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Association living requires a collaborative effort to ensure safety, uniform aesthetics, shared common amenities and activities, and maintenance that make the community a desirable place to call home. The day-to-day focus of homeowners, the community association manager, and the board might center on their roles in keeping the community running smoothly—abiding by the governing documents, quickly dealing with problems that pop up, and making decisions that affect the community, respectively.

A selling point of association living is that the community’s or condominium building’s appearance will be maintained and uniform. While control over uniformity and aesthetics plays a large role in the attraction to this type of homeownership, from time to time, a member will ask for a variance from the architectural and design rules.

Many associations allow their members to rent out their units, provided they follow association guidelines regarding how this is done. Renters can help a community by taking care of units that would otherwise sit empty, and by financially relieving a member who’s having trouble paying her mortgage or assessments and fees. But the transient nature of renters creates risks for the association. It’s hard to make renters have the same vested interest in the well-being of the community that members have.

Associations and their management companies have the same overall goal: Keep the community running smoothly so homeowners enjoy living in it. That’s easier said than done, however. Fulfilling that goal involves numerous coordinated efforts between the manager and association. The first effort is negotiating a management contract that fits the needs of both sides, which means making decisions about what items each side wants to demand or is willing to concede.

The governing documents that initially served your association well may not work anymore to keep the community operating efficiently or make members happy to live in it. Evolving communities must deal with various issues—such as an aging membership, wear and tear on buildings and amenities, changes to the law, and the need to adapt to new technology—that can make managing and living in the community easier, to name just a few.

No matter how well you and the board of directors keep your community operating, you still run the risk of defending the association from a lawsuit, even if it’s a frivolous one brought by a disgruntled member. And legal issues can present themselves in scenarios involving compliance with laws and regulations—including fair housing and claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act—too. At the very least, you’ll want to have an attorney review board policies and governing documents when necessary.

Operable smoke detectors and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors can go a long way toward saving lives in condominium communities. A fire in one unit can damage other units or endanger lives. And CO poisoning can be fatal. Unfortunately, sometimes members don’t maintain their detectors or may intentionally disable them. Smoke detectors have long been required by law, and currently 29 states have laws regarding CO detectors.

Last year proved to be an exciting year for a push to reform and revamp many association laws and policies. And advocacy for key association issues continues going strong. The major organization behind furthering an association-favorable agenda is the Community Associations Institute (CAI), with its Federal Legislative Action Committee (FedLAC) and Government Affairs Department. The FedLAC advocated on behalf of community associations and CAI members before the U.S. Congress, federal regulatory agencies, state legislatures, and the courts.

Many members decide to buy into an association because much of the work that goes into typical homeownership is taken care of by the association manager and board, which can save time, effort, and money for members. Membership dues and assessments are used to keep up the community—from amenities to security measures to home improvements, like new roofs. So expect requests from time to time by members who want to know exactly where their money is going—and that it’s being used effectively and for what the association's budget states.

Safety for members and staff in a planned community or condominium is one of the most important items on a manager’s or management company’s agenda. Tight security provides a sense of safety so that members can enjoy day-to-day life in the community without worrying about being victimized. And staff members feel that they are working in a secure environment. Plus, preventing certain types of crimes, like graffiti, saves the association time and money on repairs.