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How do you manage collections and HOA funds after a crisis? Get 3 tips to help you plan for the future

Ignorance is not bliss, especially when it means potentially leaving your homeowners association (HOA) at risk of a cyber attack. And that’s exactly what you’re doing if you don’t recognize that your HOA is as much of a target as any other small business.

The board of directors for your homeowners association (HOA) probably feels it has a lot more pressing issues than cyber security. So it’s understandable that you may not be as focused on keeping up with safety measures to protect your HOA’s sensitive data. However, with cyber attacks becoming more and more prevalent, the financial and personal information that your association maintains is at greater risk.

Digital technology has taken over our lives, making everyday tasks easy and convenient. You can use your mobile phone or device to pay rent, order pizza, book a dentist appointment or store photos and documents in “the cloud” without blinking an eye. Arizona community associations are also benefiting from the latest digital technologies.

Great capital improvements lead to better property values. Read on to see the three ways to pay for them and the pros and cons for each.

Your reserve fund is an important way for your homeowners association (HOA) to plan and budget for the future. It gives you the financial ability to maintain the quality of your community by funding necessary—and expensive—projects. Rather than covering day-to-day maintenance expenses, a reserve fund is intended to be used for major expenses like roofing, paving and capital improvements (for example, new construction or remodeling).

As a self-managed association, do you need a management partner? Before making that choice, ask these 6 questions.

Having a diverse group of opinions and perspectives on your HOA board can be a great thing, but it can also lead to challenges because of conflicting personalities. To set you and your association up for success, here are 6 tips to improve board meeting dynamics.

Now that you’re on the board of your homeowner or condominium association, it’s time to jump right in and start making a difference for your community. But before you begin, it’s important to get clarity on a few important terms all Arizona board members should know.

Is your community interested in introducing a Strategic Community Plan? Read more to learn about the benefits of having a Strategic Community Plan in place and how to introduce them into your association.

There are often valid reasons to raise assessments, but in some cases, you may want to take a different route. Here are three cost-saving strategies.

Have you considered the importance of effective board communication in your recipe for success? Follow these HOA communication tools and tips for a path to effective communication.

How does your Arizona association handle maintenance? Discover your association's unique maintenance style.

You may take on several responsibilities as an HOA board member, but Human Resources (HR) should not be one of them. In order to avoid employer liability, your board should leave HR responsibilities to a professional community management company.

Let’s face it: Just because you are a member of your homeowners association (HOA) board of directors, doesn’t mean you know everything about running an HOA. The truth is, most board members are not experts; they are simply volunteers who want to do all that they can to ensure that their community continues to be a great place to live.

Have you ever been in a situation where you didn't know who to call when an issue in your HOA came up because you live in a sub-association of a master-planned community that has two different community management companies? This is a consistent challenge for many homeowners living in multiple managed communities.

It is always a good idea to evaluate your current HOA management company's performance based on a few key services they provide. After all, the whole point of hiring a professional management company for your homeowners association is to take the daily burden off the board and let the professionals take care of it, right?

What does it take to make effective board decisions that enhance your community and improve the resident experience?

Like changing the oil in your car, regular maintenance on a building helps keeps everything working properly and safely. For stratas, some tasks are not optional, they are mandatory.

Security risks increase exponentially during the holiday seasons for high-rise buildings. Many residents travel for the holidays, move to warmer weather during the winter months, or have an influx of guests and family members in and out. These factors make it easy for intruders to make it into the building, especially if there are no procedures in place to track the many people and deliveries in and out of the building.

A strata management company never wants to find itself in the midst of an emergency, but it can happen anytime and anywhere. Whether you face an outbreak of illness, earthquake, or a flood, the impact of any devastating event can be minimized if your council has prepared for it. No doubt, your council meetings are already chock full of agenda items, but it’s important to make emergency preparedness planning a priority.

Up to 60 percent of strata home owners in the Greater Vancouver Regional District lack insurance. A good policy will protect your biggest asset and help you keep your head above water.