A homeowners association manager is an individual who assists you in handling the day-to-day of running your community, leaving you free to focus on bigger matters. Association managers wear a lot of hats, from helping your HOA Board run meetings and manage finances, to managing communication with residents. Because they handle a variety of essential functions for your association, an association manager will need to have a particular set of skills to be successful.
What Does an Association Manager Do?
Depending on your HOA management company and your contract, your association manager may handle several of the following tasks:
- Schedule and attend board meetings
- Assist with annual budget preparation and ongoing management
- Collect dues and, when necessary, special assessments
- Manage invoices, account receivables, account payables, and resident or board delinquencies
- Prepare monthly reports on finances to the board, and annual tax reports
- Designate and establish any insurance policies your HOA needs
- Document and keep records
- Enforce rules and regulations, bylaws, etc. with residents
- Manage communication with homeowners and handle complaints and concerns
- Maintain your community’s common areas
- Oversee and run board elections
- Coordinate with outside contractors, lawyers, financial managers, specialists, etc.
- Ensure your HOA is in compliance with federal, state, and local laws
Skills a Successful Association Manager Should Have
So what are the skills you should be looking for? We’ve compiled a list of qualities we believe make a great manager.
Leadership
A successful manager is a great leader. Someone who is confident, self-assured, and knowledgeable of not only their job, but of the community’s needs and what makes it unique. Managing elected board members can be tricky, especially if one of them has very strong opinions about how things should be run. A good manager will have the skills to direct the board in the right direction while making them feel heard.
Professionalism
HOA members can be opinionated, too, especially when they feel they’re not getting value for their money. A great association manager will be able to handle heated situations with a calm, collected attitude. Strong de-escalation skills are crucial in this role.
HOA Knowledge
Not only should a manager have thorough knowledge of HOA laws and best practices in general, they should also understand the intricacies of your specific community—what makes your board and your members different, and what your neighborhood’s unique needs are.
Accessibility
This is a two-fold quality for association managers: they should be physically accessible to the board and members, and they need to be approachable. A great association manager is one who not only responds promptly to the community’s needs, but also makes the members feel comfortable coming to them and confident they will be taken care of.
Multitasking
As we mentioned before, association managers handle a multitude of various responsibilities. They should be comfortable juggling multiple tasks at once, and able to stay organized and in control of running the association.
Continuing Education for Association Managers
While a great manager will come to you with the above skills, a truly successful one will be looking for ways to continually improve their professional qualifications. Programs like our FOCUS training for association managers keep them abreast of the most up-to-date knowledge so they can run your HOA with the utmost confidence.
Looking for a great association manager to get your HOA on track, or have questions about our FOCUS program? Contact us and we’ll be happy to help!