Featured Articles

With spring weather taking hold in most parts of the country, community association managers can expect the blossoming of questions and concerns from owners about landscaping. Even with associations that already have board-approved landscaping plans in place, managers might have owners demanding already-scheduled maintenance, planting in common areas without permission, or micromanaging the gardening crew.…

“E-payments” first came on the scene about 25 years ago or so, and it’s estimated that more than half of U.S. bills are paid online these days. Consumers use online payments to pay for everything from mortgage, credit card, and car payments to utilities and monthly subscriptions. This is Part 1 of a 2-part series.…

Dealing with disruptive residents ranks high on the list of thorny problems community associations—and their management companies—can encounter. You’ve probably heard your fair share of complaints about people violating parking rules or failing to clean up after their pets, but you’ve hopefully never dealt with anything close to the multi-year reign of terror conducted by…

One of the keys to effective management is meeting and beating community association member expectations — so it sure would help to know what your members think about their associations. The website insurancequotes.com has provided a valuable peek into the minds of HOA members with their results of their recent “Honest About HOAs” survey. The…

The guiding principle regarding action, or lack thereof, is clear in most community associations: The majority rules. Sometimes, though, fired-up owners who disagree with the majority decide take matters into their own hands. That’s what happened in a Wisconsin case involving a dispute over ownership of a sewage system that was an association’s common element.…

More and more community association managers, especially those of HOAs or condo buildings in urban areas, are having to deal with the issue of how to handle homeless individuals on or near their properties. The homeless can pose concerns for residents and staff, ranging from creating a nuisance to criminal activity.

Unfortunately, as community association managers know all too well, sometimes the contractors your association hires for such jobs as snow plowing, painting, or providing security don’t perform up to the standards you expect. If you don’t terminate the contract and you let the company continue to provide poor service to your community, members could get frustrated and the management office could be fielding an increased number of complaints. Even worse, the association could get hit with a lawsuit by a member or guest hurt because of bad service.

Like any other business or organization, community associations must file taxes with the government. And tax liability is a huge issue that associations need to be aware of. Improper reporting can land the association in hot water and cost thousands in fines, penalties, and late fees. With the New Year just here, April—the month in which federal and state taxes must be filed—might seem far off. But properly doing necessary paperwork and consulting with the association’s accountant can take time. So planning ahead is key.

Every person who works in your community—from maintenance employees to office staff—will interact with members and potentially have access to sensitive information, including financial documents. When employees are trustworthy, this exposure isn’t an issue. But it’s incredibly difficult to ensure that a new hire won’t turn out to be an opportunist who uses her position for an ulterior motive. This creates serious risks for you and the association.

Mold in any property can present multiple serious health issues. It has been a controversial issue at residential properties in particular, because it can cause serious health problems and be expensive to remediate. Mold prevention techniques and effective remediation of existing mold should be high on your list of maintenance and safety concerns. But perhaps the biggest concern for the community association is the issue of responsibility for mold-related problems.