Property Management Horror Stories You Can Learn From

In property management, horror stories are not what you want to be a part of, and yet, anyone with any experience can tell you a few.  Edgar Allan Poe was a master of horror stories. From the first lines of The Tell-Tale Heart, you’re in a state of suspense. Poe draws us into his world […]

Do Property Management Companies Need to Comply with Fair Debt Collection Practices Act? (FL)

Questions regarding compliance with the federal Fair Debt Collections Practices Act for the collection of community association assessments by property management companies have been a source of confusion in the industry for decades. Since the ruling in Harris v. Liberty Community Management, Inc., property management companies that fall within the exemption found in §1692a(6)(F)(i) of […]

Selecting a Management Company

Managing a community with an HOA is a lot of work and takes a lot of knowledge. If you think a management company is the better solution for managing your community, it’s time to start looking. However, searching for the best company to meet your community needs may seem overwhelming. Luckily, these tips can help […]

3 Reasons a Manager is Seen as the Bad Guy in a Homeowners Association

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 […]

Top 10 Qualities to Have as a Community Manager

Being a community manager is a difficult job, and you have to wear many hats. To be successful, a good community manager must have many different skills. These are the top 10 qualities all community managers should have.   Read the article…………

Manager Licensing: Taking the Fear Out of Being Licensed (IL)

The Community Association Manager Licensing and Disciplinary Act was adopted on July 1, 2010 after much anticipation. The intent, as stated in the Act, was to ensure that those who hold themselves out as possessing professional qualifications to engage in the business of community association management are, in fact, qualified to render management services of […]

Food for Thought: Unlicensed Practice of Law Opinion

While community association managers in Colorado have been working through the state mandated licensure process, the ‘hot button’ topic of discussion in Florida has been the Florida Supreme Court’s May 14, 2015 Advisory Opinion regarding the unlicensed practice of law by non-lawyer community association managers.      Read the article…………..

Property Managers Common Website Mistakes

Websites are a critical meeting point between property managers and residents. Here, we look at the costly mistakes property managers make when trying to maintain their websites themselves.    Read the article…………….

The Secrets to Handling Negative People in Your Board of Directors

All-in-all, many board members are people who simply care about the community in which they live and who sincerely want to do what is right for the condominium residents. They are often fairly well organized and willing to help out and take on any issues that they are equipped to deal with. The proof is […]

Why is Managing an HOA So Hard?

Seriously. Managing an HOA is not an easy job. I’ve been an association manager before and it didn’t take long before I gained a high admiration for those in this profession.  Don’t get me wrong, managing a community can be very rewarding, but it’s definitely not for the faint of heart. Why is that?   […]

5 Worst Property Management Mistakes

Property managers play a huge role in keeping the HOA running smoothly. Unfortunately, with all their duties, some property managers may let a few things slip. Check out these five worst property management mistakes and tips on how to avoid them.    Read more………

HOA Property Manager: Five Jobs in One

The person assigned to run the HOA is called the property manager. However, while the job only has one title, it actually encompasses five different jobs. When you’re searching for the next property manager, ensure they have the skills to perform these five jobs. If they can’t, they won’t succeed as your association’s manager.   Read […]

Mastering Your Management Partnership: Going Beyond the Contract

Management companies that work with community associations typically begin their working relationship by negotiating a contract. The parties involved do their best to carefully craft an agreement and the terms of service that will cover every task and duty that the association board expects its management firm to do. Management, in turn, identifies the roles […]

Quiz Me: Questions to Ask Before Hiring the Manager

From time to time, a co-op, condo or HOA community may have to hire a new management company. It may be that the current firm just isn’t working out or the community may have decided to transition from self-management to an outside firm.      Read more………..

Mastering Management: Maximizing Cooperation and Partnership

Individual commitment to a group effort; that’s what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.  Legendary Green Bay Packers football coach Vince Lombardi left condo boards and managers off his short list, but his wisdom about commitment and teamwork could certainly apply to boards and management companies.     […]

Get Smart: Continuing Education for Association Managers

The most successful property managers realize they don’t know everything. To achieve an optimal level of efficiency in the workplace, a manager must stay abreast of current legal developments, evolving building technology, and fresh communication methods in association administration.    Read more……..

It’s Tough Out There: Keeping Up in a Competitive Management Market

As the condo and HOA market continues to heal after the setback it experienced during the most recent financial crisis, many management firms and independent property managers are looking for ways to distinguish themselves from their colleagues and stand out in an increasingly tough market. The competition to manage some of the world’s priciest buildings […]

(CO) Manager Licensure Exam Available February 1st!

The Division of Real Estate has just announced that the Community Association Manager licensure exam will be available to take on February 1st! Here’s the latest news from the Division of Real Estate:    Read more………..

Having the Proper Skill Set Education Helps Managers Meet Expectations

Property managers are known for wearing many hats, and are expected to be expert in some very diverse topics. Few of them, however, train for and begin their careers as property managers; most came into the industry from other fields. Managers can be anything from ex-teachers to ex-electricians, and often admit to picking up skills […]

Mastering Your Management Partnership: Going Beyond the Contract

Management companies that work with community associations typically begin their working relationship by negotiating a contract. The parties involved do their best to carefully craft an agreement and the terms of service that will cover every task and duty that the association board expects its management firm to do.   Read more……….

Keeping Up in a Competitive Management Market

As the co-op/condo market continues to heal after the setback it experienced during the financial crisis of late, many management firms and independent property managers are looking for ways to distinguish themselves from their colleagues and stand out in an increasingly tough market. The competition to manage some of the world’s priciest buildings is intense. […]

Key Factors to Consider Should an HOA Decide to Use a Professional Management Service

The operations of a homeowners association require expertise on many different levels. The management of a homeowner’s association by a handful of people that may change every year or two makes it very difficult for effective and prolonged operations. Different leadership styles and limited resources, make governing successfully very challenging for a volunteer board of […]

HOA Management, A Reality Check for Board Members, Management and Homeowners

Having professional management, especially in these times of economic down turn, is more important than ever. With the continuing barrage of laws being passed related to our industry, combined with the statues already on the books, not to do so would be like going into court without an attorney, you can do it, but the […]

Community Association Managers’ Duty To The Association (FL)

As per Section 718.111(a), Florida Statutes, the officers and directors of a condominium association owe a fiduciary duty to their unit owners. Fla. Stat. § 718.111(a) (2013). However, the statute does not specify whether the community association managers contracted by the board, owe a fiduciary duty to the association as well.     Read more……..

HOAs and Condos Beware: The Full Cost of Self Management

The number one reason homeowner associations self manage is to “save money.” But this myopic attitude often leads to avoidable problems and unnecessary headaches, and in many instances, higher costs over time. The benefits provided by a professional management company often transcend and outweigh the monetary cost of monthly management fees. The troubles self-managed associations […]

A checklist for hiring a property manager

The selection of a property manager is an important decision that needs to be weighed carefully and planned wisely, as management plays a crucial role in running the day-to-day operations of a condominium.    Read more………

The Downsides of Not Hiring an HOA Management Company

In the HOA world, there are two distinct paths you can take when it comes to association management. You can either hire an HOA management group (like Spectrum Association Management) to handle the day-to-day affairs of your organization, or you and your other board members can attempt to manage the HOA by yourselves—a practice known […]

Management Company Liability

(Linked) is an article that was recently published in the Dallas/ Ft. Worth Community Associations Institute Chapter magazine, Community Contact, Spring, 2014, which addresses potential liability faced by management companies and protection strategies to minimize risk.   Read more…….

Secrets of Successful Managers: Communication, Accommodation, Cooperation

As jugglers of multiple and oftentimes complex tasks, property managers must be adept at mediating between board members and unit owners, as well as resolving all manner of maintenance and legal issues. To this end, property managers don’t have ‘typical’ days, but rather varied and challenging ones that are often complicated, and require a particular […]

Changing Managers or Firms? Don’t Overlook the Details!

Whether change is good or bad often depends on who you talk to; even a welcome change produces a certain level of stress and adjustment. Personal changes are challenging enough, but for co-op and condo residents, a board decision to change property managers or firms will quite literally hit home.     Read more………

Managing Amenities: Who’s in Charge of What?

Whether a building is a luxury high rise with an in-house movie theater, rooftop pool, and climate-controlled wine cellar or a much more modest low-rise or townhome community with a simple community room or gazebo, managing common amenities is just another function of condo/HOA administration.    Read more……..

A Property Manager’s Guide to ReConstruction Projects

Every manager of multifamily projects will encounter a large re-construction project several times in his or her career. These may be planned projects or the result of an emergency. Planned projects include those that are routinely projected by building inspectors, architects, and other building professionals—re-painting; new roof coverings; re-paving of parking lots and streets. Emergencies […]

Property Managers and Financial Education

I recently interviewed with a local HOA seeking to replace their present property management. One of the questions I was asked was “Why does it matter that a property manager have a background in finance and/or economics?” My response was to take their financials which I had received copies of and use it as an […]

The Gender Wage Gap For Managers Doesn’t Look Good

The median wage gap between genders fell since 2000, but progress is currently stalled. Women still earn less than men in nearly every occupation, though some suffer from greater wage disparities than others. The following is a list of the top 10 occupations with the largest and smallest gender wage gaps.   (Check first category […]

The Ultimate Do It Yourself Project: Self Managing Your Community

Convenience and saving money are just a couple reasons why a co-op board or homeowners association would choose to self-manage a property. Though, outside managing firms and property managers are hired and employed for good reason. The job requires collecting monthly co-op and condo fees, hiring and managing staff, responding to residents’ issues, among other […]

A Management Checklist: Performance Review Criteria for Property Managers

How can you tell whether the on-site property manager at a condominium or homeowners association community is doing a good job? And what is a ‘good job’ anyway? Whether a manager is well-liked and whether he or she manages well may not be the same thing. How do you distinguish one from the other?  Read […]

Board & Managers Responsibilities

Residents who purchase units in condominiums, townhomes and co-ops, don’t always understand the roles and responsibilities of the Board of Directors and the Property Management Firm. This checklist provides some insights.

Florida Bar Looks at Issue of Managers and the Unauthorized Practice of Law

In June, 2012, the Florida Bar’s Standing Committee on the Unauthorized Practice of Law discussed the ever present issue of what constitutes “unauthorized practice of law” or “UPL” by community association managers. There are approximately 15, 600 licensed community association managers currently active in the State of Florida. Of those, the Department of Business and […]

A Matter of Style: Manager Personalities Play a Role in Board’s Success

To be considered an effective manager, one must possess a plethora of skills including the ability to inspire, motivate and handle multiple tasks at once. In the end, building managers are only successful when they satisfy, or better yet, exceed expectations—which can be difficult, especially when interpreting the varied personalities that comprise most condominium boards. […]