HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - September 25, 2009
Published: Fri, 09/25/09
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HOA Communications: Be Proactive To Manage Expectations About
Board Member Accessibility
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Some community members seem to think that their HOA board should
be available 24/7 to listen to every and any complaints,
suggestions and comments. This week's tip comes from a new
article about setting boundaries to protect yourself (and the
rest of your board) from this common problem.
Elizabeth White, a shareholder and head of the community
associations practice at the law firm of LeClairRyan in
Williamsburg, Va., hears board members complain about this issue
often. "A lot of it comes back to setting boundaries and
expectations," she says.
"What I communicate to association members is, 'Being on the
board is a volunteer position. You have lives and jobs, and
board members have the same. They're committed to you to lead
this community. But just as you're not on call 24 hours a day,
neither should they be.'"
Elizabeth adds, "There needs to be a balance between board members
being responsible and everybody realizing this is a volunteer
position--and that needs to be explained proactively, not after
there's a problem."
Today's tip is to take that proactive approach. Think how and
where you can convey this concept to your community--whether
it's your next newsletter or a message on your HOA website, or
through some other means.
And for more tips on successfully setting boundaries so that your
volunteer board position doesn't become a 24-hour job, see our
new article: http://www.hoaleader.com/members/338.cfm
Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President
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Recent articles posted at HOAleader.com:
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HOA Board Members: How to Avoid Being On Call 24-7
Living in the same place that you volunteer as a board member
means you're always visible and available through a simple knock
on your door. And there's no question some owners take advantage
of that accessibility. But being a board member doesn't have to
be that way. Here are tips for setting boundaries so that members
know that you and your fellow board members aren't your
association's 24-hour resident managers.
Click here to read full article:
< http://www.hoaleader.com/members/338.cfm >
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HOA Management Fees: Beware These Questionable Fees; How Your
Association Can Address Them
Here, White and other attorneys who represent associations reveal
fees they've seen slipped into their clients' management
contracts and invoices. They also offer tips for addressing them.
Click here to read full article:
< http://www.hoaleader.com/members/335.cfm >
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Have You Made This Common Mistake with HOA or Condo Elections?
This week's tip comes from a new article that outlines 6 common
mistakes boards make when running their elections--and how you
can avoid them. Today we'll cover one of the 6 mistakes: failing
to plan by sending out proxies.
Click here to read full article:
< http://www.hoaleader.com/public/337.cfm >
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HOA or Condo Insurance Checkup: Review Your Governing Documents
"Read carefully the [insurance] requirements of your own
governing documents," advises Robert Galvin. "Occasionally, I
find an association that
Click here to read full article:
< http://www.hoaleader.com/public/334.cfm >
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Recalls, Part II: If You Must Do a Recall Vote, Read This First
In November 2008, a California appellate court held invalid an
association's requirement that director recalls required a 60
percent supermajority of the association's total voting power.
Here's what you need to know about that case even if your
association isn't in located in California, along with tips on
how to properly conduct a recall vote. If you're a board member
who has gotten wind of a potential recall effort in your
community, you'll find advice for you too.
Click here to read full article:
< http://www.hoaleader.com/members/333.cfm >
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