Saturday, December 14, 2013

Why You Should Look Into Hiring A Community Association Management Group

By Cornelia White


If you live in a complex or planned unit development where there is an HOA, you know the work the board goes through to run things. Ensuring compliance with CC&Rs (covenants, conditions and restrictions) dealing with improvement approvals, maintenance issues, financials and the like is huge job for board members. That is why more and more, HOAs are turning to a community association management group to run day-to-day operations.

Often board members are ill-equipped or not prepared to deal with major complex or maintenance issues. It can also be very difficult to dispassionately deal with other members, who also are neighbors and friends. A community association management group (CAMG) relieves this burden. A CAMG will take responsibility for the administrative, maintenance, financial and communication duties and provide solid counsel for board members on critical decisions. The group's managers are also available in emergency situations.

Financial oversight is a core area of responsibility for a property firm. Developing comprehensive reports is time consuming and many times board members do not have the background or time to do this properly. This can lead to poor decision making or dissatisfaction among homeowners. The firm's administrative team will work with the board to develop and produce the needed reports and help ensure smart decisions are made.

Advising the board on critical decisions is another function of a property-management group. The professionals of the firm have expertise on a wide range of issues from financial to legal to operational. This ensures the board's decisions do not open up the complex to lawsuits or other legal entanglements. A firm representative will also work directly with homeowners to resolve disputes and issues in a timely manor.

Regular inspections of the property is another duty this type of firm takes on. The group's team is experienced in identifying potential issues before they become major problems or emergencies. The manager will also make sure all vendors have undergone close scrutiny and are fully screened. If major repairs or upgrades are needed, the firm can manage the entire process from RFP development to getting bids to managing construction.

Another chore that board members have to deal with is communication to the homeowners. This always seems to be a source of issues among property owners. A CAMG will take on the responsibility for writing and distributing board minutes, decisions and the like. This important duty ensures homeowners not only know the decisions the board is making on their behalf, but also the rationale behind them.

Perhaps one of the biggest benefits to using a CAMG is in emergency situations. It seems like problems always arise in the middle of the night or over holidays. Having a property manager available means that board members are not constantly being summoned for issues. The manager is on-call no matter what and will deal with any situation. They have a the resources available to take care of problems efficiently.

Hiring a community association management group simply makes sense. Unfortunately managing expectations of owners and dealing with issues and requests has become a full-time duty, something board members are not equipped to deal with. A CAMG will help home and property owners avoid the risks associated with any legal disputes by providing valuable counsel. The financial and property-management aspects will ensure a well-run complex and high owner satisfaction.




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