How HOA Boards Can Build and Sustain Healthy Relationships with Community Members
Building a strong and sustainable Aurora, CO, community relies heavily on the relationships between the HOA board and its members. These relationships are built upon trust, open communication, and a shared understanding of community goals and priorities. However, achieving and maintaining healthy relationships with community members is easier said than done.
While successfully building personal connections with your members can preserve property values and foster a stronger sense of community, many residents have a skeptical view of community management that must be overcome. If your HOA board strives to build and sustain healthy relationships with more of its community members, here are some key steps to doing so.
Be Transparent
Transparency is crucial in any relationship, and the one between HOA boards and their members is no different. Be open and honest in all actions and decisions to show residents that they can trust you to act on their behalf. The more community members feel like they’re in the know about important information and decision-making processes, the more likely they are to trust and support the HOA board.
To promote transparency, encourage all members to attend open-session board meetings. When possible, make as many board meetings open to all community members as possible. You can also use digital conferencing tools like Zoom to make attendance convenient and encourage greater turnout. When community members feel like they’re being heard and valued, they will, in turn, value your HOA board members.
Prioritize Clear Communication
Clear, convenient, and constant communication is commonplace among virtually every organization your residents come into contact with. From SMS updates to emails, residents receive moment-by-moment notices for every minutiae of their daily life. To promote healthy relationships within your HOA, you can’t let your community association fall behind in this regard.
If you utilize an HOA management company, they’ll likely have tools that you can utilize to improve community communication. At The Management Trust, we offer a smart text-messaging helper called Trusty, which provides a convenient way to get answers to basic homeowners association inquiries. With Trusty, homeowners can receive community notices, manage payments, submit maintenance requests, and more right from their phone, 24/7. By receiving clear and constant electronic communication, residents will feel more involved in their community, fostering stronger relationships.
Showcase the Full Value of Assessments
Homeowner assessments are a contentious topic, and homeowners can quickly become dissatisfied or even belligerent if they feel that their dues are not going toward worthwhile community improvements. To keep residents satisfied and foster improved relationships, clearly communicate with the community about how the assessments are allocated. Highlight the projects and improvements made possible by these funds, and explain how they’re bettering the community.
It can also be beneficial to make residents aware of any cost-saving measures taken by the board. This could include negotiating better deals with vendors or implementing sustainable solutions that can save residents money in the long run. By showcasing careful management and wise use of assessments, community members may have a better understanding and appreciation of the value these funds bring to the community.
Practice Patience
When it comes to HOA management, patience is a crucial trait for handling conflicts and disagreements within the community. Conflicts are inevitable in any neighborhood, and it’s the board’s responsibility to address them and find resolutions that are fair for all parties involved.
Rather than reacting emotionally or making quick decisions, take the time to listen to all parties involved, gather evidence where necessary, and implement a fair, effective solution. Remain calm and empathetic, but maintain your fiduciary duty of doing what’s best for the overall community.
It’s always a good idea to learn the ins and outs of the community’s rules and regulations so you can explain the reasoning behind decisions, as well. If given solid reasoning, residents are more likely to respect the board’s decision and not foster negative feelings during future interactions.
If you want to spend less time resolving disputes and more time focusing on your Aurora, CO, community’s big picture, you’ll benefit from an HOA management company. HOA management firms handle the nitty-gritty of daily operations, from vetting vendors to collecting dues, so you can spend more time on the important stuff.
If you want resident-oriented HOA management services, look no further than The Management Trust. We’ve remained one of the premier HOA management companies in the country for more than 30 years, with more than 1,500 communities served nationwide. To learn more about our full range of HOA management services for Aurora, CO, HOAs, call The Management Trust at 303-750-0994 or fill out our online contact form today.
