Florida is home to the country's most homeowners associations per capita with nearly 50,000.
If you're part of the leadership group for your association, you may wonder what you need to do for your HOA to thrive. In the end, a community will only go as far as its leadership allows, so if you're not up to the task, yours will have severe limitations.
As one of the top HOA management groups in Fort Myers, we know plenty about successful association management. In today's post, we'll explain some of the essentials of an association management guide. Keep reading and you'll have effective association strategies to improve your community in 2024.
Meetings and Community Cohesion
For a community to experience success, everyone must be on the same page. When you have dozens of homeowners living under the same set of rules, each with their own opinions, you will have issues from time to time.
It's important to use community-wide meetings to iron these issues out. A strong community is about compromise and understanding. Run organized meetings that allow everyone to voice their opinion and when important matters are decided upon, make sure to enact the community's wishes.
Governance and Compliance
Every HOA in the country has unique rules and regulations that make up its governing documents. There's nothing more difficult for community leadership than keeping everyone in line.
You'll always have bad actors, but how these people are dealt with sends a message to the larger community. If you're weak or inconsistent with penalties and fines against rule breakers, you'll lose the confidence of community members who are already compliant.
When you bring on a professional management company, the first thing they'll do is solidify the rules. Everyone must be treated the same to create cohesion in the community.
Vendor Coordination
HOA maintenance is essential for multiple reasons. First, it's important for the safety and comfort of every single resident. Second, a well-maintained community will result in more interest from investors, which boosts property values.
HOA maintenance comes down to vendor coordination. You need to determine what maintenance you need and schedule vendors to do that work. Whether it's weekly recycling pickup or seasonal roof cleaning, make sure you've got vendor contracts in place.
Strong Accounting
Each member of the HOA pays their HOA dues. These funds collectively pay for everything the community needs. They pay for maintenance, new amenities, and repairs, among other things.
If you aren't great at accounting, the money coming in won't be enough to cover the community's needs. You'll end up having to raise HOA fees, which isn't going to be popular with any homeowner.
Professional Association Management Can Help
These are just a few of the things you need to consider when leading an HOA to success. There's nothing easy about doing it and it's a lot of work for what amounts to a volunteer position. If your HOA is struggling to thrive under your HOA board, it might be time for professional association management.
MyTown Communities has been serving property owners and associations in Lee County for over 15 years. Our comprehensive services include everything mentioned here and more. Contact us today to learn how we can turn your HOA around.