How to Avoid a Frantic and Challenging Search for a Qualified Condo/HOA Manager
HOAleader.com - Tip of
the Week - August 4, 2023
In this week’s tip, we warn you of a problem that’s growing: Communities in Canada are struggling to find good managers. And many of our experts say that’s also true in the United States.
"We’re all experiencing the same thing as those communities in Canada," says Zuly Maribona, LCAM, the Bonita Springs, Fla.-based senior vice president and partner at KW Property Management who oversees the company's southwest Florida, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa,
and North Carolina operations. "It’s true in Southwest Florida and in other markets in the state.
"In Southwest Florida specifically, we at management companies are seeing somewhat of a shortage in finding candidates," she adds. "Whether
it’s salary driven or something else, it’s becoming very competitive here. But I think management companies are seeing staffing shortages everywhere. With the competitive nature of the employee market and the more communities that are built, the more competitive it becomes.
"Also, if a community is looking for a lifestyle manager, it’s looking for a manager skilled at higher levels with leadership and project management skills," says Maribona. "And those candidates are looking for more money. They’re saying, ‘Pay me what I’m worth.’ That’s one side of the issue.
"On the flip side, with condos and the challenges that have arisen after the condo collapse in Surfside, I’ve seen some managers—not a lot, but more—looking for jobs outside the industry," she says. "They’re saying, ‘I’d like to work remotely rather than dealing with the everyday property management environment.’"
Alex Noland, CCAL, founder of Noland Law PC in San Francisco, which represents 200-plus community associations throughout California, has seen rising costs factor into manager-search challenges, too. "In California, there are some associations that directly hire their general manager if they have one
on site, and they’re usually employees of the management company," he says. "In San Francisco, there’s a manager shortage because of COVID-19, because of people having changed jobs and moved away, and because of remote work."
Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President