In an HOA board, there are various roles one can take such as the President, Secretary and Treasurer. Many underestimate one very important role, however: the Vice-President. 

Nevertheless, this job is vital for any leadership group – not only for an HOA board. An HOA Vice-President takes over the President once absent, heads and assists HOA committees, and much more. 

In order to know more about this role, qualities of a good Vice-President and some tips when doing this job, continue reading!

1. Fill In For President

One of the main duties of a Vice-President is to step in when the President isn’t available to run meetings. Once you’re filling in for the President you are required to do various tasks in order to keep the HOA running smoothly such as:

• Running HOA meetings: You will lead the meetings and be responsible for the topics discussed.
• Signing documents: You will most likely be required to sign checks, contracts, stock certificates, and other legal documents.
• Vendors: You might be required to be the main point of contact for external vendors and contractors

Tip: Shadow President

One of the best ways to prepare yourself when filling in for the President is to shadow his activities. Make sure you know what they’re working on and what his/her responsibilities are. That way you won’t get lost and confused when having to assume the President’s role. 

2. Other Tasks

Apart from having to fill in the shoes of the President when needed, the HOA Vice-President also has their own responsibilities and duties. Such as checking and overseeing committees, properties, and buildings, organizing activities, and meeting and working with the management team. 

Tip: Get Familiar With Documents

Since you will be checking on committees, properties and buildings it’s vital that you know at least these three documents:

1. Declaration of Master Deed: Includes restrictions of a resident’s property and all of the unit’s they own.
2. Article of Incorporation: Includes the type and number of shares, board member election process and purpose of the corporation.
3. Association’s rules and regulations: Typically HOA rules include architectural guidelines, decoration restrictions, noise policies, pet size/quantity, home maintenance.

3. Heads HOA committees

Another main responsibility of the HOA Vice-President is to keep the board’s committees organized and with constant communication. There are many types of committees that your HOA can have such as the Architectural Committee (which sets rules about the appropriate changes regarding the HOA’s aesthetics).

You may also have a Landscaping committee (responsible for researching landscaping companies and helping the HOA look beautiful and keeping property values high).Finally, the Budget committee (organizes the board’s finances and helps plan annual budgets). Every HOA has their own amount and specific committees, which the Vice-President guides and directs as well as presides over some of these committees meetings. 

Tip: Know How Your Committees Work

Since you will be heading these committees you might as well know how they work and what their purpose is. Their main role is to address community issues and create guidelines that will benefit the HOA. Know the structure of a committee, its purpose, clear responsibilities and goals, and have an organized agenda for it. Having an answer for all of these will help you know how to lead and help all of your committees. 

Now that you know some of the main duties and responsibilities of an HOA Vice-President, it’s also important to know all of the qualities that a great VP has in order to help you be an effective board member in your community. 

Qualities Of a Great HOA Vice-President 

Teamwork

Always, when working with a group, no matter what position you are in, it is important to know how to be a good team member. Despite having a powerful position on your board you should make sure to control those working with you and trust them. Listen to their ideas and collaborate with them – don’t push all of the work to yourself, know how to use your position  and their ideas in order to establish what’s best for the community. 

Communication

Part of being an HOA Vice-President in your board includes communicating with residents, vendors, managers, and those who work with you – so having a clear communication with them is necessary. Sometimes, you will also have to give instructions to those working with you and clear communication is key in order to avoid misunderstandings. 

Transparency

One of the most important qualities when being a Vice-President is honesty and transparency. Especially when dealing with rule enforcement, you want to make sure they are all free of bias – you don’t want to establish rules solely for one person or group’s benefit. You also want to be trustworthy, and present in committees and meetings so people can know they can depend on you. 

Final Points

Being an HOA  Vice-President isn’t as easy as it sounds. They have a lot of responsibilities, duties, and things to lead and organize. Make sure you know the rules of your committee and board, and be in on everything your co-workers are doing. 

In order to help you manage properties and your community, be sure to download this guide with various helpful tips!