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

Do you know what you should expect from your management company during staff transitions?

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

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!

You want your community association to be successful. Do you think about effective board communication as an ingredient in your recipe for success?

Germs are a fact of life. But with the right tools and a common-sense approach, your board and community management can work together to help reduce the spread of any illness – and the right management partner can help. Learn what to ask any community management company you consider.

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

If your community is managed by a property management company, you probably have an after-hours number you can call for urgent issues. But what if you simply want to take care of day-to-day association business? “People don’t operate in normal business hours anymore,” says Rolando Hernandez, national customer care director at FirstService Residential. “Residents and board members need to be able to take care of community business how and when it’s convenient for them.”

Being on your association board is not an easy job. No matter what your level of experience, mistakes can happen. Learn the seven common mistakes board members make and what you can do to avoid them.

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?

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.

Whether you face an outbreak of illness, earthquake, or a flood, the impact of any devastating event can be minimized if your board has prepared for it. No doubt, your board meetings are already chock full of agenda items, but it’s important to make emergency preparedness planning a priority.

Follow these best practices for planning communications before, during and after the budget is ratified, to ensure residents are informed and involved.

Budgeting is the time for making tough decisions for how your association spends its money, and sometimes those decisions can, unfortunately, lead to contention. Clear communication about the association budget should be provided to all homeowners throughout the year to help solve problems before they begin and smoothly pave the way for needed changes.

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

It’s a common problem that many condo and homeowners’ associations (HOAs) face: rules that simply don’t work as they were intended. Sometimes it’s because they are enforced inconsistently or aren’t enforced at all. Other times it’s because they go too far. At their worst, poorly instituted HOA policies can even cause neighborhood discord.

You may not think cybercriminals have any interest in your condo or homeowners association (HOA), but don’t be so sure. As a small business, your association may be facing more risk than it did in the past.

Humans are social creatures with a deep-seated yearning for connection and community. This is particularly evident in a condo association or HOA, where a strong sense of community can be the difference between long-standing residency and high turnover.

Almost everyone has a phone, but some people don’t feel comfortable with new technology. While using any of these methods, make sure you practice responsive communication, listening carefully and giving clear cues to show your understanding.

One of the most challenging aspects of being on the board of your homeowners association (HOA) can be running board meetings. It’s not always easy to keep everyone tuned into the business at hand. In addition, you have to manage the inevitable disagreements among board members. How do you keep these meetings running smoothly?

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.

As community managers begin inspection, they note the necessary repairs for winter damage as they make their rounds through the community.

Cold weather will soon be upon us, so now is the time for your homeowner association (HOA) to make sure your maintenance program is on track. As brutal as Chicago winters can be, you certainly don't want to discover a leak in your roof during a heavy snowfall or have a boiler stop working during a record cold spell. Don't get caught in the cold!

Being on the board of your condo or homeowners association (HOA) isn’t an easy job. No matter what your level of experience, mistakes can happen. Although some of these can probably be corrected easily, why not avoid them altogether by learning from other board members’ experiences? Check out these recommendations for handling 5 common board member mistakes.