HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - September 10, 2013
Published: Tue, 09/10/13
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A Note from the Publisher:
In observance of the Labor Day Holiday, we did not send a Tip of
the Week on Friday, August 30. As a result we are sending this
"extra" tip today. We hope you find it valuable. We will now
return to our normal schedule of sending the Tip of the Week out
each Friday at approximately 3pm Eastern.
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When HOA Owners Speak Up, Respond Wisely
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In this tip, we offer tips on when and how to respond to
owners' communications.
Generally, boards aren't compelled to respond to
owners' every communication. "The board may not
wish to require itself to respond to every issue
a home owner raises, and I don't think legally
they are," says Matthew A. Drewes, a partner at
Thomsen & Nybeck PA in Edina, Minn., who represents
associations. "It's a polite thing to do, and
so long as people are using that to engage in a
proper discourse, it's great if the board wants
to do that."
In fact, telling owners you'll respond to all
contacts may be asking for trouble. "Every
association does things a little differently,"
explains Erin McManis, a senior associate at
Mulcahy Law Firm PC in Phoenix, who advises many
associations. "The danger is that having a
policy to respond to every owner's comment will
set up unrealistic expectations. A good policy
or practice would be to acknowledge there's
been a comment or written communication, to
say the board will review it, say thank you for
submitting it, and then let the owner know when
the next meeting is so the owner can come and
raise the issue at the open forum portion of
the meeting."
You can adopt other practices to ensure that
owners feel heard while not putting too heavy
a burden on yourself as board members. Here's
one: Establish guidelines for comments.
"A board can pass a rule stating, 'This is the means of
communication with the board: Comments have to be submitted
in writing, through the managing agent, or to the board [some
boards have a confidential board comment box] at last 48 hours
in advance of the meeting,'" explains Brian F. Lozell, CPM,
director of condominium management at Seneca Real Estate
Advisors, a Chicago startup company that manages less than 100
units so far; at Lozell's prior firm, he managed as many as
1,000 units. "You're not taking the right away from unit
owners. You're just limiting how they can communicate with
the board."
Want four more smart ideas for responding to owners?
Get them in our new article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/members/893.cfm
Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President
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Recent articles posted at HOAleader.com:
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How to Recognize When HOA Disputes Are Petty
Some claim that the vast majority of HOA disputes are caused by homeowners
who are not fully aware of the process and of their rights, or by boards of
directors who do as they please, or use their position for their own gain or to
harass those whom they don't like.
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/members/How-to-Recognize-When-HOA-Disputes-Are-Petty.cfm
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HOA Owners' Four Responsibilities--and How You Can Make Them Sink In
If you had your members' undivided attention for five minutes to explain
their duties as owners in an HOA, what would be most important points to
convey? Here, our experts answer that question in four ways. They also
provide tips on how to connect when educating owners on their role in your
community association.
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/members/HOA-Owners-Four-Responsibilities.cfm
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Make Your HOA's Open Forum More Productive--Here's How
In this week's tip, we give the lowdown on rules you can consider to ensure
your HOA's open forum is worth the time for both you and your owners.If you
don't already have an open forum at board meetings, consider adding one.
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/public/Make-Your-HOA-Open-Forum-More-Productive.cfm
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Smart Rules for Your HOA Meetings Open Forum
Some laws and governing documents call for homeowners association board
meetings to include an open forum for owners to voice opinions and concerns.
That said, you're well within your board rights to impose reasonable rules
to ensure those sessions are productive yet still offer owners a chance to be
heard. Here our experts provide suggestions.
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/members/Smart-Rules-for-Your-HOA-Meetings-Open-Forum.cfm
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Does Your HOA Restrict Lighting? Should It?
An HOAleader.com reader wants to know if boards at other HOAs restrict
owners' use of lighting that affects common areas or neighboring property.
Here we discuss whether lighting restrictions are common, what the
restrictions typically cover, and possible restrictions that might be a
bad idea.
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/members/Does-Your-HOA-Restrict-Lighting-Should-It.cfm
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