Rent Real EstateAssaulting The Homeowner Association Manager
Professional homeowner association managers often manage communities that
include thousands of owners and millions of dollars worth of property.
Beside traditional apartment manager responsibilities like making sure the
grounds, pool and building remain in good shape, these managers must have a
technical expertise that can only come from years of focused experience.
The laws governing homeowner associations make managing one dramatically
different than apartments. For one, the residents are owners, not renters,
and the relationship between them is very different. Owners rightly feel
that the manager "works for them". If owners violate established rules, the
manager cannot evict them like a tenant. If an owner fails to pay monthly
assessments, again, the manager isn"t empowered to evict. The job takes
patience, a high degree of organization and people skills.
While the manager"s "dance card is full" day in and day out, some owners
repeatedly assault the manager with information requests based on a "right
to know". While it is true that the owners have a right to know about the
associations business and most managers try to be cooperative, there simply
aren"t enough hours in the day to respond to each owner personally. Even
when managers respond to board members, most business is deferred to board
meetings for efficiency. Manager assault is sometimes based on the
suspicion that the manager is up to something inappropriate. It is more
often the case of an owner trying to micro-manage the association.
By contract, the manager is hired by the board of directors and under the
direction of the Board President, not individual owners. The Board has the
duty to keep owners reasonably informed. Newsletters and minutes usually
fill this bill.
Most homeowner association managers put in a full day’s work, attend many
evening board meetings PLUS are on call 24 hours a day for emergencies.
These managers establish their management fees by the time it takes to get
the job done. The monthly fee is not all encompassing. It is based on
performing ordinary and routine services. When the number of extra or
special services increase, so will the fee. It is prudent for the Board to
protect the manager from overzealous owners. Assaulting the manager or
peppering him with unnecessary requests will ultimately spoil the recipe.
For more information on this subject, see www.Regenesis.net.