The role of an HOA president is to lead the community reliably and diligently. Without a doubt, becoming president requires commitments and a certain set of skills. That is why all board members need to understand this role and its responsibilities. Also, HOA presidents need to consistently work on their skills to serve their homeowners’ associations better.
In this blog post, we go through the role, the responsibilities, and the skills required to become a great HOA president. We also share tips and free resources.
What is the role of an HOA President?
As you may know, a homeowners association is usually governed by a board of directors. An HOA board usually has four main roles:
- An HOA President
- An HOA Vice-President
- An HOA Treasurer
- An HOA Secretary
These are the most common ones but other roles can exist in an HOA. This always depends on the governing documents of the association. Besides, if a community has enough volunteers, there can also be committees for specific projects. As an example, you can create an event committee that will oversee the organization of regular HOA events.
An HOA president oversees the administrative aspects of the HOA with the help of the board.
As in any leadership position, the role of a president is to provide guidance to the HOA board to execute daily operations. Motivating and assisting team members in their tasks is a leader’s core function.
Another important aspect of this role is to provide a positive vision for the HOA. To do so, engaging homeowners and encouraging them to attend meetings and events is essential. Fostering a sense of community should be a priority for anyone on the board.
How do you become an HOA President?
As you probably know, homeowners associations are run democratically. This means that residents vote to elect their governing body. However, the process of electing an HOA president can vary from an association to another. Governing documents usually explain the HOA election process.
An HOA election usually takes place once a year at the annual meeting. Some associations require a minimum of a quorum for the voting to take place. Any homeowner is eligible to run for president or vote to elect one.
To become a candidate, you either have to nominate yourself or have homeowners collect signatures to nominate you.
If you are interested in running for president, participating in community events and getting to know other residents will help you become well-known and improve your chances.
What are the main responsibilities of an HOA President?
An HOA board president is in charge of executing and enforcing the bylaws created by the association. Here is a non-exhaustive list of what their day-to-day tasks include:
- Acts as the main point of contact for external vendors and contractors
- Acts as an intermediary between the management company and the overall community
- Calls and runs every HOA meeting
- Manage meeting agendas and announce votes results
- Mediate conflicts in the community and in the workplace
- Assign committees
- Sign documents
- Participate in community events and give speeches
- Share a few words in the HOA newsletter
Keep in mind that the HOA president is the main representative of the homeowners’ association. This is why the president acts as a spokesperson for the association on important occasions.
Are there any skills required to be a great HOA President?
While no prior skills or qualifications are required to become an HOA president, some skills will certainly help you become a successful one.
Here are five essential leadership skills to learn:
- Communication
The ability to communicate clearly and concisely is essential for this role. As said above, the president is in charge of running every HOA meeting. This means that you need to feel comfortable speaking in front of a large group. Good communicators are also good listeners. It is important to carefully listen to residents’ concerns and requests to provide clear and satisfying replies.
- Eagerness to learn
A great leader seeks to learn new skills to become a better supervisor. Managing an HOA is not an easy task. It involves a lot of rules and restrictions. It is a big responsibility to ensure the satisfaction and safety of residents. That is why it is important to educate yourself and to keep up with recent trends in the community associations market. Luckily, free Continuing Education classes are available either online or in-person to help board members and community managers learn new skills.
- Trustworthiness
When residents elect a president, it means they trust that they have the skills and vision to perform this role adequately. Trust is incredibly important as it is the foundation of a successful board/residents relationship. However, trust is not linear, it is something that you need to work on to earn it in the long run. The best way to foster trust is to be transparent. Communicating regularly with your resident will certainly help. Another important aspect of transparency is having information easily available. One great way to do that is to store your HOA’s documents online so any HOA member can access them easily.
- Know how to engage and motivate your community
In general, people join homeowners associations because they want to be part of a community. But if the board doesn’t put extra effort into organizing exciting activities, residents will lose interest. It is the role of a president to engage residents and to increase the participation rate in events and meetings. A good way to understand what motivates your resident is to conduct HOA surveys. Ask them what activities they would like to have or what improvements could be made.
- Tech-savviness
Last but not least, using digital tools to perform tasks can save the board’s time. Nowadays, HOA software exists that simplifies HOA management by automating tedious tasks. It also allows you to communicate using several HOA communication tools at once and without a lot of effort. Acquiring technical skills is easier than people think. There are many tutorial videos available for free on Youtube for example. Also, software companies usually offer onboarding sessions and support via phone and chat.Â
Final points
A dedicated HOA president is the foundation of a successfully run HOA. While this position is rewarding it is not the simplest one. It requires time, commitment and enthusiasm. Any homeowner willing to take over this responsibility should think carefully if they are well-suited for the role.
If you’d like to discover tech tools that can help you excel as an HOA president. Click on the image below and read our blog article on the topic.
