HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - October 3, 2014
Published: Fri, 10/03/14
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Can You Spot Where This HOA Went Wrong?
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In this week's tip, we cull lessons from a very ugly dispute at an HOA. The
Quail Hill HOA in Irvine, Calif., has been the battleground for a war between
two factions who've vehemently disagreed over whether the HOA should allow
a local swim team to use one of the community's pools and whether it should
have contributed funds to the swim team.
It's not unheard of for HOAs to offer up their facilities to outside groups.
But it's also not unheard of for it to create dissention.
"Many years ago, I managed a large-scale community and we let the cross
country team from the local high school have meets on the golf course,"
recalls Duane McPherson, president of corporate development for
CiraConnect, which provides management companies, developers, and
large-scale self-managed associations with a cloud based software
solution and back-office shared service. "They used the course on Saturday
mornings for an hour and a half, but the golfers didn't like it at all. It ended
up creating a pitched battle."
In that case, the parties were able to negotiate a compromise. "We had to come
up with alternatives that didn't involve displacing the golfers on the
Saturdays they wanted to get their tee times," says McPherson. "The
compromise was that the cross country team could start super early in the
morning, but they had to be off the course an hour after the first tee times. So
they were basically done with their meet by the time the golfers were ready to
start. That was a compromise situation, and it worked."
The issue often arises when an owner is involved in an outside group and asks
to use HOA facilities. "It hasn't been in relation to a swim club, but we've
had times when a local group wanted to use a clubhouse on a regular basis, and
the discussion started with, 'One of our members is a member of that group,
and we think that member should be allowed to use it,'" says a veteran
community management expert.
"However, it's really a business entity that's asking to use the facility,
and that's not the intent for the services provided exclusively for HOA
members," says that veteran community management expert.
Check out our new article, http://www.hoaleader.com/members/1074.cfm,
for details on the Quail Hill fight, along with tips on how to prevent such
divisiveness at your HOA.
Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President
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Recent articles posted at HOAleader.com:
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How Not to Run Your HOA: Lessons of a Pitched HOA Battle
The Quail Hill HOA in Irvine, Calif., has been the battleground for a war
between two factions who've vehemently disagreed over whether the HOA
should allow a local swim team to use one of the community's pools and whether
it should have contributed funds to the swim team.
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/members/How-Not-Run-Your-HOA-Lessons-Pitched-HOA-Battle.cfm
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California HOA Bill Tackles Challenge Common in Many States
In this week's tip, we discuss a bill pending before the California
legislature governing who's responsible to repair and replace
exclusive-use common elements. We also explain why the issue is important
not just in California but in states throughout the country.
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/members/California-HOA-Bill-Tackles-Challenge-Common-in-Many-States.cfm
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Get Cooking: Is Your HOA Kitchen a Gold Mine or a Land Mine?
An HOAleader.com reader writes, "The HOA I am doing some research for in
Florida has a pretty extensive kitchen that's used entirely by the
membership and for the membership. I was interested in any feedback that
discussion group members could provide me on any HOA's that have the same
arrangement… Also, whether or not your HOA has a kitchen for the members and
by the members, without any professional and paid help, what advice can you
give us regarding the following: Your thoughts on providing food services
to the public; thoughts on steps that should be taken to provide food
services to the public; any experience you may have on the potential revenue
benefits of expanding the kitchen (I'm really speaking of lunch or dinner
services) to the public. Do you feel that some professional help would be
necessary if services were expanding to invite the public?"
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/members/Get-Cooking-Your-HOA-Kitchen-Gold-Mine-or-Land-Mine.cfm
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HOA to Owners: We Hereby Ban Gaudy and Distasteful Holiday Decorations
Here's a challenge: Who decides what's tasteful and what's tacky when it
comes to holiday decorations?
That's essentially the issue raised by this question from an HOAleader.com
reader: "We have approximately 100 units in our condo community. A few
owners have consistently erected gaudy, distasteful Christmas
decorations, often before Thanksgiving and leaving them up until after
January 5. While it's difficult and tricky to dictate what's 'tasteful,'
they are an eyesore, especially since these are ground-level condos
connected townhome style.
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/members/HOA-Owners-We-Hereby-Ban-Gaudy-Distasteful-Holiday-Decorations.cfm
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Solar Panels for HOA Common Areas: A Bright Idea?
An HOAleader.com reader writes, "Our common property contains an area that seems most
suitable for placing [solar] panels and useless for most anything else. Have you any
wisdom, knowledge, and experience from other HOAs on this subject? Tax incentives and
electric company buybacks seem irresistible." Here we uncover some insights.
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/members/Solar-Panels-for-HOA-Common-Areas-Bright-Idea.cfm
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