HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - April 17, 2020
Published: Fri, 04/17/20
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COVID-19: Tips for Condo/HOA Boards Staying Connected Virtually
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Raise your hand if your condo or HOA is now holding meetings remotely. Everybody's hand is up, right?
We can confidently make that prediction because our experts say their boards have make the move to online business. But it's not without its challenges.
"We've taken this approach: Unless there's something that's emergency in nature, let's postpone any kind of meetings now," reports Brad van Rooyen, founder and senior member of Tampa, Fla.-based HomeRiver Group and its national specialist for community association management and the president of Home Encounter. "We're sending weekly bulletins letting boards know our operational status and providing information on our state's executive orders. Our managers are spending more time communicating now. We haven't had to do any emergency meetings."
That's all being done despite the fact that van Rooyen says Florida law isn't clear on the exact approach boards should take. "The law is still gray about how virtual meetings are working, and I believe this will force legislative fixes," he says. "Under our state's executive orders and emergency orders, we can notice a meeting and hold one, but because virtual meetings are new technology for boards, we're going to have to perfect them to make the system better."
In California, the state has very precise rules about condo and HOA meetings, and boards are tweaking them as necessary, according to Andrea L. O'Toole, a Walnut Creek-based principal at Berding Weil, a law firm that does only community association law throughout the state.
"Most meetings have to be open to membership at large in California," she says. "Business has to be done at open meetings, and members are allowed to attend those and are allowed to address the board during an open forum. That's created challenges in virtual meetings.
"I've had some clients that have basically postponed their meetings temporarily because they don't have imminent issues to address," she says. "Those who want to continue business as usual sometimes do conference calls and sometimes use Zoom."
Some clients have asked O'Toole if they can skip the requirement that members be permitted to join board meetings. "We're not telling clients they can do their meetings in private and don't have to let members attend," she says. "We get it's kind of a pain, but it's not impossible, so where you can, you should comply."
Experts from additional states weigh in, and they offer advice on the thornier issue of annual meetings, in our new article: https://www.hoaleader.com/members/4099.cfm
Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President
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Upcoming Event
COVID-19 and Your HOA: A Free Update for HOA and Condo Boards on How to Navigate and Prepare for Operational Challenges in Your Community from the Coronavirus
***Due to overwhelming demand, we are presenting an encore presentation of this webinar, which will include additional updates and expert speakers from 4 states.***
Thursday, April 23 -- next week!
2:00 p.m. Eastern
Learn more or register now:
https://www.hoaleader.com/products/covid-19-update-and-prepare-april-23.cfm
This webinar is free, as a service to our community.
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