HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - August 5, 2022
Published: Fri, 08/05/22
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HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - August 5, 2022
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An HOAleader.com reader recently asked if being a board member is something he could learn on the job—or would he be "getting in over his head" by joining without HOA operational experience.
In this week's tip, we check in with our reader to find out why he eventually decided to join his board and ask whether he regrets even moving into the community.
Our reader explained that his 30-home Florida HOA had only two of five positions filled—president and secretary—and that apathy was leading to a lack of rule enforcement.
"Neither wants to continue their job, and no one else in the neighborhood wants to take the positions. If they both quit, either we have no HOA and the neighborhood turns into a slum or the state appoints an outside management company and our fees skyrocket…They asked me to join the board, but I have a feeling that if I do, they'll both resign, leaving me as president to run everything."
Our reader—who asked not to be identified by name, so we'll call him Joe—says he bought within his community in the past year. When he moved in, the board secretary told Joe they could use more board members and asked Joe to join. Later, the secretary wondered aloud whether the community even needed an HOA anymore, suggesting it should be dissolved.
The HOA's president, whom Joe also met, told him the community was nice but had one neighbor who complained about everything and everybody and had been involved in lawsuits with the HOA. The president also admitted that he didn't like getting involved and "interfering with people's lives."
Joe did his due diligence, reaching out to the neighbor who's allegedly a serial complainer. "I've spoken to the neighbor in person, and I kind of get where she's coming from," he explains. "She moved in 20 years ago when the community was in beautiful shape, and everybody followed the rules. That's not the neighborhood we have now, and she says that's not what she's paying dues for. I can respect that.
"What it came down to when I decided to join the board was that I saw that others weren't interested in doing their jobs and that both could bail at any second," says Joe. "Then, if there's nobody on the board, our HOA would get taken over by the government or we'd lose the HOA altogether. I was sort of strongarmed into joining just to keep the HOA intact."
Joe says there's been progress, but his HOA is still having a bumpy ride. Read about his experience in our new article: https://www.hoaleader.com/members/4556.cfm
Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President
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