HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - December 27, 2013
Published: Fri, 12/27/13
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Boost HOA Meeting Attendance with These Smart Tips
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In this week's tip, we whet your appetite with two ideas to get
your meetings back on track:
1. Plan well and in advance.
"Have a plan because nobody likes to show up to a meeting that's
disorganized," advises Elizabeth White, a shareholder and head of
the community associations practice at the law firm of
LeClairRyan in Williamsburg, Va.
"What do you want to have accomplished by the end of the
meeting?" asks White. "Is it an informational meeting? Is there
another purpose? Start with your goal, and work backwards.
That'll help you answer questions like: What should we post on
the website? Should we do FAQs? One association I represent
was looking to sell its water system; that's a hugely regulated
industry and very cumbersome for an association to run on its
own. The board knew what a headache operating the water system
was, but the rest of the home owners didn't. I told them, 'You
might need a public relations effort.'"
2. Create a draw.
"If it's your annual meeting, give owners a reason to attend,"
advises David W. Kaman, a Columbus-based partner at Kaman &
Cusimano LLC, which represents associations throughout Ohio.
"Instead of an annual meeting, make it an annual celebration
where the board is presenting results in a positive light: 'Here
are the projects we've completed in the prior year. Here's how
your money was spent.'
"The meeting should be tremendously informative with detail and
pie charts and graphs showing owners how money was allocated,"
adds Kaman. "If you're in a big building and you've replaced the
elevator motors, most owners don't see that. With a PowerPoint
presentation and your ability to take pictures, show owners the
projects you've completed. Even if one item is that you've
installed a new sign at the entrance, have a picture of it
there."
For even more help on how to make your meetings more worthwhile,
check out our new article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/members/932.cfm
Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President
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Recent articles posted at HOAleader.com:
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Six Tips to Run HOA Meetings More Effectively
Still haven't nailed down HOA meetings so they run like a well-oiled
machine? Here are six tips from our experts to make your HOA meetings run more
smoothly--and why that's important in the first place.
Click here to read full article:
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What HOA Boards Need to Know About Xeriscaping
Texas has passed a law permitting Texas homeowners to submit a xeriscaping
plan to their HOA for approval and limiting the HOA's ability to reject such
plans. Here we discuss the Texas law, the basics of xeriscaping, and offer
insight on what this may mean for your HOA.
Click here to read full article:
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Wait! There's More! Additional Ideas to Combat Short-Term Rentals
In this week's tip, we follow up on last month's article exposing the
challenge HOAs face in policing owners who violate HOA rules by renting
their units out for short-term stints through growing websites like AirBnb
and VRBO.com.
Click here to read full article:
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Follow Up: More on Catching Owners in the Short-Term Rental Act
Last month, we exposed the challenge HOAs face in policing owners who
violate HOA rules by renting their units out for short-term stints through
growing websites like AirBnb and VRBO.com. This month, we get feedback on
the issue from an operator of such sites--HomeAway. We also discuss one
potential way to shut these owners down: Posting a comment in the review
section of a listing informing renters that the owner may be violating HOA
rules and that the renter could get caught in a dispute between the owner and
the HOA.
Click here to read full article:
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Four Tips to Avoid Being a Scrooge When It Comes to Holiday Lights and
Decorations
You can put reasonable restrictions on your owners' holiday displays. But
that can cause resentment among some owners. Here we discuss whether and how
HOAs have broached the Christmas display issue by imposing rules and
regulations. We also discuss what an HOA should do when owners go overboard,
creating what some consider a nuisance in the neighborhood, with extreme
lighting, noise, and traffic.
Click here to read full article:
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