A primer for board members and homeowners of condo, townhome, or HOA community associations.
Are you a board member wondering how to increase the level of service and/or productivity of your management company? Do you wish you had a faster response time from your management company? Are you at the point of considering a change in management? Are you resisting a change in management because you don’t think there is anything better out there?
What if there were a way to improve the performance of your management company, without having to spend the time to make a change? Here are the top 10 ways to improve the performance of your current management company:
Designate a Single Point of Contact.
Assign one board member as the main point of contact. Typically, the board president should be the main point of contact for the management company. If multiple board members request service, send emails, post notes on the same ticket, and provide day-to-day feedback and direction, this will potentially cause confusion and slow down the responsiveness of the management company.
Centralized Communication Platform.
If the management company offers an online portal, make sure that you use the online portal as much as possible. You might need to still send an occasional email but use the portal primarily. If the management company doesn’t offer an online portal, you might want to switch to a company that does offer an online portal as this is a much better platform to request services and provide and receive feedback versus email.
Easy Termination During the First 12 Months.
Make sure to sign an agreement that allows the board easy cancellation during the first 12 months so that it incentivizes the management company to perform well, especially during the first 12 months.
Provide More Praise than Criticism.
It is very important to provide positive feedback as much as possible to your manager and/or management company. Provide constructive criticism only when necessary and ensure it is presented in a thoughtful way that will not discourage the management company from providing top notch services.
Set Clear Expectations.
Ask for a meeting with the manager and/or supervisor and set clear expectations on response times and level of support. Review the agreement together and make sure there is clarity on expectations on both ends. If there is uncertainty, make sure all questions are answered.
Sign a Detailed Management Agreement.
Make sure before you sign the management agreement, it is detailed and clearly states what is included and what services are excluded. Ensure that there is a fee schedule for the services that are not included.
Feedback Loop:
Create a system for regular feedback. Encourage residents and board members to share their experiences and suggestions to help the management company improve. Provide the feedback to the management company in a positive way.
Collaborative Problem-Solving:
Foster a collaborative environment where the management company and board members work together to solve problems and address concerns. Sometimes the board will know better than the management company if the board member has lived in the building for a long time and has historical knowledge of the situation.
Frequent Communication between Management and the Board.
Depending on the number of issues at hand, there might need to be daily communication or at least weekly communication via phone between the main board contact and the manager. The more communication the better. This will ensure all parties are on the same page.
Share the Community Living Vision to Management.
What is the vision of the association? Do you want to ensure all the homeowners and residents live in a very well run and well-funded association with little to no deferred maintenance issues? If so, share that vision with the management company and ensure that they are aware of your vision, and this will help manifest this vision.
Summary
Sometimes it is possible to enhance the performance of the management company without having to switch companies. The age-old adage applies to management services as well. And that is “You reap what you sow”. So, before switching management companies, try these techniques and see what happens. You might be pleasantly surprised by the outcome.