A Night Out with the Real Estate Division and Day at the Capitol events provide platform for board members’ voices

(March 17, 2016, Las Vegas) – FirstService Residential, the leading community management company in Nevada, hosted a Night Out with the Real Estate Division for HOA board members on Thurs., March 3, 2016. JD Decker, administrator of the Nevada Real Estate Division, and District 9 Senator Becky Harris discussed the 2015 legislative session and the laws affecting the HOA industry.
 
JD Decker also explained the goals of the Ombudsman’s Office regarding common-interest communities and their services. The Ombudsman’s Office handles HOA disputes through two processes – informal mediation and disciplinary investigation. The informal mediation process is typically used for situations where a board member acted with the community’s best interest in mind; however, their actions were a slight infraction of the law. Situations where board members acted in their own best interest with no regard for the community while violating the law are handled through the more formal disciplinary investigation process. Decker stated that the Ombudsman’s Office resolved 84% of submitted complaints through the informal dispute resolution process in 2015.
 
Both speakers encouraged event attendees to get involved in the upcoming legislative session by vocalizing their views. Senator Harris gave a brief explanation of each bill from the 2015 session that effected homeowners associations, as well as her stance on them.
 
With the 2017 legislative session right around the corner, lobbyists across the state are gearing up for their presence at the Capitol. In early 2015, FirstService Residential organized their first Day at the Capitol event where they encouraged and facilitated HOA board members to visit the Capitol, attend hearing sessions and meet with their legislators. A number of board members from northern and southern Nevada visited the Capitol equipped with talking points and voiced their opinions. “We realize after many years of trying to represent our board members at the Capitol that the legislators do not want to hear from management companies, they want to hear from their constituents,” said Steven Parker, president of FirstService Residential in Nevada. “This is primarily why we felt it was important to facilitate planning sessions and a trip for board members to have their voices heard and to make a difference.”
 
FirstService Residential is planning to return to the Capitol again in 2017, and is hoping to bring along a larger group of board members to represent the HOA industry.
 
About FirstService Residential

FirstService Residential is recognized as Nevada’s leading and most experienced full-service community association management firm. For over 25 years, FirstService Residential has continued to provide the best-in-class community management solutions and genuinely helpful service to its over 370 properties and communities throughout Nevada.

FirstService Residential is North America’s largest manager of residential communities and the preferred partner of HOAs, community associations and strata corporations in the U.S. and Canada.  FirstService Residential’s managed communities include low-, mid- and high-rise condominiums and cooperatives, single-family homes, master-planned, lifestyle and active adult communities, and rental and commercial properties.

With an unmatched combination of deep industry experience, local market expertise and personalized attention, FirstService Residential delivers proven solutions and exceptional service that add value, enhance lifestyles and make a difference, every day, for every resident and community it manages. FirstService Residential is a subsidiary of FirstService Corporation, a North American leader in the property services sector. For more information, visit www.fsresidential.com.

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Mar 17, 2016