Featured Articles

HOA Must Allow Sober Living Home as Reasonable Accommodation

People who buy into pricey gated communities likely assume they won’t have to worry about drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities moving into the neighborhood — but a recent case out of Texas shows that this confidence may be misplaced. A federal district court ruled against an Austin community association, finding that the Fair Housing Act…

How Should Association Assess Buyers’ Financial Health?

Your clients may be worried that the COVID-19 crisis threatens their financial stability, but you need to help them avoid going too far in their efforts to protect their bottom lines. One path to steer them away from, for example, is becoming overly invasive in their financial screening of prospective buyers. An association in Florida…

What Can Your Boards Request of Prospective Owners?

Depending on the governing documents, community associations may have some say on the buyers to whom owners can sell their properties — but, even armed with that authority, they can go too far and create problems for their associations. That’s what happened in a recent case in Florida, where the court characterized the association’s requirement…

Time to Re-Bid? Vendor Contracts Under the Microscope

The economic crisis has shaken the finances of a wide variety of businesses, and the pandemic has changed the service needs of many community associations. Combined, these factors might make this an opportune time for your clients to re-bid some of their vendor contracts. If they do it right, they could save money and help…

“Deadbeat” List Lands Association in Class Action Lawsuit

A condominium complex in Florida — and its manager — are facing a class action lawsuit after publishing a so-called “deadbeat” list of owners who were behind on their assessments (Williams v. Salt Springs Resort Ass’n (Fla. App. 2020). The state Court of Appeals that allowed the class action to proceed reversed both a lower…

What Next: Dealing with the Lingering COVID-19 Crisis

Are your clients truly ready for what now looks to be a long game in the fight against COVID-19? Experts widely expect the coronavirus to continue to be a factor in the fall and the winter, when it could be compounded by the return of the seasonal flu. Even if you're in an area currently…

Managing Smoking, Pets, and Other Nuisances

Regardless of where you’re located, or how long you’ve been in the business, the same types of problems tend to crop up over and over, don’t they?

It’s not the big emergencies that make you pull your hair out, but the everyday hassles that start to grate when you get lots of people living together in the same community. Things like pet issues. And smoking. And the other chronic niggling nuisances that, over time, become a real pain in the neck.

Which is why we’ve pulled together this Special Report specifically about managing these sorts of challenges.

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Client Relations: How to Develop Your Ideal Roster

Client Relations Report Cover Image

Strong relationships with your community association clients are always important — but not always easy — to maintain. When times are tough economically, you can’t afford to lose clients, but even when finances are robust, an unhappy client or former client can cause trouble for your future prospects.

That doesn’t mean, though, that managers have to settle for rocky treatment from clients that are overly demanding, unappreciative, or even abusive. Concessions can be made for exceptionally trying times, of course, but wouldn’t you rather develop solid, productive, and mutually satisfying relationships with your clients?

This exclusive Special Report aims to help you do just that. It provides valuable guidance on how to identify and land the right clients, establish and enforce boundaries, manage poor conduct, and leverage happy clients.

Start creating the business and the client relationships you want and deserve today.

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Should You Offer Voluntary Benefits?

Voluntary benefits have become a more prominent player in employee compensation packages in recent years, including those offered by community association management companies. The benefits offer advantages for both employers and employees, but you need to understand what’s involved before jumping in. The Perks of Voluntary Benefits Unlike your “core” benefits like health and dental…

Smoking Ban Isn’t a Reasonable Accommodation for an Asthmatic Owner

Disputes over smoking — whether tobacco or marijuana — aren’t limited to community associations that prohibit smoking. Even associations that permit smoking can have disgruntled owners who complain about the practice. One such owner sued her association and its manager, alleging that their refusal to ban smoking amounted to unlawful discrimination. “It’s a good example…