Archives: Model Tools

Adapt the following letter to send to the members of your community you wish to survey. The letter conveys the importance of the member’s participation and explains how the members will be able to access the survey’s findings.

The following bylaw bans the smoking of cigarettes, cigars, and pipes in common areas and, if you choose to extend the ban in your community, within members’ units as well. The bylaw is effective because it makes members responsible for the smoking of their guests, provides for a fine to enforce the policy, and says…

Use the following letter to remind members that they’re obligated to follow the community’s noise policy, and why doing so is important. Show this letter to your attorney before adapting it for use in your community.

Your association most likely has a fining bylaw, but that bylaw is only as good as its enforceability. To ensure that it serves its purpose, ask your attorney about adapting the following bylaw for your governing documents.

Emails are the bulk of electronically stored information in a management office. Ask your association’s attorney about adapting these email retention rules to help your staff understand the legal guidelines associated with email use. Have your employees sign and acknowledge that they understand the policy and encourage them to come to you with any questions…

It’s much harder for employees to win defamation suits against their previous employers when they consent to the disclosure of information.

Ask your association’s attorney about tailoring this clause so you can amend your governing documents if your community doesn’t have a “no-fault” provision. It requires an owner of a condo unit from which a problem originates to pay for all damages to his unit, other units, and the common elements caused by the incident.

The following policy requires former employees to sign a release authorizing the disclosure of information on employment dates, job titles, and salary. Some managers get a release only when their references go beyond that limited information. Review the policy with your attorney and decide which approach works best for you.

Members’ assessments pay for or make possible a number of privileges such as voting and access to amenities. Therefore, there’s no reason a delinquent member should get a say in association business and enjoy privileges that other members have paid for. If a member is in arrears and the board is considering suspending his privileges,…

Eventually, you’ll have to deal with an employee who doesn’t perform well and must be let go. All management companies go through this process at some time, regardless of the due diligence they’ve performed to get competent, hardworking employees or how much they’ve vetted candidates for positions within the company.