Narrow Results
-
Municipal Duties Move to ‘Burbs as HOAs Must Step In
John Friedrichsen, Senior Vice President & CFO of FirstService Residential parent company FirstService Corporation, is quoted in USA Today about how HOAs benefit from the value-added services provided by leading professional management companies. -
New Ruling on Short Term Rentals in Texas May Impact Your Community
Short-term rentals continue to be a battleground for associations as well as city and state governments. Recently passed Texas state legislation concerning short-term rentals may now impact your community. If your HOA governing documents do not address rentals or minimum lease terms, then now is a good time to work with your community association management company and legal counsel to make amendments. -
Prioritizing and Managing Your Community's Property Maintenance and Improvement Needs
Handling day-to-day maintenance and making necessary improvements are critical responsibilities for any homeowners association (HOA). And when your serve on your association’s board of directors, they can quickly become overwhelming if you don’t have a good system in place to manage them. So how do you make sure that your maintenance staff is able to handle that long list of tasks that need to get done so that your community runs smoothly and retains its appeal? -
Quick Tips to Preparing an Annual Association Budget
The half-year mark has come and gone and we’re now staring budget preparation season in the face. With just a little preparation you can charge forward to tackle this budget with confidence. As North America’s leading association management company we are no strangers to annual budgets. In our experience the first step to successful budget planning is a little preparation. Here are a few quick tips to get you started on the right foot. -
Rebuilding Your Community After a Major Storm
As homeowners associations (HOAs) in south Texas recently discovered first hand, it doesn’t always matter what kind of preparation your community makes before a powerful hurricane strikes. The effects can still be devastating – even after the storm loses strength. Learn more about the steps your HOA board should take to expedite the recovery process and how your management company can make a difference in helping to rebuild your community. -
HOA Landscape Budget: Seven Ways to Lower Your HOA Landscaping Cost
What can you do to reduce landscaping costs and use your dollars more effectively? Fortunately, a lot! Discover seven simple ideas to help preserve the green around your grounds and in your budget. -
A guide to short term rentals in Texas
The fact is, money matters—and frugally stretching every dollar has become a popular trend. So it should come as no surprise that condo owners are now leveraging their homes as short-term rentals to make a little extra money. However resourceful this may be, renting out your home on a short-term basis has the potential to negatively impact property values, the quality of life for residents in your building and the overall morale of your community. Let’s talk about proactive, practical solutions to combat this rising trend before it becomes a real problem. -
Texas Supreme Court: Short-Term Rentals in Communities
Online rental businesses like Airbnb and VRBO have been actively supporting the shared economy and petitioning for standardized regulation of short-term rentals in Texas and across the US. Learn how this trend can impact your community. -
The Ups and Downs of HOA Rental Restrictions, Texas: What Every Association Should Know
Rental restrictions, like many other association policies, have their ups and downs and can be a hot topic of conversation for homeowners association (HOA) boards. While governing documents sometimes address this issue, more often the intricacies of individual communities and the specific character of residents can make this a more subjective matter. If your community is considering implementing or updating its community rental policy, here are a few things you should consider. -
Ways of choosing a vendor that won't put your HOA at risk
No matter what kind of vendor your HOA needs – a caterer for your onsite party, a roofer to repair post-hurricane damage or a painter to spiff up your lobby – your board should never take a casual approach to the hiring process. -
Top Five Tips for Board Member Success
After partnering with thousands of board members like you, we've identified 5 tips to help you be successful this year. -
What You Need to Know About Short-Term Rental Liability
Online access to user-friendly host platforms like Airbnb & HomeAway have contributed to skyrocketing numbers of short-term rentals. While a vast majority of rental stays are uneventful, the sheer number of travelers who use these services mean that accidental or even fatal injuries can occur. Take action to make sure that your homeowners' association is educated on insurance risks and coverage for the unexpected. -
What Your HOA Needs to Know About Community Insurance
How much do you know about community association insurance? Although your bylaws and declarations include requirements to provide community association insurance coverage, most board members don’t know as much about it as they should. -
3 Ways to Fund Your Condominium Corporation Replacements and Major Repairs
At one time or another, every condominium corporation has to spend money on replacing equipment or making major repairs. Whether that means replacing a roof, installing a new ventilation system or any other big-ticket project, they are a necessity. But how should your condo corporation pay for them? -
4 Ways Your Board Can More Effectively Communicate Your Condo’s Budget
Creating your condominium corporation’s annual budget is one of the most important responsibilities your board has. It takes a lot of hard work and may require spending decisions that won’t be popular with unit owners. Consequently, owners may voice strong objections or even question the board’s ability to manage the corporation’s money. -
Creating a Condo Flooring Policy to Address Noise Issues
When people live in close quarters, it is inevitable that they will hear sounds from neighbouring condos from time to time. Noise between units can be minimized in many ways. One of the most effective tools for a condominium board to implement is a flooring policy that guides owners when they want to replace their floor coverings. Choosing the right products makes a big difference when it comes to the transfer of noise between condominium units. -
Does Your Condo Corporation Have A Plan For Fostering A Sense Of Community?
Humans are social creatures. Since the dawn of time, we’ve had a deep-seated yearning for connection and community. This is particularly evident in a condo corporation, where a strong sense of community can be the difference between long-standing residency and high turnover. -
Five Steps for More Effective Condo Board Meetings
If you’re like many board members, one of your most challenging jobs is running your condominium corporation’s board meetings. Keeping everyone on task and addressing board member disagreements is not always easy. So what can you do to manage your meetings more effectively? -
Five Things that Break Your Budget
Determining the annual budget is an important responsibility that condominium board members know is important to the financial success of their community. This article discusses things to consider when making the important budget line-item decisions. -
How Condo Owners Can Manage Their Homes During Summer Vacation
Summer vacation is an exciting time-it’s great to get away! There’s no end to the adventures that await us all. At the end of the journey, though, you want to come home to a home that is safe and well looked after in your absence. -
How to Create Policies for Your Condo Association—Without Making Enemies
Rules are essential in a multi-family community. They layout expectations for the residents and promote a spirit of co-operation amongst the group. When the board-set policies are violated, a defined set of steps should occur to encourage compliance. It is important for a condo board to craft their policies thoughtfully, looking at the rules from all angles to determine the balance between the need, property values and homeowner freedom. Here are eight steps to consider when developing policies for your condominium. -
How to Identify and Resolve Conflict within a Condo Board
As a condominium or HOA board member, how do you deal with contentious issues? This article discusses five steps to take to foster a spirit of cooperation among board members and diffuse difficult situations. -
Setting reasonable pet policies for your condominium: What you need to know
Pet owners love their pets, but not everyone else feels the same. When people live in multi-family communities it is imperative to create a balance for all residents, whether they have furry companions or they don't. How can this be achieved? A good start is clear bylaws and pet policies that consider the needs of all. -
How Your Condo Board Can Ensure Great Communication
For a condominium corporation, great communication relies on an open exchange of information, thoughts and ideas among residents, board members and your property management company. When communication is done well, you can get the answers you need, tackle challenges and strengthen community spirit.