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If your community association has a hard time getting enough board members to attend monthly board meetings to form a quorum, consider meeting by telephone conference call. Meeting by conference call makes it easier for directors to attend, increasing the likelihood that they will. This is especially true for vacation communities, whose board members often live far away from one another and are rarely all present at the community at the same time.

Unfortunately, sometimes annoying behavior by a member in your community can provoke a violent reaction from another member. Badly behaved pets, loud music, or acting inappropriately in common areas can lead to arguments that escalate. You and your staff should act quickly to avoid liability for violent disputes between members. If members take matters into their own hands because you did nothing and someone is injured, you could be held liable. A court might rule that your failure to intervene in the dispute created a dangerous condition.

Despite some recent concerns over the safety of hot tubs, this amenity continues to be popular in many communities. The high temperatures that hot tub water can reach pose risks to some members, namely, pregnant women or people with high blood pressure. And hot tubs are unsafe for children both because of the heat and as drowning hazards. But that doesn’t mean that members whose health won’t be compromised by hot tubs can’t enjoy them.

This spring, you and your association are probably planning summer events that will give members a chance to have fun in the community and get to know their neighbors. Organizing events can also be a team-building experience for your staff and create goodwill between management and residents. It’s not all fun and games, however. Community-building events, such as pool parties or cookouts, may feature food and drinks, including alcohol. If the association serves alcoholic beverages at an event, it creates the potential for liability if someone is injured or killed as a result.

Fining members is one of the most unpleasant aspects of managing a homeowners association, but it’s unfortunately sometimes necessary to uphold the rules of your community. The administrative aspects of fining can be difficult. When members refute the fact that they owe fines or refuse to pay fines, the dispute can end in hard feelings or, worse, litigation.

If your association has decided that it has the funds to upgrade current amenities or add new ones, you should find out what’s most important to members before determining where the money should be spent. In a community with families, a playground or playroom might be important to members. A swimming pool might be a welcome addition to a community in a warm-weather environment. Age-restricted community members might want a better club room where they can socialize or spend time with their extended family during visits.

If your condominium building uses heating oil as a fuel for furnaces or boilers, you should take steps to ensure that you aren’t paying for more oil than is being delivered to the building. Don’t fall prey to an unscrupulous oil company that might try to trick you or your management company about the amount of fuel that’s delivered to the building. A New York City commission recently found widespread heating oil fraud, with nine companies and 44 individuals indicted on multiple felony counts.

Safety hazards in the community you manage can result in, at best, minor accidents and, at worst, personal injury lawsuits. You and your staff should have a risk management strategy set up that covers all of the issues that could lead to liability for the association. The common areas in your community or condominium building are rife with risk—especially high-traffic common areas, which are used by not just members, but also visitors, and can get wear and tear or damage that could cause slips, trips, and falls.

In many parts of the country, winter is quickly approaching, and the cold and snowy season brings with it concerns that association managers should take seriously. The winter season creates liability in the form of slip-and-fall accidents and other personal injuries due to ice, snow, and freezing rain. It’s important to set up or renew contracts with snow removal companies and other winter services vendors, and to talk with your staff about winter-specific issues they should be on the lookout for.

Unfortunately, sexual harassment can happen in any workplace, including among members of your staff. In addition to wanting to make sure that your employees feel comfortable and not threatened at work, you also need to be concerned about sexual harassment because an employer can be held responsible if one of its supervising employees violates federal or state laws that prohibit sexual harassment—even if the employer was unaware of the violation.