HOA Management Blog

For homeowner associations that have already transitioned from the developer of the community to membership control, voting classes, rarely come up. It typically only comes up when boards of directors are thinking of making amendments to their declaration of covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs). Voting rights and amending the CC&Rs will be covered later in...

One thing is for sure serving on a homeowner association (HOA) board of directors is all about working with others. Which can be a struggle in patience and understanding because of the many personalities that are encountered. Fortunately, most HOA membership interactions are positive. However, within every HOA, interpersonal friction is inevitable. Making these situations...

Robert’s Rules: 10 Common Mistakes This brief overview of Robert's Rules of Order can be beneficial to new board members for understanding the basic process of how a meeting is to be performed. One person may speak or have the floor at a time. The Chair of the meeting decides who that person will be....

The Agenda - Composition of Rights & Abuses It is imperative that issues of a pertinent and important nature are the only items that should be placed on a meeting’s agenda. If it does not require board consideration, an email notification to the board of directors is probably a better method. For time efficiently and...

Born in Robertville, South Carolina, Brigadier General Henry Martyn Robert (5/2/1837 – 5/11/1923) was the son of a Baptist preacher. Because of his father’s opposition to slavery, his father moved the family to Ohio, and this is where Henry was raised. Robert received an appointment to the United States Military Academy, West Point, and graduated...

Generally speaking, a HOA property management company will tell you that homeowner association (HOA) governing documents are straightforward on the workings and responsibilities of the HOA and the individual HOA members. Of course, this point can be argued with all the thousands of attorneys drafting HOA governing documents with varying levels of competence. With this...

The number of questions homeowners association (HOA) property management companies receive about how the HOA has the ability to enforce covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs), and even perform any type of maintenance on elements that the association does not physically own is growing. Such as, how in a townhome HOA can the board of directors...

A competent homeowners association (HOA) property management company can advise on how to handle sensitive issues detailed in an HOA’s covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs).  These CC&Rs give the HOA authority to go onto a homeowner’s property and to perform maintenance on elements that the association does not physically own. Questions such as, how in...

On occasion you will hear a homeowner association (HOA) member stating they do not have to pay the HOA’s assessment. This proclamation typically stems from the “unrealized member” stating they had ‘never agreed to join the HOA’ when they bought their home. This “not a member” belief possibly could originate from the “unrealized member” claiming...

A homeowner association’s covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&R) have many provisions that address a myriad of issues. It is typical to see CC&Rs with over 50 pages and some with well over 100 pages. With all these pages of legalese, some might believe CC&Rs would adequately deal with any potential issue that could arise within...

Irrigation systems should be inspected every season for problems and reviewed for water usage efficiencies.  When irrigation systems are initially installed, they are setup to cover plants, trees, etc. and these planting situations can change over time, especially with large shrubs or trees which may no longer need an irrigation system or need as much...

Most HOA have limited authority on what individual HOA members do within their homes with regard to their own wellbeing. However, it is every member’s best interest that care is exercised by all individual HOA members. Emphasizing the following items in the HOA’s newsletters and on the HOA’s website could be advantageous to the HOA...

Planning for disaster is one of those tasks that unfortunately seems to be put on a backburner. Out of sight, out of mind, is human nature with non-pressing issues. As with any emergency or potentially stressful situation, preparation may be more difficult when the situation is upon the HOA member. That is why planning well...

Every HOA budget season expenses go under the microscope. Water usage is one expense that can be difficult to figure because of all the variables. Variables include age and modernization of toilets, faucets, pipes, and the pool facilities. The average running toilet wastes over 6,000 gallons of water per month. The average dripping faucet wastes...

Neighbor disputes are a common occurrence within HOAs as in all other communities. Fortunately, the majority of these disputes never rise to a level of seriousness that leads to physical confrontation or other malicious acts that exacerbate the dispute. Most HOA boards of directors take a hands-off approach to neighbor conflicts. This is typically due...

In an HOA, unless the same homebuilder constructed all the homes, the main water shutoff could be in various locations throughout the home. Even if the same builder constructed all the homes, water shutoff locations might still vary from home to home. The HOA membership being aware of shutoff valves and their importance is in...

HOA boards are routinely faced with roofing issues. While the above illustration is of a single-family dwelling, all roofing configurations have more similarities than differences. Similarities are found with the problems that afflict roof configuration as well. William Douglas represents homeowner associations with almost every type of roofing configuration found in North America. The roof...

Members failing to pick up after their dogs is a common rules and regulations violation within homeowner associations. For many HOAs, this is the most common violation. What some members may not realize is the health concerns that are a consequence of this failing. HOA members may not realize that failing to pick up after...

One of the most common maintenance issues that HOA and COA boards encounter is fascia boards and soffit boards that have slowly rotted over time. This maintenance issue, with many HOA and COA, will have long term budget implications. As the diagram illustrates, the fascia is the board where the gutter is attached. An easy...

As homeowner association annual budget items go, those related to the association’s swimming pool, when totaled, are typically the largest expense category. Individual budget categories, such as pool chemicals, pool furniture and lifeguards can add up substantially. While the pool management contractor expense is often thought off, obscure other expenditures may not be so evident....