Community Association Boards and property management teams often get lumped together in the eyes of homeowners of a community. Sure, both entities have the Association’s best interests in mind, but there is actually quite a difference between being a member of your Association’s Board and being a hired member of a professional management team.
Let’s set the record straight on the actual duties between the two association cornerstones and how their duties and goals have a positive impact on a community.
Don’t the Board and Property Manager Work Together?
The short answer is, yes! Even though the two are separate entities, teamwork helps to ensure upkeep in a community is met. While the Board and Manager work hand-in-hand, ultimately, any decision is still made by the Board either directly or via a filed policy.
Usually, a property manager is hired to work for an Association and help with some of the specifics behind managing, staffing, and contracting for a community. Here’s a closer look at how the two work both separately and together to keep an association successful.
Understanding Association Management
In an instance where an association management team has been hired to assist an Association, they will be on-hand to carry out management tasks for a property that would simply be too time-consuming for a board. After all, your Board consists of volunteers with jobs, families and other duties outside of their service to the community.
The job of association management is, intuitively, to manage your community. Therefore, they serve on the front lines fielding issues for the Board such as, but not limited to:
- Homeowner communication on community matters and changes;
- Dues collection;
- Project coordination;
- Emergency scenarios involving homeowners or tenants.
The Duties of Your Association Board
As previously mentioned, the Association Board is a volunteer-driven entity that governs a community within a specific jurisdiction. This is a governing entity that is responsible for setting and enforcing the rules of the community. The whole goal of your Association is to ensure that the neighborhood continues to live up to the standards of excellence set in place by former board members.
The average duties of the board are:
- Making decisions on Association business
- Vetting and hiring contractors for community projects
- Reviewing Association finances and expenses
Get Your Association in Line with its Goals with Goodwin & Company
Ironing out the details that involve running a successful planned community can be a lot for a board of volunteers to handle. At Goodwin & Company, we understand that there are some duties that should be taken off of a Board’s plate.
From legalities to financial planning, we are prepared to help. Contact us today to speak with one of our representatives and find out how we can help your Board mitigate the stresses of maintaining a North Texas community.
