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These days, you can do almost anything online—buy groceries, look for a job or even find love. But what about voting on issues that affect your community?

Enforcing HOA policies is nobody’s cup of tea, but having good policy enforcement in place helps improve the resident experience and elevates your reputation. Follow these 4 principles for healthy policy enforcement:

Do you escape to warmer weather down south once there’s a chill in the air and the leaves start to turn? If you’re a snowbird (or Winter Texan!), you need to know how to protect your home up north while basking in the southern sunshine

For a growing number of community associations across the United States and Canada, statute changes are making electronic voting a possibility for boards. If your state or province permits online voting – or will soon – does that mean that your board should make this option available to homeowners in your community?

Good rules make good community members. The most important factors in association policy making, whether for a condo, co-op, townhome or master-planned community, are clarity and sensibility. The board must be clear – and united – on the policy being created and then must communicate that policy to all residents. Whether the policy is about overnight guest parking, designated smoking areas, amenity usage or approved flooring, the basic steps to creating good policy and enforcing it successfully are the same. It’s important that everyone involved, including board members, residents and the management team, understand who is responsible for the various roles that are part of policy creation, enforcement and compliance.

Your board should give residents the opportunity to have their voices heard, but you also have a responsibility to keep the meeting moving forward. Use these 5 HOA annual meeting requirements to stay on track.

Your association doesn’t function in a vacuum. It’s part of a larger community. Having members actively engaged in your town or city is good for the association and adds to residents’ sense of community. Find out what your board can do to encourage residents to get more involved in their larger community.

Many community association boards and residents would like to implement energy efficiency measures in their communities. But what about the cost to get started?

Nothing says a healthy community like full homes/units and bustling activity in common areas. Painting a pretty picture of a dynamic community to potential buyers takes minimal effort on the part of the board.

The number of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) on the road is quickly growing, which means the need for conveniently located battery charging stations is also on the rise. What does this mean for your association?

The Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt made their debut as the first US mass-market plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) more than five years ago. Nearly half a million have jumped on the PEV bandwagon. What does this mean for community associations?

Are residents in your community always aware of upcoming events, construction projects and board meetings? Do they understand their responsibilities and the policies they need to comply with?

As a homeowner, you can do your part to make communication in your community association better. Find out how.

Are residents in your community always aware of upcoming events, construction projects and board meetings? Do they understand their responsibilities and the policies they need to comply with? When your board clearly and effectively communicates with residents, it has a positive impact on the overall wellbeing of your condo or homeowners association (HOA). Open and honest communication creates the perception of transparency and facilitates a feeling of community.

As a homeowner, you can do your part to make communication in your community association better. Find out how.

Are residents in your community always aware of upcoming events, construction projects and board meetings? Do they understand their responsibilities and the policies they need to comply with?

As a homeowner, you can do your part to make communication in your community association better. Find out how.

Does your board know the secrets of effectively communicating with residents?

Replacing a trusted vendor or finding a new one can be a challenge. How can you have peace of mind that the vendors you’re considering are right for you? Follow the tips below to help screen potential vendors and get the best fit for your association.

Here are some email communication best practices for your building to use when sending out communications regarding the current pandemic.

A powerful hurricane can devastate even those communities that have made all of the preparations that it can. When this happens, the road to recovery and rebuilding can feel long. Fortunately, a great property management company can help. With best practices in place and the help of an experienced team, even the most insurmountable damage can be mitigated, repaired and reversed.

It goes without saying that how we communicate has drastically switched from in-person contact to user-friendly digital platforms since the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread.

As board communications become increasingly reliant on web-based technologies, it’s more important than ever to take proactive steps to safeguard the way you share and save sensitive information.

In an effort to help our clients and their families stay safe during these difficult times, FirstService Residential’s in-house technology experts recently assembled a list of best practices and technology tips for working at home, improving password security, identifying potential scams and selecting personalized internet packages.