An HOA Clubhouse can bring several benefits to your community. But far too often, board members struggle to make the most out of it. This is often due to a lack of proper management or a lack of time. While managing HOA facilities is challenging it should not be overlooked by the board. Creating a sense of community is indeed an essential part of their role. If a clubhouse is not properly managed then you lose the chance of providing excellent social gatherings for your residents.
Not every board member understands how important the clubhouse is and how easy it can be to manage one. So in this article, we will share five ways that simplify this process.
What’s an HOA Clubhouse?
An HOA Clubhouse is a facility that is usually available to residents of a community and their guests. This is a gathering place where homeowners can socialize and enjoy recreational activities. Sometimes, the community clubhouse is also where the HOA board’s office is located. It can also be the place where HOA meetings take place.
Making the most of your HOA Clubhouse with little effort
1. Set clear rules and policies to prevent abuse or wrong use
In any aspect of HOA management, establishing specific rules and policies is essential. Otherwise, you will deal with a lot of complaints and issues. When it comes to managing an HOA clubhouse, it is important to remind users what behavior is acceptable. Here are some examples:
- What type of clothes can residents wear?
- What is the maximum capacity/number of users allowed?
- Are there prohibited items? For example loudspeakers for example.
- Are alcoholic beverages allowed?
- Can kids attend all activities?
Obviously, these rules need to be tailored to your HOA’s reality but the most important is that they exist. They also need to be detailed enough to avoid any gray area that could provoke misunderstandings.
Far too often, HOA violations happen in common spaces because homeowners are not familiar with the policies. Lack of communication is often the source of this issue.
Therefore, the board must communicate frequently so residents are aware of the rules. After all, it is useless to have regulations that no one knows about. Even worse, when residents know rules exist but can’t find them. That’s why it’s important to store your HOA documents online either on a website or another easy-to-access location. Using different HOA communication tools can also help you reach a wider audience.
2. Rent your HOA clubhouse and collect money for your association
The great thing about clubhouses is that residents can use this space for private gatherings such as birthdays, baby showers, or graduation parties.
By renting out the community clubhouse you create a new stream of income for your association. In the long term, this could be extra funds that would prevent special assessments.
More than that, having a space where homeowners can spend memorable moments truly adds value to the resident’s experience.
That said, keeping up with rental payments can be a dull task that board members don’t want to deal with. By implementing solutions like QuickBooks for HOA management makes processing rental fees easier.
3. Make maintenance and safety a priority in your HOA clubhouse
The safety of your residents should always be the top priority. This means that whatever event you host in the clubhouse you must make sure to assess all the risks. Once you have done that, check how these risks can be mitigated or covered. The best way to do that is to ensure that you have the proper HOA insurance. Don’t hesitate to ask your HOA lawyer or even a community association manager for advice.
If you decide to make your HOA clubhouse available for rental make sure that only residents and their guests (family and friends) will attend. If your clubhouse is rented by outsiders then your insurance probably won’t cover any damage. Also, in that case, you may be bound to the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). Private accommodations are not bound to the ADA but public ones are.
Another way to ensure everyone’s safety is to run frequent inspections of the space. By applying preventive HOA maintenance and anticipating repairs you can avoid accidents. Also, by keeping the space clean and well-maintained more residents will want to spend time there.
4. Make your HOA clubhouse a community hub by hosting exciting activities
When people decide to move to a homeowner association, it is often because they want to be part of a community. That said, having HOA amenities available is often not enough to bring residents together. The HOA board needs to think outside the box and find ways to engage residents. Having an HOA clubhouse makes it a whole lot easier. Keep in mind that some communities don’t even have one.
Here is a list of activities that you can organize at your community clubhouse:
- Weekly classes such as yoga, cooking or painting
- Ballroom dance classes
- Conferences or talks
- Food tasting events
- Book Clubs
- Potluck dinners
- Poetry nights
Some HOAs have computers and WIFI available at their clubhouse. This is useful for senior communities where residents may not have it at home. That way, they can easily keep up with the news and check their HOA website. Another great idea is to organize training with professionals. It could be for hurricane season preparation for example.
Many other ideas can be implemented. The best way to come up with creative activities is to let residents share their ideas. Conducting a survey in your HOA and asking what type of events they would like to have is a good way to do that. You can also ask if anyone is interested in helping to organize these events. This is the quickest way to gather volunteers for a new clubhouse committee.
5. Manage your HOA clubhouse easily with the help of an online HOA app or software
The main reason why some HOAs don’t make the most out of their clubhouse is that it is a lot of work. Take a look:
- Planning get-togethers
- Setting rules
- Communicating with residents
- Dealing with vendors
- Process rental fees
- Collect feedback
- Monitoring violations
This non-exhaustive list is enough to unmotivate board members especially those who are still using outdated processes. On the other hand, those who use integrated online tools know that they can simplify the process by automating most of these tasks.
Nowadays, all-in-one HOA software exists where you can:
- Book and manage amenities such as your HOA clubhouse
- Send instant notifications and notices to residents
- Run surveys and collect feedback from homeowners
- Process payments and generate instant balance sheets
- Manage violations and send reminders
- Store important documents and generate accessible links
These solutions allow you to automate dull tasks so you can have more time to focus on what matters most:
- Taking the best decisions on behalf of your HOA
- Being easily available to your residents
- Enjoying community social gatherings
Final points
Having a community hub is a benefit that not every HOA has. So, if your association has one, make this space appealing to everyone and host excellent get-togethers. Don’t forget to also use it as a source of new income. Last but not least, harness technology to manage your clubhouse more efficiently.
