What is a community association manager?

A community association manager, or CAM, works for the board rather than individual residents, handling common areas and amenities, tracking down rule violations, following up on unpaid dues, coordinating vendors, and preparing the community for things like hurricane season. That’s the key difference from a property manager, who reports to individual owners or renters and deals with what happens inside a single unit.

Why does a community association manager matter?

At a certain size, a community simply outgrows what volunteers can manage on evenings and weekends, and a CAM buys back that time without the board losing its final say on decisions. Because CAMs are often licensed the same way as property managers, boards sometimes assume the roles are interchangeable, when running an association takes a different set of skills than managing individual units.

When You’ll Run Into This

Boards usually start looking into this the moment volunteer burnout becomes a real risk to the community’s operations. Our comparison of community association managers versus property managers covers which role fits your community’s needs.