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………………
Collection Best Practices for Condo Communities & HOAs
Ever feel like your association budget would be just fine if it didn’t have to deal with unit owners that didn’t pay on time? When some people don’t pay it can cause a lot of stress on your community’s budget. To help we’ve put together a list of collection best practices for condo communities & […]
Alternatives to Evening HOA Board Meetings
Attending board meetings is one of the biggest commitments a Board of Directors member makes. These meetings are of high importance because your board takes actions that affect the whole community. However, these meetings can eat several hours out of your schedule, and can be especially time-consuming if your board meets once a month. To […]
What Is An HOA Elections Inspector? (TX)
An HOA Elections Inspector is a professional inspector that a company will hire out to providing professional inspections to homeowners associations. These elections inspectors are able to help HOA’s with a variety of tasks ensuring that the HOA elections are run in a fair manner to give all candidates involved a chance at being elected. […]
6 Reasons to Build Relationships with Your Local Government
Oftentimes when we think of government, we focus on the federal government – but there are plenty of local governmental offices that can significantly impact your community, like your city council or county authorities, school board, water district and special districts. Additionally, state senators, representatives and governors also heavily influence how our associations function. That’s […]
Choosing Florida Friendly Landscaping in an HOA Community?
During the first part of today’s show we were exploring the ways people can reduce the amount of water and fertilizer they use on their yards in order to reduce their environmental footprint, and not contribute to the harmful algal blooms we’re seeing in local waters. But, what if you live in a community that […]
A trick for resolving disagreements
Question: I live in a small planned unit development with four families. This is the second year we have lived in the community, as it is a new development. The control box for the sprinkler system is in my backyard. The park-strip grass we all share is watered by a valve in that control box. […]
Boards Need to Figure Out What’s Around the Next Curve (NY)
When tackling major capital projects, co-op and condo boards need to remember that timing is everything. If they don’t have the money in hand, they can’t do the work. How do they avoid getting ambushed by what lies around the next curve? Read the article………………
This boring little box can fix the nightmare of installing EV charging stations in condos
Electric vehicle charging infrastructure is becoming less of an issue and more of a big business, but there’s still an aspect of it that has been somewhat neglected: charging for condominiums and apartments. Today, we take a look at a boring little box that can fix the nightmare of installing EV charging stations in those […]
With D&O Insurance, Do It Once and Do It Right
Your directors and officers (D&O) insurance is the main policy that covers you as a board member. D&O can come in different forms. You can add an endorsement to your main package policy or you can have a separate stand-alone D&O policy. Generally speaking, the majority of D&O coverage that is added to the main […]
Handling Support Animals in an HOA Neighborhood
What do turkeys, monkeys, pigs, and ducks all have in common? Believe it or not, all of these animals have been in the news lately for joining their owners on airplanes as emotional support animals. While we’re not downplaying the importance of emotional support animals for their owners, today we’re highlighting a hot topic in […]
A Self-Serving Board Member Might Look Something Like This
You ran for the board on the platform of remodeling the clubhouse that has become outdated. What you haven’t shared with the members of the association is that your daughter is getting married next year and the clubhouse would be the perfect place for a reception. The association has never charged for members to use […]
Dealing with Difficult People
Interacting with difficult people is an inevitability we all face. When confronted with a chronically upset person we’re given the choice to either reciprocate their anger or calmly address the situation. As a board member, you’re in a position of responsibility where escalating a situation is both inappropriate and unproductive. In the heat of the […]
Why Co-ops Almost Never Become Condos (NY)
Several times a month I’m approached by co-op boards who want to convert their cooperative corporation into a condominium association. A major reason is that condo apartments are now valued from 15 to 20 percent higher than co-ops. But I have bad news for these co-op boards. The Internal Revenue Code makes it virtually impossible […]
After HOA Budget Timelines, It’s Time to Build That Budget
Now that you’ve created your timeline and its tasks, Crummack Huseby’s financial experts want to share insights on creating and implementing the smartest budgets for your community. It’s important to consider expense questions your Board should ask, what your management company’s accountant should know, and thoughts on the timing of assessment increases. Read the article………………
4 Tips to Find and Keep Good Vendors for Your Homeowners Association (CA)
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 […]
Bungle In The Jungle – The Presence of Wild Animals In Your Community Association
With the ever-increasing urban development in Florida, especially in South Florida, we are sometimes reminded that we live in close proximity to a number of native and exotic invasive wild animals. What can and should happen when your community association is confronted with that unexpected wild animal that causes a ruckus, or even worse, the […]