There is no doubt that managing an HOA board is a lot of work. There are many legal requirements, administrative tasks, and community-wide communications to take care of. Unless your HOA is large enough to have its own paid, full-time staff, these are often tasks board members need to manage on top of their regular jobs and this can lead to things being overlooked. In this article, a St. Petersburg association management company highlights some of the most common mistakes condo boards make when managing their own HOAs.
Breaking Your Own Rules
Sometimes board members are not as familiar with HOA policies as they should be. If they live in the community, their home might have something that goes against HOA rules. If they simply serve on the board, they might send an email from their personal account or file something incorrectly if they do not have a complete understanding of all of the rules. This not only looks bad to residents, but in some cases it can cause legal issues if breaking the rule causes the organization to become non-compliant.
Not Communicating Well
Communication is an important aspect of running an HOA board. There are various different stakeholders that need to be communicated with on a regular basis, such as condo owners, vendors, other board members, and community members. Without communication about what’s going on in the community, stakeholders can be confused as to what to expect and can grow frustrated.
Being Disorganized
Managing an HOA board should be considered as a business, with systems in place to manage all of the required files that you need to keep. Too often, files and important documents do not have a proper document management system in place and can be disorganized. This common mistake can make it difficult for board members to find the documents they need when they need it. If the board gets audited, this can be a major challenge when it comes time to gather all of the paperwork that is needed by auditors. If the HOA board decides to hire a property management company, not having a system for organization can make it difficult to know exactly where the documents are that need to be handed over.
Working with a professional property management company can help to avoid all of these mistakes. It will be their job to ensure that all of your documentation is in good shape and accessible. This can leave your HOA board free to focus on the important issues of the community.
Are you ready to work with one of the top St. Petersburg HOA management companies that makes life easier for you and your board members and improves the value of your property? If so, submit our proposal request form today!