If you live in a townhouse or condominium, there is a good chance that you belong to a homeowners association (HOA). Many single-family neighborhoods, especially senior communities, also have HOAs. You would not be alone as nearly 74 million Americans belong to an HOA.
This is not a bad thing as there are many benefits to HOA membership. However, there are also many challenges that an HOA may experience.
An HOA board helps resolve problems and keep the community running efficiently. They handle major disputes like HOA evictions, property disputes, and more.
Read on to learn more about board duties and how an HOA community is structured. Explore topics such as how the HOA board of directors is elected.
What Is an HOA Board?
An HOA board consists of volunteers who want to make their community a better place to live. They are not paid for their work.
Each board is structured differently, however, there are typically common positions. A president is the leader of the board. They are likely voted into the position by their peers.
The vice president is the second in command. The VP usually fills in during the president's access.
There is a treasurer to manage the HOA finances. Lastly, a secretary is responsible for planning meetings, taking meeting notes, and managing important documentation.
What Are the Responsibilities of an HOA Board?
The HOA board needs to keep the community functional and safe. The primary purpose is to maintain order and keep the community an appealing place to live.
This involves collecting fees and using this revenue on services for the community. For some communities, this may include hiring a company to pick up trash and recycling.
Most communities have shared landscaping services. A landscaping company comes in to mow lawns, edge sidewalks, and driveways, collect leaves, and more. This is important to an HOA so the entire community looks good from the exterior.
The HOA board is responsible for community event planning. They also may hire a private security company to keep the community safe. The board is expected to evict community members who do not follow the rules.
HOA boards also need to manage common areas in the community. This may involve recreation halls, pools, and parks. Communities with a pool need to hire lifeguards and a company to treat it with chemicals.
Some HOA boards are short-staffed and cannot complete all of these tasks on their own. In these cases, their attention pivots to hiring an HOA property manager. A property management company can provide professionals with years of experience running HOA homes and communities.
Your Guide to Board Responsibilities Like HOA Evictions
Clearly, this is a lot of work for a volunteer board. Many board members do not want to deal with stressful situations like evicting households that do not follow the rules.
The good news is that there are HOA property managers to handle the most difficult tasks. If your board is overworked and does not want to handle messy situations like HOA evictions, contact us today to speak with a professional property manager near Boise, Idaho.
