5 Mistakes to Avoid When Planning Your HOA’s Budget

/by

Budgeting is an integral part of every Tacoma, Washington, community association’s operation. Planning the annual budget by calculating expenses is how every HOA decides upon homeowner dues. Inaccurate budgeting at the start of the year could lead to financial struggles for the HOA by the end of the year or in the following years, and further result in the dissatisfaction of residents. To avoid financial disaster, make sure to avoid these five key mistakes when planning your HOA’s budget for the upcoming year.

1. Not Reviewing Past Years’ Budgets

The best way to get an accurate estimate of the upcoming year’s expenses is by viewing the expenses of previous years. Reviewing past years’ financial reports will help you identify trends and anticipate costs for the new year. It will also help you identify mistakes and correct them for the future. Just don’t forget to account for inflation and any changes in vendors that may increase costs.

2. Creating Vague Categories

The more comprehensive and detailed your expense report is, the more accurate it will be in predicting future costs. Avoid lumping categories like landscaping, plumbing, and electrical services together into “maintenance”. Create specific categories for each product and service paid for so you can better track your expenses year-over-year and create more accurate budgets in the years to come. If creating such a detailed report feels too intimidating or time-consuming, reach out to an HOA management firm like The Management Trust about their HOA financial management services.

3. Not Negotiating with Vendors

When it comes time to plan your HOA’s new annual budget, take the time to re-evaluate your vendor contracts as well. Track vendor costs year-over-year, and ask your current vendors if there are any changes to their rates in the year to come. Inquire about any discounts, especially if you have an established reputation and loyalty to the company. If you’re unsatisfied with your vendors or their new rates, look around for new vendors who may offer the same quality for better prices.

4. Failing to Add a Buffer

If there’s one thing that’s inevitable, it’s unexpected expenses. Surprise costs can — and will — pop up at any time, so your budget needs to have some breathing room to cover these costs. Although it can be tempting to try and keep your budget as tight as possible so homeowner dues will be lower — making your residents happy — it’s better to set higher, consistent dues than to land in hot water financially or have to unexpectedly raise dues later in the year. It’s better to end up with a surplus of money at the end of the year than a deficit. Any excess funds can be placed in the HOA reserve fund for emergency costs in future years.

5. Settling for Cheap Insurance Policies

Cutting corners to save money is never a good idea, and in no area is this more true than HOA insurance. If you face costly expenses due to legal ramifications, natural disasters, or any other range of issues, insurance can help soften the blow and significantly reduce the amount of financial stress placed on your community association. Choosing the cheapest insurance policies that don’t offer adequate coverage may save you money in the short term, but that savings will likely be blown out of the water by the first issue you encounter that you must pay out of pocket for. It’s always better to be safe than sorry and invest in a good insurance policy that offers adequate coverage for your Tacoma, WA, HOA.

Financial planning and budgeting are some of the most important aspects of an HOA’s successful operation. It’s the number one area where you need to dedicate diligence and ensure accuracy, or you risk placing unnecessary financial stress on your community association and its residents. Luckily, most community association management firms such as The Management Trust offer comprehensive HOA financial management services including record keeping services and budget preparation. If you’d like more information about The Management Trust’s full range of community management services, including HOA financial management, give us a call at (253) 472-0825 or fill out our online contact form today. 

Establishing Dog Rules in Your HOA

/by

Pets are as much a part of the family as their humans. Pet-friendly HOAs in Aurora, Colorado, can come up against unique challenges caused by dogs, such as off-leash trouble, pet waste, and excessive noise. However, establishing clear regulations for pets within your homeowner’s association will help conquer your pet challenges. Teaming up with an effective HOA community management firm like The Management Trust to establish clear rules will help you enforce all of your neighborhood regulations.

Have Homeowners Register All Pets

To fairly and effectively enforce the rules against all pet owners, you’ll first need to know about all pets in the community. Rule number one should require all homeowners to register their pets with the association so they can be kept track of and homeowners can be held accountable. Create a pet registration form that must be filled out by all new and current homeowners. This will not only allow the HOA to monitor all pets in the community but also keep track of overdue vaccinations. 

Establish Barking Rules

One of the biggest issues that dogs can cause within an HOA is noise complaints. It’s normal for dogs to bark and make noise, but this shouldn’t occur excessively — especially during late or early hours when residents are sleeping. Encourage homeowners to report any persistent barking problems to the board. Simply having a conversation with the pet owner and encouraging them to bring dogs in at night could be the solution; if not, stricter consequences could be enforced after multiple instances if they’re clearly outlined within the rules of your HOA.

Establish Leash Rules

It’s recommended that all pet-friendly HOAs establish clear leash laws within their community. Unleashed dogs could bother other residents or instigate conflicts with other dogs or cats in the neighborhood. It can also be dangerous for the pet itself if they run out into the street. Require that all dogs be kept on a leash when walking around the neighborhood. If you want to go the extra mile to accommodate pet owners, create a dog park or designated, enclosed off-leash area for pets to run freely. This amenity will help attract new homeowners and keep current homeowners satisfied without creating undue risk.

Require Waste Cleanup

Animal waste is one of the most common problems in pet-friendly community associations. Although picking up your pet’s waste is typically common courtesy, many people still refuse to do so. Create a rule requiring all pet owners to pick up any waste deposits by their pets in the neighborhood’s common areas. Provide bags and trash cans throughout the neighborhood to encourage responsible pet ownership and waste management, and consider levying fines on homeowners who refuse to comply with the cleanup rules.

Create a Liability Policy

Despite your best efforts and clearly outlined rules, there can still be unfortunate events resulting from pet ownership within the HOA. To avoid liability, create a waiver to be signed by homeowners, which releases the HOA from legal liability in the case of injury, damage, or disturbance caused by pets. Transferring full liability onto the homeowner will protect your HOA and make the pet owners act more responsibly in their self-interest.

Being a pet-friendly HOA has its challenges, but it’s well worth it to make your residents’ lives happier and more fulfilled. By implementing clear pet rules and enforcing them fairly, you can have a happy and successful Aurora, Colorado, homeowner’s association. For assistance enforcing rules and collecting fines, consider a community management company like The Management Trust. We can help you navigate your legal options when creating new rules and enforce them fairly and promptly, saving your HOA board more time to focus on the bigger picture. If you’d like to find out more about The Management Trust’s full range of community association management services, give us a call at (303) 750-0994 or fill out our online contact form today.

4 Reasons Why Training Your HOA Board is So Important

/by

HOA board members in Tacoma, Washington, and beyond have a very difficult job. They have to run every aspect of their community’s day-to-day operations, finances, rule enforcement, and more, all as a volunteer donating their time to the community. Board members aren’t employed — they’re simply residents of the HOA that have volunteered and been elected as board members who run the very communities they live in. As such, not all board members know how to handle the many complex aspects of community association management. That’s why it’s so crucial to properly train your board members in all things HOA management.

1. Proper handling of funds

Board members are responsible for the association’s finances, which can be a massive responsibility. From planning the annual budget to recording transactions and preparing reports, the financial aspect of community management is a full-time job in and of itself. It requires accuracy, timeliness, and precise organization. If your board fails to adequately handle the community’s finances, it could have devastating consequences such as shortage or bankruptcy. Inexperienced or untrained board members put your community association at risk for large financial penalties and upset homeowners, so it’s always best to make sure that your board members have thorough training in the financial aspects of community association management.

2. Improved communication

Good communication is imperative for every community association. Without it, the community cannot function effectively. In order to ensure that communication flows well amongst your board members and between the board and residents, set out clear methods of communication and plans for notice dissemination, and make sure your board is familiar with these protocols. A breakdown in communication could result in fighting between board members, upset homeowners, unknowingly broken rules, and general frustration all around. 

3. Effective conflict resolution

It’s inevitable that conflicts will arise within a community association. Each neighborhood is made up of diverse residents with differing viewpoints and opinions on a range of topics, and conflicts between homeowners or between a homeowner and the HOA will need to be resolved at one point or another. If conflicts are left unresolved and escalate, they can lead to personal attacks, physical violence, or lawsuits. In order to peacefully resolve disputes, board members should receive adequate training in best practices for conflict resolution.

4. Liability avoidance

By definition, community associations deal with a polarizing mix of local laws and resident livelihoods. This combination can, unfortunately, open associations up to legal liability somewhat frequently if the HOA isn’t careful. Board members need to be extremely familiar with federal, state, and local laws, so they can write and implement their own rules and guidelines in accordance with those regulations. They also need to unfailingly act in the best interest of the community, or the HOA becomes vulnerable to a lawsuit claiming breach of fiduciary duty. In order to avoid any legal ramifications, board members should be thoroughly trained in all legal matters surrounding community associations and their daily operations. Your community association management firm can also provide legal guidance to board members and notify the HOA as local laws evolve.

It’s understandable why board training falls to the wayside and isn’t a priority for many communities; as volunteers, your residents have a lot going on in their day-to-day lives and may not have enough time for the many responsibilities of a board member, including attending training sessions. Luckily, community association management firms such as The Management Trust can offer board education courses while simultaneously taking on many of the responsibilities normally left to your board members so that they have more time to focus on training and look at the community’s big picture. Whether you need assistance with daily operations, financial planning, legal guidance, or board training, The Management Trust is here for you and whatever your community association needs to thrive. For more information about our full range of HOA management services, call The Management Trust at (253) 472-0825 or fill out our online contact form today.

HOA Initiatives to Build an Eco-Friendly Community Association

/by

Environmental consciousness is at the forefront of everyone’s minds, and homeowners are even beginning to make purchasing decisions based on how green a property or community association is. To retain more residents and help reduce long-term costs, many Aurora, Colorado, HOAs are introducing initiatives that will help them be more eco-friendly. If you want to make your community association better for the environment without sacrificing homeowners’ quality of life, here are a few easy changes to make that still create a sizable impact.

Provide a recycling program

Almost every city and community association provides its residents with a recycling bin and weekly recycling pickup. If you don’t yet have a comprehensive recycling program in your HOA, it’s a great idea to implement one. Recycling is one of the easiest ways for an HOA and its residents to go green, and many new homeowners will expect this service just as they would with trash pickup. If you already have a recycling program in place, you can go a step further by setting up an e-recycling drop-off point in a communal area where residents can properly recycle old electronic devices such as computers, phones, televisions, and more. 

Encourage composting

According to the EPA, up to 30% of all waste is food waste that could be composted. Eliminating this unnecessary landfill waste and turning it into food for your garden is a great way to benefit the environment as well as to reduce some pressure on your local waste resources. You can encourage residents to compost by hosting a composting class for all homeowners. Many HOAs also require permission from the board for residents to begin composting, so if your bylaws require this, you can be sure to provide quick and hassle-free approval to make the process easier and more accessible for all of your residents. 

Construct a community garden

Creating a community garden is a great way to connect with nature and connect with your fellow residents. Set aside a communal plot of land for this project and encourage all residents to plant fruits, vegetables, and flowers together to build bonds and encourage environmental mindfulness.

Limit paper usage

One of the easiest ways to make your community association greener is by reducing your HOA’s paper usage. The easiest way to do this is by switching to paperless newsletters and notices, opting instead to email residents. You can also share news via your community website, email list, or social media platforms. Important documents such as board meeting minutes and homeowner paperwork should be made available electronically via a cloud-based system rather than printed out, although paper versions should still be made available for the less tech-savvy members of your community.

With so much to manage on a daily basis, it’s understandable that non-urgent projects like these get put on the backburner or implemented at a slow pace. With the assistance of a community association management firm such as The Management Trust, however, you can become more eco-friendly in the most efficient and effective ways possible. From planning actionable tasks to executing them on time, our HOA management services will take things off your plate so your HOA board can focus on the bigger picture. To find out more about The Management Trust’s full range of community association management services, give us a call at (303) 750-0994 or fill out our online contact form today.

What Is an HOA Board and Why Are They Important?

/by

Most of us have a preliminary understanding of how an HOA board works. We know that there is the board itself, someone in charge, and the rules they’re expected to enforce for the community association. For most members of HOAs in Aurora, CO, this basic knowledge may suffice and they may not require further information about their HOA boards. However, when a dispute arises with members of your HOA, it is important to clearly and concisely know the roles of every aspect of your HOA board to best serve your community members. If you’re considering forming a board for your Aurora, Colorado, homeowners association, here is a primer on what an HOA board is and what its responsibilities should be. 

Defining an HOA Board

In most cases, HOA boards take form by the creation of governing documents, usually taking place before land development begins. Once the governing documents have been established, the board is then elected according to the agreed-upon bylines of the documents. Governing documents can also determine the roles of each board member, as well as further elaborate on the rules and regulations of their community. Knowing how HOA boards are created is important for community members, and it is equally important for homeowners to elect members of their community to represent them in the governance of their HOA. 

Rule Enforcement

The HOA board is responsible for enforcing rules that are designed to protect property values and typically require that homeowners maintain their homes to meet certain aesthetic standards. In addition, having an HOA board is important because of the need to maintain common areas including trails, pools, or playgrounds. In Aurora, CO, HOA boards may take additional action if an HOA member is delinquent in completing their membership fees. In Aurora, CO, collection action includes obtaining a lien against your home in accordance with Colorado law. HOA boards in Aurora and throughout the state of Colorado can foreclose on your home if the amount on the property lien is equal to or greater than six months of assessments and the board agrees to foreclose.

Financial Duties

In relation to collecting fees, the HOA board is also responsible for maintaining a budget for the entire community. Board members should typically meet annually to determine their budget for the following year, and they do so by accurately collecting enough fees from their fellow community members. The annual HOA budget should also include a reserve fund to protect the community in the face of any emergencies. Once a budget has been established, each board member should be provided with a maintenance assessment. 

While this list of responsibilities is thorough, it is by no means a comprehensive list meant to establish your HOA board. If you are considering forming an HOA board in Aurora, CO, save yourself the trouble of finding out the details and reach out to the community association management experts at The Management Trust. For more than 30 years, homeowners associations throughout the U.S. have entrusted The Management Trust with all their community management services. We pride ourselves on being one of the few employee-owned HOA management companies in the country, and we continue our dedication to doing things right by providing excellent service to each HOA that we work within Aurora, Colorado, and throughout the country. If you’re ready to move forward with establishing your HOA board, contact us today and let us make a difference in your Homeowners Association.

Tips for Running a Successful HOA Board

/by

Serving on an HOA board can be very rewarding. Being able to listen to the opinions and perspectives of your fellow board members can be a positive experience, but it is a privilege that should not be taken lightly. Achieving optimal operation of your Tacoma, WA, HOA board requires all its members to work together to create an environment that fosters growth, communication, and mutual appreciation. While it’s inevitable that there will be differences in your board, here are some tips on how to ensure the success of your HOA board.

Ensure Everyone Feels Heard

It’s no secret that most HOA boards will have a diverse array of personalities. This often results in an equally diverse amount of opinions flying around during meetings. When this occurs, it’s important to encourage healthy dialogue with the goal of looking out for the best interests of the community. Keep an open mind when hearing the opinions that differ from your own and actively listen to each board member’s concerns. Never be dismissive of someone’s ideas or opinions; instead, ask for further clarification to help you better understand the issue at hand. 

Refer to Your Governing Documents

There may be cases in which major decisions need to be made, leaving little to no room for personal opinion and speculation. In these cases, it is best to let your community association’s governing documents help make the decision for you. These documents were created to serve as an objective resource when addressing pertinent issues within your HOA. In addition, your governing documents may have important information regarding state laws and regulations that may come into play with the decisions your HOA board has to make. If your Tacoma HOA board is having trouble understanding the verbiage found in these documents, it’s recommended to reach out to an experienced community association management company such as The Management Trust to help you make sense of it all.

Always Be Respectful and Transparent

The best-run HOA boards are those that prioritize respect and transparency amongst their members. It can be very easy for small misunderstandings to turn into large arguments when personal feelings get in the way of objective decision-making. To avoid this issue, make sure to encourage open communication during your board meetings and stay away from having board-related issues outside of your meeting times to prevent gossip and further discord. Always remember that no matter what decisions need to be made, none of them are personal; so make sure you maintain impartiality and professionalism at all times.

Check-In with Your HOA Community Management Company

If all else fails and you find yourself in a difficult situation, reach out to a seasoned HOA community management company to lend a hand. Employees of an excellent community association management company are properly trained in managing people and their needs, making them experts in giving insight and support when needed. Some of the community management services you and your board can get help with include:

  • Assigning a community manager who will prioritize the needs of your community
  • Making sure board members are on the same page and encouraging open communication
  • Mediating internal conflicts if necessary
  • Creating proactive and creative ways to bring different personalities together 

Creating a harmonious and productive HOA board can prove to be exciting, yet challenging. Save yourself time and stress by contacting the experts at The Management Trust to handle all of your HOA management needs in Tacoma, Washington. Our team of employee-owners has successfully communicated important issues with homeowners associations throughout the country, and they are more than willing to do the same for you. If you are ready to take the next step in community management services, contact us today to see how we can help.

How to Successfully Hold Elections in Your HOA

/by

Free and fair elections are at the heart of any democracy, and homeowners associations are no different. HOAs revolve around a board of elected officials, so periodic elections will be necessary to ensure that leadership is gained fairly and every resident has the opportunity to have their voice heard. If your Tacoma, Washington, homeowners association is holding an election for new board members soon, you’ll need to make sure that you do everything by the book to have a successful outcome. While specific rules and regulations vary from state to state, several general rules apply to every HOA election. Follow these tips and guidelines closely to ensure that your next election goes smoothly and is deemed valid.

Be Prepared

HOA elections are a serious matter, so thorough planning is needed to make sure that everything is executed smoothly and legally. Study your community’s governing documents as it likely contains the ground rules for a legitimate election. If clear rules are lacking, be sure to define them and make them known to residents before the day of the election. Give notice of the election to every resident of your community association in accordance with local guidelines. Each state will have its own laws mandating when and how homeowners need to be notified, so consult with your HOA management company to ensure you’re following your state’s guidelines.

Establish Who Can Run & Who Can Vote

It’s highly unlikely that all of the board seats will be up for election at once, so make it clear which seats are up for election and who is eligible for nomination. Not every member of your HOA may be eligible to run based on your community association’s bylaws, but everyone who is eligible should be allowed to run. Nominations may be handled by a specific committee and/or based on popular vote, so check your governing documents to verify which nomination process is true for your HOA. Just as with candidates, not everyone may be eligible to vote based on state laws and community bylaws. Most often, homeowners with outstanding debts or liens may be ineligible for voting. Verify these with your HOA management company, and notify anyone who may not be eligible to vote in your next election.

Reach a Quorum & Prepare Proxies

A quorum is the minimum number of voters required for an election to be deemed valid. Generally, 10% of eligible voters is considered a quorum, but double-check your community’s governing documents. If less than 10% of community members vote, the election cannot go forward. Your HOA can reach a quorum using proxies. If homeowners cannot make it in person but still wish to vote, they can choose a proxy to vote in their place. To allow residents time to choose a proxy, they should be sent out well in advance of election day. Online elections can also be utilized to help increase the number of residents who can vote on election day.

Count Votes Carefully

When it comes to the voting process, everything must be done following local laws and community bylaws. Voting should be private and anonymous, and votes should be counted several times to ensure accuracy. Taking extra time to make sure everything is done carefully and by the book will help you to avoid any claims of vote mishandling or other violations. Creating a paper trail of everything you do will further help avoid this.

Celebrate Successes

Annual elections are often a good time to celebrate successes within the community. Communicate good news such as winning candidates and changes in bylaws to the community owners so everyone is up-to-date and can celebrate the HOA’s successes together.

Transparent and fair elections are crucial for preserving residents’ trust in their HOA board. If you want to ensure that your Tacoma HOA is following all proper guidelines and protocols, contact your representative at The Management Trust for assistance. HOA community management can take the stress off of your HOA board members and handle all election-related matters. From avoiding legal trouble to guaranteeing resident satisfaction, the benefits of professional community association management services are numerous. To find out more about our full range of community management services, including HOA financial management, call The Management Trust at (253) 472-0825 or fill out our online contact form today.

How to Find the Right Landscaping Vendor for Your HOA

/by

One of the biggest appeals of a homeowners association is the well-kept landscaping. A neighborhood with high curb appeal is likely to maintain its value, which is why many Aurora, Colorado, homeowners choose to live within an HOA. As such an important part of your community association’s value, finding the right landscaper is imperative. If you’re searching for the perfect landscaping service for your homeowners association, follow these steps to ensure that you’re hiring only the best.

Check Certifications

The number one step to hiring a landscaping vendor is verifying that they’re licensed and insured. Any landscaper that doesn’t have the proper certifications should be eliminated from your short-list immediately, as a lack of proper licensing and insurance could leave your HOA board liable for any property damage they cause. Check local and national certifications with trade associations like the National Association of Landscape Professionals, as well.

Collect Referrals

Online reviews are a great start to verifying a landscaping company’s quality of work, but try to collect referrals from other HOAs in the area to verify that the company can handle your community’s unique needs. Contact community associations of similar size and with similar landscaping requirements, if possible, to get a feel for their professionalism and whether they can perform the duties required of them.

Value Communication

Time is money, so make sure that your landscaping vendors are communicative and responsive to all of your inquiries quickly. The last thing you want to do is track down your landscaper because you have overgrown plants and long, unruly grass. Punctuality, professionalism, and communication are key components of a high-quality landscaping service, so try to gauge these based on your initial interactions with the company.

Compare Different Vendors

Don’t settle for the first landscaping company that meets the basic criteria. Collect quotes from several different vendors and compare them. Compare pricing, response times, reviews, quality of work, years in business, and other factors to ensure that you’re choosing the cream of the crop for your community association and its residents. 

Verify That They’re a Trusted Vendor

It can be hard to know where to start when searching for a new vendor, but The Management Trust’s Trusted Partners Program makes it easier. This list of vendors is vetted by The Management Trust to ensure that they cooperatively offer high-quality work for a fair price. If you want a no-stress quality assurance program that takes all of the hard work and risk out of vendor sourcing, allow The Management Trust HOA management company to do the work for you with our Trusted Partners Program.

Hiring an HOA management company like The Management Trust makes life easier for both board members and residents. We can verify and recommend trusted vendors, handle HOA financial management, and coordinate resident requests. Our top priority is ensuring the happiness and well-being of your community, and protecting the value of your Aurora, Colorado, neighborhood. If you’d like more information about community association management services or our Trusted Partners Program, give us a call at (303) 750-0994 or fill out our online contact form today.

What Is an HOA Architectural Control Committee?

/by

If you want to build a deck, install a fence, or otherwise redesign part of your home’s exterior, you’ll need approval from your Aurora community association. It’s an aspect of HOA homeownership that many find inconvenient, but it’s necessary to preserve property values throughout the neighborhood. When it comes to approving construction projects like these, the HOA’s Architectural Control Committee, or ACC, is the party that has the final say in whether you can move ahead with your renovations. What exactly is an ACC? In this blog, we’ll break it down.

What Is an Architectural Control Committee?

The Architectural Control Committee is a group of volunteers appointed by the HOA board to oversee and approve external modifications that owners want to make to their homes. The ACC reviews all proposed modifications and ensures that they fall in line with the community association’s architectural guidelines as set out in the association’s governing documents. 

What Does an Architectural Control Committee Do?

Homeowners seeking to change their home’s exterior will need to fill out an application detailing the modifications they plan to make. They’ll usually need to provide detailed construction plans and a list of materials prior to any work beginning. The ACC then has a set amount of time, as outlined in the community’s bylaws, to review the plans and provide a decision. They’ll assess whether the plans are in total compliance with the HOA’s guidelines for things such as material requirements, height restrictions, and setback guidelines. If they don’t approve the project, it can be amended so that it meets the HOA guidelines before being re-submitted for new approval.

What if I Don’t Get ACC Approval?

Impatience can get the better of homeowners, even if the ACC is limited to a certain turnaround time. However, you should never start a project without the ACC’s approval. If you start the project without approval and any aspect of your construction does not meet the community association’s guidelines, you could be forced to not only stop work but also reverse any work that has been done. In addition to this costly effort, you can also be fined for violating community guidelines. To avoid these serious and expensive consequences, it’s always best to wait for ACC approval before moving forward with any changes to your property.

If you want to streamline the architectural review process and generally make life easier for your residents and board members, consider an HOA community management firm such as The Management Trust. Our HOA management solutions cover every aspect of community association living to ensure that your community is a happier place to live. For more information about community association management services for the Aurora, Colorado, area, give The Management Trust a call today at (303) 750-0994 or fill out our online contact form. We serve more than 1,500 communities nationwide and have been an industry leader for more than 30 years.

Tips to Prepare Your HOA for the Summer with COVID-19 Changes

/by

Now that most U.S. adults are vaccinated and COVID-19 restrictions have, for the most part, been lifted, Tacoma residents are itching to get outside and enjoy the summer they missed last year. However, COVID-19 is still present and will be around for quite a while. With this in mind, it’s important that Tacoma community associations prepare for the summer with appropriate safety measures in place. Here are a few tips to help your HOA prepare for a safe and fun 2021 summer.

Communicate clearly with your residents

COVID-19 and its associated restrictions are constantly evolving, so it’s important to stay in touch with your residents and communicate any changes with them. Make your current restrictions clear via email blasts, printed newsletters, and clearly placed signs throughout common areas. Make sure to update these as the circumstances change, so everyone is fully aware of what is expected of them in public spaces.

Continue virtual events

Where possible, continue hosting association meetings and other gatherings online instead of in person. This mitigates any risk of transmission and ensures everyone feels comfortable, whether they’re vaccinated or not. Avoiding any risk of large, unmasked crowds will make your job easier and make your residents feel more at ease in their neighborhood.

Manage crowds

If you do choose to have in-person events at your community association, implement a strict capacity limit and keep the gatherings small. Look at your local legislation to see what the current permitted capacity is, and do not permit large indoor gatherings where residents may be maskless. Masks should be required where it’s reasonable, especially for non-vaccinated individuals, and all event participants should be comfortable with the environment and safety precautions. If you need help organizing COVID-safe events within your community, speak to your HOA community management representative for further assistance.

Continue safety & sanitation efforts

Although COVID-19 rates have declined, sanitation efforts should still be maintained. Regularly sanitize pools, athletic facilities, clubhouses, office spaces, and any other shared areas within your community association. A resurgence in cases could happen at any time, and regularly sanitizing common areas could help significantly reduce that risk in your community. Sanitation still benefits the community association by preventing the transmission of other illnesses, so regardless of COVID-19, these practices are good ones to have in place. Your community association management firm can assist you with coordinating these efforts to make them more efficient and effective.

COVID-19 is a new landscape for everyone, and so the future is still uncertain. While local guidelines have been lifted and things are looking up, it’s important to stay proactive and keep proper precautions in place to best protect your residents. HOA community management firms can help you stay on top of the latest local COVID-19 restrictions, implement safety and sanitation practices, and organize community events. For our full range of comprehensive HOA management services, including HOA financial management, call The Management Trust at (253) 472-0825 or fill out our online contact form today.