HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - March 20, 2026
Published: Fri, 03/20/26
Updated: Tue, 03/24/26
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HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - March 20, 2026
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In this week's tip, we help out a reader who's concerned about the ethics and propriety of their board president hiring a member in the community to do work in the community.
Our HOAleader.com reader says their nonprofit HOA president is asking for volunteers do to work, and when nobody steps up, he pays an owner in the community—his friend—to complete the jobs.
Look, this isn't ideal. But it's also not unusual.
“A lot of people are doing this,” says Melissa Garcia, a retired former shareholder at Altitude Community Law PC in Lakewood, Colo., who provided advice and counsel to Colorado associations in all areas of community association law and continues to be a resources for communities. “They have no money to go outside, so they're trying to figure for the next year: ‘Can we do this with volunteers?' If volunteers don't emerge, then they ask, ‘Nobody's going to do it, so what's wrong with paying an owner?'”
Matthew Zifrony, who advises homeowners and condo associations at Tripp Scott, a Ft. Lauderdale law firm, and who has also served as the president of a 3,000-home association, agrees that this is a common dilemma for condo and HOA boards.
“On the one hand, hiring the friend or another owner and paying them isn't a good thing to do,” he explains. “There's a perception of favoritism, a conflict of interest—all this stuff.
“What makes this stand out, however, is that there's nobody else to do the work,” says Zifrony. “This is a situation when you have to balance not having the work done at all versus having the only person who can do the work who happens to be a friend of the president and an owner.”
Check out our new article to find out how our experts work through five of those factors, plus the steps your board could take to minimize the risk to your condo or HOA if you took this approach: https://www.hoaleader.com/members/5275.cfm.
Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President
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Recent articles posted at HOAleader.com:
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When One Condo Causes Mold in the Unit Below, Who Pays to Fix May Not Be Obvious
In this week’s tip, we’re helping out an HOAleader.com reader who has a water-intrusion problem. Our reader lives in a condo where one owner found mold in her utility closet that was traced to a leak from the HVAC in the unit above her. The board suspected the unit above her was also filled with mold, and the building paid for the inspection report...
Click here to read the full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/When-One-Condo-Causes-Mold-in-Unit-Below-Who-Pays-Fix-May-Not-Be-Obvious.cfm
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Seemingly Simple Question: Can Condo/HOA Owners Get All Contracts In a Records Request?
An HOAleader.com reader asks: “Can a resident request a copy of our vendors’ contracts? A resident requested a copy of all our vendor contracts. We advised that they can make an appointment and come to the resident center and review them but can’t get a copy. I thought as long as there’s nothing private on contracts, they could get a copy.”
Click here to read the full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/Seemingly-Simple-Question-Can-Condo-HOA-Owners-Get-All-Contracts-In-Records-Request.cfm
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Ah, That Age-Old Dispute Over Who’s Responsible When One Condo Unit Causes Damage in Another
An HOAleader.com reader asks: “We live in a condo building in New York. A unit owner on the third floor discovered black mold in her utility closet that was traced to a leak from the HVAC in the unit above her (the top floor). So far, she has paid for the mold inspection and remediation in her unit to the tune of $30,000...
Click here to read the full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/Ah-That-Age-Old-Dispute-Over-Whos-Responsible-When-One-Condo-Unit-Causes-Damage-in-Another.cfm
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HOA Board Member Wants to Meet Behind the Scenes: That Might Be Fine, But It May Not Be Best
An HOAleader.com reader is working to create internal documents to evaluate vendors and wants to know if they can do that work without those pesky owners interfering...
Click here to read the full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/HOA-Board-Member-Wants-Meet-Behind-Scenes-That-Might-Be-Fine-But-It-May-Not-Be-Best.cfm
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Creating Condo/HOA Policies and Procedures: Is It OK to Do That Behind the Scenes?
An HOAleader.com reader asks: “I’d like to schedule an executive meeting to discuss current suppliers and employees’ performance. Currently, we don’t have procedures or performance review forms for suppliers or employees. At the executive meeting, I’d like to propose procedures and performance review forms for both...
Click here to read the full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/Creating-Condo-HOA-Policies-Procedures-It-OK-Do-That-Behind-Scenes.cfm
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SPECIAL REPORT DOWNLOAD
How to Prevent and Resolve Conflicts of Interest at Condos and HOAs: 8 Real-Life Case Studies
In this comprehensive report, we've sought the advice of legal experts on the best practices for identifying, avoiding, and resolving conflicts of interest in your association. The information in this report will not just help you operate your community association better and with more confidence, but it'll give you peace of mind that you're reducing your risk as a volunteer.
Members can download the report here:
https://www.hoaleader.com/public/how-to-prevent-conflicts-of-interest-report.cfm
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