Laws, community association governing documents and policies are designed to help boards of directors identify their roles and responsibilities. They provide a framework of expectation for community members. And they can be immensely useful in dealing with inappropriate and ill-advised actions. But they are not enough. Read the article………….
Transparency breeds Legitimacy: 3 Tips for your Condominium Association to avoid a Lawsuit
Many condominium board members volunteer to serve their condominium association for altruistic purposes. While often well-intentioned, it is not uncommon for board members to not have any training that would make them aware of potential pitfalls that commonly entangle a condominium association in litigation. In other instances, co-owners may have self-interested motives for serving on […]
Glass House Management: Transparency In Your HOA
Homeowner association boards are elected to handle HOA business. Some do it better than others because of training and natural ability. While good business practices are fundamental to getting the job done right, “people” practices are equally important. And even though HOA elections are not typically barraged with candidates, the membership does care what the […]
How Well Did You Communicate The HOA Rule?
Every HOA has rules. Every HOA Board has to create rules, and get compliance from community members. Seems easy, right? Usually never. Why? Because communication falls through or falls flat. Hopefully, when HOA rules are written they are not overly intrusive to begin with. But, more importantly they are clearly communicated. When the rule is […]
The Truth about HOAs: Involved Homeowners are Happier Homeowners
Board members are community leaders. They volunteer their time to make decisions on the well-being and financial health of their association. Every homeowner has a right to know what’s going on in the community and the board should embrace that. However, it’s important for homeowners to understand the structure of board meetings and only participate […]
The Importance of Being More Open with Your HOA Members
Openness and transparency are important tools in most effectively communicating with your HOA community. When you let owners know what’s going on in the association, they are most likely to trust you and understand how the HOA is doing overall, preventing problems that can come from lack of communication. Read the article……………
How to Create Transparency and Accountability in Your Community Association
Successful homeowners associations function smoothly by basing community operations on transparency, accountability and communication. This requires exhibiting these values at every level, for issues big and small. Transparency is a long-term strategy that helps ensure the smooth operation of your HOA. When residents feel involved and informed, they report higher levels of satisfaction with the […]
Glass House Management in Your HOA
Homeowner association boards are elected to handle HOA business. Some do it better than others because of training and natural ability. While good business practices are fundamental to getting the job done right, “people” practices are equally important. Read the article………….
Board Transparency: Let It All Out — Really?
In town and city government, elected officials and committee volunteers are duty-bound and legally required to maintain open meetings and treat every line item of taxpayer funds as public information. Condominium communities, and the way they’re operated, are often compared to municipal governments, but there’s nothing “public” about them, really. Read the article……….
Top 3 Communication Challenges an HOA Board Faces Without a Manager
On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best, how well do HOA board members in your homeowners association communicate with members? Take a moment to think about that, or even discuss it with your fellow board members. Read the article…………
6 Ways to Change the Attitude of Apathy in Your Community
Here are six steps your board can take to lead your community through the stagnant fog of apathy: Read the article……….
Survey Says: Communication Can Help Ensure Building-Wide Harmony
When it comes to dealing with hot-button issues in cooperatives and condominiums, many boards have realized that transparency and communication are essential. Today, we examine one very simple way a board can maintain harmony and make building residents feel that their voices matter: conduct a survey. Read the article……….
How to Build Community
Pamela Britton of River Valley Ranch Community spoke at the CAI Mountain Conference about creating community in associations. Her 3 broad recommendations are right on and work for any community no matter what size or location. Read the article……………
Five trends in digital notice boards in condos
Long gone are the fear of technology, the ups and downs (pun intended) of elevator installations and the quest for an affordable solution specific to condos that were common to digital notice boards in their infancy. As the industry has overcome many of these initial challenges, the trend of condo boards swapping out cork bulletin […]
Money Talks: Communicating About Condo Finances
Imagine sitting down with your significant other to pay the monthly bills. You both put your checks into a joint account and know how much there is to take care of expenses, or so you think. Out of his wallet your husband pulls out receipts for a new suit, dinner with his friends and a […]
How to Communicate With You9r Residents: Method # 2 – Over Voice and Text
In the last series, we looked at how email is the most popular form of communication with homeowners. However, voice and text are also preferred methods of communication, so in this article, we’ll take a closer look at communicating via cellphone. Read the article……….
How to Communicate With Your Residents
Clear communication with HOA residents is the cornerstone of a successful HOA, and there are many communication options available. In this series, we’ll look at three ways of effective communication, starting with email. Read the article………….
Keeping Building Residents Informed… Especially When It’s Bad News
You know when you’re on the subway and the train stops in the tunnel and ten minutes later steam starts coming out of your ears because it looks like you will all be languishing there indefinitely? Sometimes it’s the lack of information that ticks us off. Sure, the conductor “communicates” with the straphangers, saying there […]
5 Reasons There’s a Disconnect Between the HOA Board and Homeowners
The success of a homeowners association is based on the members and Board working together. If the community is not taken care of, it will catch up with Association, affect property values, decrease the quality of living, and create a disharmonious environment. If there is a disconnect between the Board and homeowners it takes action […]
Listen First, I Mean Truly Listen
This morning as I was driving to work, I was thinking about the interpersonal conflict I have recently been observing in some HOAs. While it may be convenient for folks to blame all of the nastiness on a full moon, I truly believe much of the conflict in associations simply comes from folks not listening […]
Preparing your association for electronic communications
Illinois community associations may now communicate electronically with their owners, but that doesn’t mean they can cut their paper and postage budgets. Many practical details must be worked out before any savings are realized. Read more……
Cultivating Community: Social Functions Help Create a Sense of Belonging
The ethos of a homeowners association—to be open and welcoming—furthers the collective strength of a community. Therefore, it’s incumbent on trustees, board members and managers to foster a stronger, more cohesive sense of community. This is often achieved by holding social functions in addition to regular meetings, such as sponsoring activities outside the building or […]
Lincoln Fourscore, Gobbledygook 0; For Condo/HOA/Stock Coop Board Members and Managers, Choosing the Right Words Can Make The Difference
How clear is your writing? Do you spend time editing to make sure that your message is clear and concise? Are your communications rambling? Sometimes community association managers or board members think that writing in legalese will impress their attorneys. Or that using long, technical or sophisticated words will sway homeowners to action. Long words […]
Boards can take the surprise out of special assessments
Suppose the decks at your community association are badly deteriorating. The board hires an engineer, who advises total replacement within a couple of years. Not all the owners have decks, but those who do will be assessed about $4,000 each. The board wonders: When should it tell the deck owners a special assessment is coming? […]
Creating Community: The Art of Empowerment in Community Association Living
Creating Community: The Art of Empowerment in Community Association Living is quickly becoming one of the most popular educational resources in the HOA/condo industry for homeowners, board members, managers and business partners. Utilizing proven strategies for creating community unity based on the principles of empowerment, Creating Community is being widely used in board orientation programs, […]
The Value of Education in Your Communications
For years, I have been writing about the importance of communication as it relates to community association living. I have stressed how important it is that you tell your story well and that you tell it often. Newsletters, letters, websites and any other tools used to communicate need to educate readers about what is happening […]
Better Communication in 2013
I love the fresh start of a new year. Like many people, I use the last few days of the year to reflect on accomplishments, identify areas for improvement and growth, and set goals for the next twelve months. The last week of the year often slows down enough for reflection and planning, and I […]
Electronic Communication (Emails) Are Discoverable in Litigation
Our firm philosophy has long been “Communication not Litigation.” This philosophy is based on the belief that disputes are best resolved in a voluntary and reasonable manner rather than through the time, expense and aggravation of a lawsuit. Recent developments in the law, however, may require Association boards to pay much more attention to how […]
Knowledge, Participation and Solutions Empower Homeowners
Last Thursday, as Chair of CAI’s Colorado Legislative Action Committee, I served on a panel for a Town Hall Meeting hosted by State Representatives Angela Williams, Su Ryden, Rhonda Fields, Nancy Todd and State Senator Morgan Carroll. The topic of the evening revolved around HOAs, the problems folks living in them sometimes experience and whether […]
Welcoming New Owners and Renters
A number of years ago I went to work for a subsidiary of a local management company. The owner of the company had surveyed new owners six months after they moved in asking them about their understanding of the association they lived in, based on the communications they had received to date. He found that slightly less […]