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Keeping track of finances is an integral part of running a community association. There’s typically a regular flow of money being collected and paid out on a day-to-day basis in order to ensure continuous operations. But, although dealing with cash can be overwhelming, it’s crucial not to take shortcuts with the association’s cash management procedures. One common mistake that associations make is having the same person who prepares the checks also doing the books. That arrangement makes it difficult to tell if someone is embezzling from the association.

You know that organization is one of the keys to association management success, especially if you’re in charge of a larger community or one with many members. If you did an annual spring cleaning this year, you might also have realized that you need to cut down on clutter in your office, which might include boxes of association records—which can get sizable if they include accounting records, membership lists, meeting minutes, and other important papers—that the association has accumulated over the years.

By Carolyn Zezima

A large part of the day-to-day management of a community is providing service, in a friendly and polite manner that comports with a major point of living in an association—being part of a pleasant environment. You’ve probably trained your staff to make homeowners and their guests feel comfortable. So when there’s an accident or other incident in your community, they might have an instinct to comfort the victim. While employees should rush to find help, there are several missteps they can take that can create major liability for the association.

By Andrea Brescia

For associations that have designated commercial space, finding the right tenant is critical. While there are a lot of retail stores that provide convenience, not every commercial tenant is necessarily a good fit for your community.

Depending upon where the community you manage is located, hot weather is a year-round issue you must manage or summer is around the corner faster than you think. One sure way you can beat the heat, no matter where your association is, is to be certain that your community’s central air conditioning system or members’ individual units are ready to go for peak temperatures. Malfunctioning systems are likely to waste energy and money—and they’ll certainly lead to member complaints.

Spring is here and with it will come warm weather that brings out homeowners and condominium owners to enjoy it. Especially in city areas, which tend to have many condominium buildings, there’s limited outdoor space, so members and their guests might try to create some recreational space on community rooftops—sunbathing, barbecuing, or just cooling off from their hot units. Unfortunately, allowing people on the roof of your condominium building can create problems for you and the association.

It’s important for members in your community to feel safe. After all, one of the draws of many associations is security. It’s common for communities to have security personnel or, at the least, take practical measures to mitigate crime like installing adequate lighting in common areas and gates at entrances that only members can open. Nevertheless, petty and serious crimes have been reported in planned communities and condominium buildings. This can shake the confidence of members.

Association fees are an integral part of keeping a planned community or condominium building running smoothly. They’re key to paying bills for routine services and amenities and, in some communities, can contribute to additional bonuses for members, like social events. But when members don’t pay their association fees it can very negatively affect the community. Even if a few members don’t pay their assessments on time, an association can face serious financial problems.

One of the draws of living in a planned community is aesthetics—uniformity in the design and appearance of homes, rules and regulations that prevent homeowners from putting up decorations that are eyesores, and specific paint themes and landscaping that are in good taste all make for a neighborhood that looks great. But there are times when members may want to make modifications to their homes. In these instances, the concern for associations is that these changes may affect the harmonious design of a community, decrease property values, and increase liability.