What Tasks Do Community Association Management Companies Handle?
The board's job is to make decisions. HOA association management companies work on the association's behalf. Management companies have no decision-making power over the HOA. However, they do act at the board's behest. The management's job is to carry them out.
Management companies' responsibilities typically fall into three broad categories: administrative support, advisory services, and ongoing maintenance. Below is a breakdown of these categories so HOA Boards can better understand the function of their Florida community association company.
Administrative Support
HOA boards of directors consist of a group of dedicated volunteers. The community manager handles time-consuming tasks so the board can focus on high-impact decision-making. The efforts of a community manager should make things easier for board members to show up to meetings to make informed decisions in the best interest of the association.
With additional behind-the-scenes support from the community association management company, managers are responsible for daily administrative items such as:
Recording and distributing board meeting minutes
Facilitating board meetings
Managing contracts with vendors
Assembling vendor due diligence
Managing HOA correspondence and communications
Paying bills
Collecting and depositing assessments
Planning and executing board-approved community events
Advisory Services
Association management companies know best practices to help the HOA board make responsible decisions.
HOA management companies usually defer the board to the association's attorney for legal advice. However, managers can guide on other matters, including reserve allocation, current trends in amenities, vendor comparison, planning for capital improvements, community-building activities, and developing the community's long-term strategic plan.
Over time, most boards learn to trust their management company's expertise, thus increasing the efficiency of operations overall. We've seen the powerful benefits of a strong manager/HOA relationship, which is why we place so much emphasis on finding the right managerial fit.
Ongoing Maintenance
The community manager provides a "boots-on-the-ground" presence on behalf of the board. Managers conduct regular property inspections to ensure common areas are in good working order and members abide by the association's rules and regulations. They also handle the day-to-day communications and coordination with vendors for standard maintenance contracts and special one-off projects.
As a time-saving measure, many boards pre-authorize their manager to oversee specific low-expenditure projects on their behalf, in place of requiring approval from the board for every small task. They authorize the manager to handle minor items, such as repairing broken sprinkler heads, replacing lighting, or overseeing simple plumbing repairs in joint spaces. However, the manager is always responsible for providing a real-time balance sheet of expenses at board meetings or upon specific requests from the board.
Contact Us
The extensive amount of responsibilities undertaken by community association management companies adds up to a full-time job. Management companies provide crucial, hands-on support to associations—some are obvious, some are less noticeable but equally important.
All the tasks performed by management companies ladder up to a single, overriding objective: to protect the property values in the association and build a thriving, welcoming community. Contact Condominium Associates today to learn more about how we can assist your HOA Board of directors.
