Monthly Outstanding HOA Dues

Should outstanding and delinquent HOA dues be reported in the monthly financial reports to the HOA membership? Not by name, but simply by the number and amount due? I think so, what about you? How can those outstanding dues not be considered and reported each month?

Financial Reports and the Budget

Monthly Financial Reports: Financial reports should be completely detailed in order for the Board of Directors and unit owners to see where their monthly assessments are being spent. A computerized report includes data on both accounts receivable and payable. It reviews the previous month’s expenditures including a year to date summary. This report shows you exactly where the association stands according to the budget figures for the year.

Budgets: The foundation of your financial needs is your current budget. Your assigned Bookkeeper will work with your Manager to review your past budget and research and revise your Reserve accounts towards presenting the first draft of a new budget each fall. This will bring the accounts up to date and show the real financial picture of your association. This process is mandatory in order to ensure expense control.

Welcoming Committees and HOA Duties

Welcome Kits: A Guide

It's important for a number of reasons to have a welcome committee to educate new owners about the association and the community.

People who move into community associations

don't aren't always familiar with Homeowner Associations. They don't realize there are likely to be rules and regulations regarding certain things, especially exterior maintenance or alterations to their property. They also may not realize it if there are restrictions on rentals or rules on how units can be rented and even that there can be pet and other restrictions.
Shouldn't new homeowners have received a copy of the

association's governing documents and rules before their purchase? Sure, but even though it is required by law that buyers receive a current set of governing documents many in fact do not receive those documents or receive incomplete or an outdated set. This should be corrected immediately and those document should be given to the buyer/buyers at the time of contract so that they are aware of what is expected and have the opportunity to cancel their contact if they are not in agreement. if your HOA has failed to see that all new members receive this information immediately.
Someone within the Welcoming Committee should be available to explain and answer question about the association documents.

Here are things to consider including in your new-owner

welcome kit:

1. Governing documents.

Provide a complete UP-TO-DATE set of your CC&Rs and rules and regulations.

If they're posted online, provide a reference to where owners can find them online. Also include any rules that haven't been recorded and might not have been provided with the disclosure package.
2. Forms.

Include the forms owners need to comply with your association's

registration requirements. For example, under most bylaws, there's a requirement that people register to vote, to register their pet or their car, and to provide license information. HOAs vary when it comes to rules and regulations so make sure you present current information and are prepared to answer any and all questions regarding your HOA.
3. Community Website. A HOA community website can extremely helpful, to all, as long as information is posted quickly and is up-to-date and accurate. It is a 24/7 place for information and can include an online calendar of Events as well as all other pertinent information like HOA minutes of meetings or announcements.

Written and compiled by Gisela

Nominating Committees

Does your HOA board need a nominating committee? Can you even
create one and still comply with your state law and governing
documents? In this week's tip, we answer your burning questions
on nominating committees.

The role of a nominating committee isn't set in stone. "That's
going to depend on the association," says Matthew A. Drewes, a
partner at Thomsen & Nybeck PA in Edina, Minn., who represents
associations. "Typically committee members are going to propose
a slate of candidates. But they're not going to propose
individuals who have to be then approved by the membership
before they can be considered for the position."

Whether you must or can have a nominating committee will depend
on your state law and governing documents. "In Minnesota, we
don't see a lot of governing documents that call for the
creation of a nominating committee, but they do exist," says
Drewes.

"No action has been taken by the legislature to say that
nominating committees are invalid, nor does any legislation
require that they be used. It's generally going to be up to the
governing documents."

Florida has separate rules for condo and homeowners associations.
"For condos, nominating committees are no longer permitted,"
says Dennis J. Eisinger, a partner at Eisinger, Brown, Lewis &
Frankel PA in Hollywood, Fla., who currently represents more
than 500 condo and HOA associations. "It's a self nomination
process. For HOAs, you can still have them, but you can't
preclude nominations from the floor."

California's Davis-Stirling Act, which governs community
associations, has eliminated the role of nominating committees
by allowing candidates who qualify for board membership to throw
their hat into the ring without consent from any committee.
by M. Humphrey