Managing a homeowners association can be difficult, as not everyone has experience and everyone wants different things. It’s important to focus on the reason that everyone is there, to help the community. From there, you can work to run a successful and efficient HOA. 

In this article, we give you our top tips to make your community association a better place to live and work.

Improve your communication

Communication is a key part of an HOA, both with homeowners and between board members. One of the most important steps to improve communication is to embrace different communication channels. 

Think about how you communicate currently, then ask residents if they’re satisfied. You can distribute a survey at an HOA meeting, or ask your neighbors on a scale of 1 to 10 how satisfied are they with the board’s communication and how they would improve it. It’s not possible to satisfy everyone, but normally some patterns appear that will give you an idea of how to proceed.

Having clear communication improves members’ engagement, knowledge, and satisfaction with the board, and community as a whole. For the board, it makes management more efficient in the HOA, as they know that their message is reaching residents.

Popular communication channels:

• Mail: Many residents still like to receive letters with HOA information, and states still require you to mail out notices.
• Email: A fast way to reach the vast majority of residents
• Website: If it’s public, you can’t post everything, but key information can go online
• Texts: Short, important messages that residents need to get quickly are good to send by text
• Calls: In an emergency, or to follow up on key issues, calling (or sending out mass calls), is a great option.

Bonus tip: Communication software, like Neigbrs by Vinteum, allows you to reach residents through different digital channels efficiently.

Organize meetings

Overly long HOA meetings create stress for board members and any residents who may attend. Organize meetings in advance and ensure it has a clear agenda, to try to remain on track and objective.

The more straightforward the meetings are, the more engagement will increase and the relationship between the board and homeowners will improve. You should always have a person who is prepared to guide participants when it’s time to speak, stay on track, and control the debate.

You need to organize meetings regularly (every 2-6 months). When you have a date, you should notify residents, and then remind them closer to the time that there will be a meeting. Clear and repeated communication will directly impact the number of residents who participate.

Records

By law, you should be keeping a record of all your meeting minutes. To increase transparency with residents you should be making these available to residents. When a meeting is held and the draft is finalized, make the document available for later consultation. 

In addition, budgets, governing documents, CC&Rs, and other important forms and documents must be made available to residents. These can be stored in an office, where residents can request copies of the documents. Otherwise, you can store them online on a secure platform that residents can access to view them. 

Bonus tip: The board should be familiar with the HOA’s important records. Their decisions must be based on the CC&Rs and governing documents, as well as local and state law. 

Set a budget

Understanding your HOA’s financial resources is key for the board. That means that you should do a reserve study, and calculate the dues that the HOA should receive and the expenses for the year. You can confer with a certified public accountant (CPA), to help.

After that comes the difficult bit of sticking to the budget. That means chasing residents on any late dues, and not spending more than the HOA can afford. This can be one of the most stressful parts of managing a community association but it is a game changer when managing a successful and efficient HOA.

Align goals and expectations

Any group can end up with misaligned goals and needs, and HOAs are no different.

With that in mind, the board needs to talk to each other and to other residents openly about their expectations and pain points. From there you can identify the community’s needs and create an action plan for the priorities that arose.

Board and committee members should be on the same page about what the priorities are and the deadlines for each one.

A board with common objectives works better in all aspects. People know what is happening, the priorities, and the next steps. This decreases stress and conflict around decision-making and increases efficiency.

Wrapping Up: Running a Successful & Efficient HOA

To run a successful and efficient HOA, the board needs to communicate openly with each other, and clearly with residents. There must be frequent meetings, where records are taken and shared. All HOA documents must be readily available when a resident wants them. The board must have a clear budget, which they should follow. Finally, goals and objectives should be clearly aligned among board and committee members.

To find out how Neigbrs by Vinteum can help you with all of these tips, book your free demo.