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Establishing rules and boundaries to keep order within you community is key to ensuring residents are respectful of the common areas. Whether you live in a pet-friendly community or where no pets are allowed it is important to include the rules in the community’s governing documents that specify limits on the type and number of pets allowed. Here are some ways your community association board and Property Management Company can help resolve any pet-related issues.

Are you doing all you can to make sure your self-managed community meets its goals?

Smoking affects the homes we live in by increasing the risk of fire and property damage and by raising insurance costs and legal liability.

We all make mistakes, it happens. Here are a few suggestions to help you avoid common board member missteps.

As the days and weeks pass, and residents of your condominium or HOA are asked to stay home, it's more important than ever to help your community stay fit and active!

Discover how your community’s vision ties into both creating and enforcing policies among your residents and homeowners.

How can you ensure that your association’s parking rules are fair and easy to understand and follow? Here are 6 essential questions to ask before you create or enforce parking policies.

As a Board member, you are familiar with the great things your association does for your community. Some times legislators charged with creating policies and laws that directly affect associations have very little knowledge of their inner workings.

Your board took the time to create a vision for your community. You’ve gotten buy-in from your residents and crafted policies that support it. Now, how do you enforce those policies to ensure that the vision is supported?

It can be tough to balance festive and tasteful, when it comes to holiday décor. Setting policies for decorating will help maintain peace and goodwill for all within your association.

Very few issues and problems that come up seem to have anything to do with pets. However, here are tips to help resolve any pet-related issues.

As the weather heats up and stay-at-home orders surrounding COVID-19 are lifted, it's important to remember the social distancing guidelines in place.

Whether your board is dealing with emergency rules or general community policies, here are some things to consider when addressing change in your community.

Are you doing all you can to make sure your self-managed community meets its goals?

As a board member, you know the importance of making rules and establishing policy; these must be clear and sensible. The process for creating and enforcing rules successfully is the same.

As the days and weeks pass, and residents of your condominium or HOA are asked to stay home, it's more important than ever to help your community stay fit and active!

The dangers of smoking and secondhand smoke have been highlighted in recent years. Smoking also affects our physical environment by increasing risks of fire and property damage, raising insurance rates and increasing legal liability.

The distinct roles of the board and manager can shed some light on the ways the board can develop an effective partnership.

It’s that time of year again – budget season is upon us. You know the things to consider when creating your budget, but what drives your process? Are you focused on achieving a particular vision for your community? Avoiding conflict in the community? Solely looking to avoid increasing dues?

New to a condo or homeowners association, or need a refresher? We put together some vocabulary you will want to be familiar with.

Energy conservation and managing HOA community environmental footprints are crucial, but board members have a responsibility to homeowners to exercise financial prudence and proactively seek ways to manage rising costs.

The holiday season is upon us, and nothing puts you in a festive spirit like pulling your holiday decorations out of storage. Many people derive a sense of community and comfort from seeing familiar decorations at the same time each year.

You want your community association to be successful. All board members do. You know that means watching the finances carefully and maintaining the property. But do you think about effective board communication as an ingredient in your recipe for success? It is!

You may not be able to control rising utility rates, but your condo or homeowners association (HOA) can take measures to make your energy budget go a lot further. Just follow the four strategies described in this article. They’ve already worked for many Illinois properties managed by FirstService Residential.