and Preventing It
One of the most common issues HOA board members deal with is the inappropriate use of funds and embezzlement. This is because committees are usually made up of volunteers who have limited leadership and financial experience, which can create an ideal opportunity for embezzlers to get their hands on some money. There are a few […]
HOA Flag Rules: What you Need to Know
Whether they represent countries, states, or even holidays or professional sports teams, flags are common yard decorations. Chances are that homeowners in your community will want to display one type of flag or another at some point. It’s a fun way for them to express patriotism, pride, and festivities. As an HOA, it’s smart to […]
Prioritizing Projects in Your HOA Neighborhood or Community
When it comes to figuring out which community projects to tackle, association management is a balancing act between invisible infrastructure repairs and maintaining curb appeal to attract new homeowners and keep current homeowners satisfied. The best way to handle this balancing act is to treat running your association like the business that it is. In […]
Arbitration Guide: Understanding the Process and Its Advantages
One of the biggest legal mysteries for non-lawyers, even for experienced and sophisticated businesspeople, is the process of arbitration. The term gets used a lot, but few actually know what the process entails, and most people are usually apprehensive about going through an arbitration in a way they aren’t with the public court process. But, […]
Community Embezzlement Case Studies – Connecticut
In our series of blog posts titled: “Association Greed – Board Members, Managers & Missing Money” we highlight wrongdoing by community association managers and board members. In this first installment: Community Embezzlement Case Studies – Connecticut – we go over the facts of the crime and how you can prevent it at your community. The […]
San Francisco’s leaning tower of lawsuits
It’s a story as old as cities themselves: prosperity comes to town and triggers a building boom. In modern San Francisco, rows of skyscrapers have begun lining the downtown streets and recasting the skyline, monuments to the triumph of the tech sector. Leading this wave, the Millennium Tower. 58 stories of opulence, it opened in […]
The Top 8 Tips for Boosting Board Meeting Attendance
While boards make decisions for the community, homeowner input ensures that those decisions reflect their wishes. But as any board member who’s faced an empty meeting room knows, inspiring homeowners to get involved in the association can sometimes be a challenge. Read the article………………
A Quick Start for New HOA Board Member Training: Easy Steps for Smooth Initiation
New board members bring fresh ideas and perspectives to a HOA Board. Along with the new ideas comes new responsibilities that board members must learn from the start. By providing quick yet focused training, your new HOA board member will be brought up-to-speed in no time. Here is a list of 5 key areas of […]
Maintain Now to Prevent Future Liability
Summer is a great time in Florida. It means warmer weather, outdoor grilling, family vacations, lounging by the pool, and tans. It also means increased humidity, mosquitos, sun burn, and more need for air conditioning. For Associations it is a time not for relaxing but for checking their properties and continuing with their maintenance and […]
Weathering the Storm of Unexpected Community Association Financial Needs
In Florida, particularly in the summer months, a beautiful sunny day can suddenly morph into a torrential downpour. Similarly, an association with no obvious financial problems can suddenly find itself in the perfect storm that arises when restrictive financial language in governing documents, unexpected-yet-necessary repairs and a shortage of funds collide. There are various ways […]
Can your HOA stop you from composting and saving water? What to know about a little-known law change (TX)
With record-breaking heat and drought conditions, gardening in North Texas is a challenge in itself. But in some neighborhoods governed by homeowners associations, gardeners have faced additional constraints when attempting to save water and drought-proof their landscapes. While HOAs offer benefits of increased property values and neighborhood attractiveness, most have landscaping rules that require a […]
Making Sense: Legal And Practical Considerations Of A Community Association Committee In Florida
Most condominium and homeowners’ associations have committees in place to assist the board of directors with association operation and business, but few utilize committees properly or effectively. The creation, purpose and authority of committees can be confusing, but it doesn’t have to be. This blog post will provide an overview of the legal and practical […]
Tips for a Smooth HOA Board Member Transfer (CA)
The volunteers who occupy seats on an HOA board are in a unique position. Although they’re skilled in their professional fields and possess a deep love for their community, few have experience serving on the board of a multi-million-dollar corporation like a homeowners association. As a volunteer with a fiduciary duty to the corporation, this […]
Loss Runs Are a Big Driver of Insurance Costs
A loss run shows the insurance losses that a building has sustained, and the figure greatly affects what a building pays for insurance. Every year, underwriters look at how the building is performing, its total number of losses, and whether they can be stopped, changed, or mitigated. Read the article………………
Crunching The HOA Budget
Fall is the time when most homeowner associations count last year’s costs and crunch next year’s numbers hoping to squeeze blood out of the HOA’s turnip. Often it’s so dry, there isn’t even any turnip juice left much less any O positive. But crunch you must. Here are some of the ways to make the […]
7 Ways to Make the Most of Annual Meetings
Annual meetings are important events in the life of an association, and making the most of them takes careful planning. Required by the association’s governing documents, annual homeowners’ meetings have legal and functional purposes: to elect new board members, vote on assessment issues, and more. But less obvious is the opportunity for image building and […]
Why HOA Boards Must Hold Regular Scheduled Meetings (CA)
One of the first things you learn as you enter the world of homeowner’s association management is all items must be discussed at a board meeting and all decisions must be made in a meeting. In my eight years as an HOA Portfolio Manager, I’ve never had a Board who hasn’t met on a regular […]
Rules and Regulations: Staying in Your Lane and Avoiding Potential Hazards.
As part of our community association practice I am often asked by clients to review their rules and regulations. While this may seem like a rather simple task, it many times is made more complicated by Board confusion over what they have authority to control through the rules and regulations. Put simply HOA and condominium […]
Common Issues HOA Board Members Face
Serving on the HOA board is a unique experience that brings together volunteers of varying backgrounds and philosophies. Volunteering in such capacity is extremely rewarding, but can also be hard at times especially considering that most board members are simply just volunteers without formal training in HOA affairs. HOA board members must collectively come together […]
Can Members Be Excluded From Board Meetings? (NY)
An air conditioner can keep you cool. It can also cause the temperature to rise among neighbors, which is what happened in a seven-unit Tribeca co-op when a board member installed an air conditioner without permission – then learned that the board had met to discuss the situation without the board member present. The board […]
Recommendations to Prevent Cyber Theft at your Community
An article titled “Real Threats” in the July/August Community Manager Magazine [Best Practices for Community Association Managers] highlighted the 2018 Survey of Cyber-security in Community Associations by the Foundation for Community Association Research. To help your board we’ve summarized the main points from the 7 page report and the article in the following recommendations to […]
3 Condo Association Board Burnout Remedies
Condo association board burnout can be inevitable, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be cured. Burnt-out board members don’t perform as effectively and can even impact the entire board. You might be exhibiting signs of burnout, but that doesn’t mean you need to resign. Here are three condo association board burnout remedies that can help […]
Narrowing The Cone of Uncertainty – Is Your Community Association Prepared for an Emergency?
Once disaster strikes, the opportunity to adequately prepare for a hurricane has passed. As Florida enters hurricane season, we wish to remind community associations and their members of the importance of having a plan in place to operate the association, make emergency repairs and ensure the safety of the unit owners, guests and tenants immediately […]
A Community Divided by Hurricane Harvey (TX)
Twelve months after the storm, residents of Houston’s The Pines condominium complex are still weighing whether to rebuild or move on Read the article………………
Understanding Flood Zones in Florida
As we approach the height of hurricane season, it’s a good time for property owners to brush up on their understanding of flood zones and how they impact flood insurance. Below are some resources and answers to frequently asked questions on flood zones: Read the article………………