What Can an HOA Website Do For You?

What Can an HOA Website Do For You? How about helping the residents of your association feel like they are part of their association.

Too often residents complain about not being informed about association matters. Of course board meetings occur, projects are being worked on and periodically new accomplishments can be noted in the neighborhood. But, what does the resident who doesn't hear about the board's progress, has issues with the dues or whatever their neighbor is doing wrong have to say about the association?

6 Tips for Recruiting Future HOA Leaders

One of the main causes of burnout among active HOA board members and volunteers is the fact that they're doing too much. But that's often a necessity, since recruiting future leaders is a perennial challenge. "The reason you need volunteers is that you don't have the time to do everything yourself," says James R. McCormick,

6 Dos and Don'ts to Improve Security in Your Homeowner Association

Managing safety in a homeowner association is a thankless job. If you do it well, few residents even notice. If you make a mistake, you could be vilified and even sued for endangering others. Here are six dos and don'ts that will help you ensure the safety of your residents and keep yourself off their security radar screen.

6 Tips for Planning a Successful HOA Annual Meeting

Is your annual meeting just around the corner? Begin planning now because successful meetings don't happen by themselves.

"I've seen associations do well, and I've seen them stumble with annual meetings," says Robert M. DeNichilo, an attorney at DeNichilo & Lindsley LLP in Irvine, Calif., who specializes in representing community associations. "The key is preparation. Those who have a checklist and act on it tend to do well. Those who say, 'Oh, my gosh, we have an annual meeting!'

10 Traits of Successful HOA Board Members

What qualities must you have to be a good homeowners association board member? Here, our experts reveal the top 10 traits of board members who serve their HOA well.

All about HOA rules

If you are thinking of buying a property in the US, one term that you would repeatedly come across is the Home Owners Association Rules or HOA rules. HOA rules are development specific and define the rules applicable for all the residents of that development. Each and every development in the US would have HOA rules framed by the HOA.  Studying and understanding these rules is of great relevance and significance when one is considering buying a property in the development. An HOA gets formed immediately upon the birth of a new

Benefits of a Self-Managed HOA

Self-managed HOA's are becoming more prevalent among community organizations due to the power inherent in their structure. Using a self-managed HOA as opposed to more traditional HOA arrangements can lower the operational costs of a homeowner's association board and staff while lending more authority to the voices of the community residents. A self-managed HOA can handle all of the responsibilities from property management to legal issues, keeping items transparent and accessible to necessary personnel within the community and the

Best Practices for Working with Your HOA Management Company

Unless you're careful in choosing a management company, you could end up with someone like Jeffrey S. Koger. In November, the 39-year-old Herndon, Va., man pleaded guilty to bilking about $3 million from 400 homeowners associations in Northern Virginia, according to the Washington Post.

As chief financial officer of Koger Management Group in Fairfax, Va., Koger collected association dues from homeowners.

Beware Conflicts When You Hire Board Members' Companies-Part 1

When you recruit people to serve on your HOA board, experts recommend that you look for people--like lawyers and insurance brokers--with expertise that can help you make good decisions.

Can you take that concept a step further and hire those board members or their companies when your association needs help? For example, if one of your board members is an association attorney, can you hire that board member's firm to represent your association in a legal matter? What about hiring a board member who's a CPA to file your

Beware Conflicts When You Hire Board Members' Companies--Part 2

When you recruit people to serve on your HOA board, experts recommend that you look for people--like lawyers and insurance brokers--with expertise that can help you make good decisions.

Can you take that concept a step further and hire those board members or their companies when your association needs help? For example, if one of your board members is an association attorney, can you hire that board member's firm to represent your association in a legal matter? What about hiring a board member who's a CPA to file your

Community Association Fundamentals

Each common-interest community has its own history, personality, attributes and challenges, but all associations share common characteristics and core principles. CAI developed the Community Association Fundamentals to foster a better conceptual understanding of how associations function and the roles of residents and association leaders.

Getting the Message

Can your community association reach members quickly with accurate information? Is an information exchange loop in place between the board and the community? Does the board know whet association members think about the job it's doing?

A proactive member relations program can meet all of these communications challenges. Being proactive means being ready. It means knowing what you will do and how you will do it, before you need to do it. It means having the staff, equipment, and programs in place before you need them. It means

Improving Speaking and Listening Skills

Most of us take our speaking and listening skills for granted, assuming that we are doing a pretty good job of communicating with others. Nothing, however, separates the person of authority from the amateur as quickly as the ability to speak clearly, persuasively, and empathetically. Board members, managers, and business people can all benefit by learning to use the spoken word as a powerful tool for gaining and using personal power.

How Annoying?

When it comes to curtailing disruptive behavior inside and outside your community, don't underestimate the power of state nuisance laws.

Imagine that your community is located in a quiet part of town, far off the highway and miles from traffic-heavy secondary roads. Then imagine that someone buys the undeveloped land down the street and builds a motocross track. From early morning until dark, bikes roar around the turns and over the jumps, filling your neighborhood—and your residents' homes—with deafening noise. You assume that

Mediation isn't as easy as clicking your heels, but it can be a magical way to resolve disputes

We're Off to see the Wizard

by:Elizabeth A. Tippin

There's no place like home!

There's no place like home!

Unless, of course, your home is the source of an unresolved dispute. And condominium and homeowner associations, because of close living conditions, restrictions, and shared property, see disputes on a daily basis. A resident violates the rules by parking his boat in the community parking lot. Someone hangs laundry in their backyard or on balcony railings. Dogs hark, stereos blare, construction defects

Model Code of Ethics for Community Association Board Members

This model code of ethics is not meant to address every potential ethical dilemma encountered by a community association board member, but is offered as a basic framework that can be modified and adopted by any common-interest community. 

Style and Substance

Style and Substance

Straight from Common Ground's creative director and editor, here are some quick tips for giving your newsletter form and function.

DESIGN

KEEP IT SIMPLE, LEGIBLE, AND ORDERLY.  Set up a grid to help you align columns of type and graphics.  A three-column grid is typical for most newsletters.  Set your copy in these columns and align your graphics by these guides.  Use white space to frame and organize the

We Will Fight No More Forever

Here's a resolution for the New Year: Your board will coexist, communicate, compromise, and generally cooperate like it never has before.

Experts are prized by our society, and rightly so. Our own industry demonstrates the importance of relying on professionals with appropriate experience, education, and credentials. But sometimes we defer too quickly to someone whose advice seems expert or who seems to speak with authority.

Governance Guidelines

• Annual meetings. Conduct at least one membership meeting annually, providing at least two weeks notice to homeowners and more than two weeks if specified in the governing documents or dictated by state statute.
• Assessments. Collect assessments and other fees from homeowners in a timely and equitable manner and in accordance with state statutes and board-approved procedures.
• Communication. Provide at least one form of regular communication with residents, and use it to report substantive actions taken by the

Lead the Way

What makes a good leader?  That's hard to say.  Certainly, Community association Board presidents need to be organized.  They have to be willing to sacrifice some of their free time for Board business.  But they also must be able to move others to work toward a common goal – for free, of course.  For that, they need passion and vision.