Your HOA People

LoriF3 (South Carolina)
Posts: 240

Posted:

I am curious to know those of you on here who have a Home Owners Assassination

Can you reach these people like President ,Vice President etc...

If yes how can they be reached and are they responsive ?

When we first moved in not one person knew who if anyone was on the HOA .
After my pestering a lady stepped forward that she was the president
Found out she did not wish anyone to know her name or let along to contact her .

She has since stepped down and as I mentioned in a few other posts
We have a president which I found out is just an interim ( the one appointed by the property manager )
A vice president who said he volunteered

A secretary

there were 2 others who have since resigned

I know only how to reach the secretary .

I was told there was an email you were to reach the top 2 .I never get a response on my email now the secretary is saying he cannot access the email .

I have no other way then send private messages or post a post to Nextdoor .

Then I have gotten chewed out by the vice president both on the post and in a private message .

I wanted to know answers to my questions .

The property manager won't give them to me
The president is not reachable and answers vaguely
The vice president blows up at me over just wanting to have some answers
The secretary is nice but all she can say is I'll bring up at the next meeting

So maybe you can see why I am a bit frustrated

I am not sure what to do ,is this like this for everyone or is this just really odd

MelissaP1 (Alabama)
Posts: 13,836

Posted:

Time and place. The best time to talk to your HOA is at it's meetings. Now not all HOA's have scheduled regular meetings. However, it's most common and acceptable to bring up issues in person at a meeting. After that, then I would say it's how the board members/officers want to handle communication. They aren't required to have a "open door policy". This is their personal life.

Former HOA President

LoriF3 (South Carolina)
Posts: 240

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By MelissaP1 on 09/19/2017 5:11 AM
Time and place. The best time to talk to your HOA is at it's meetings. Now not all HOA's have scheduled regular meetings. However, it's most common and acceptable to bring up issues in person at a meeting. After that, then I would say it's how the board members/officers want to handle communication. They aren't required to have a "open door policy". This is their personal life.

Not often they have meetings when the meetings are run they are disorganized the louder you are the more you get to talk .

The meetings are run by the property manager speaking mainly

I do not know how things are suppose to be when you can have no one to talk to

AugustinD
Posts: 5,144

Posted:

Hi Lori, increasingly I have come to believe that your experience is the rule and not the exception. The reason is that the board is made up of volunteers. Few want to work unpaid, and some see it as prestige (read: power trip) to be on "The Board." I feel this leads to a good deal of people being on boards who lack the legal and infrastructure skills necessary to oversee a corporation.

Only if you have a group of people, who think like you do and who can be elected as a board majority, is there any hope. If a person is not willing to serve on the board, then I think it's best they not complain. I suggest that they become comfortable with mediocrity in exchange for not giving all the unpaid hours that others (as incompetent as they are) are willing to give.

Good luck.

LoriF3 (South Carolina)
Posts: 240

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By AugustinD on 09/19/2017 5:36 AM
Hi Lori, increasingly I have come to believe that your experience is the rule and not the exception. The reason is that the board is made up of volunteers. Few want to work unpaid, and some see it as prestige (read: power trip) to be on "The Board." I feel this leads to a good deal of people being on boards who lack the legal and infrastructure skills necessary to oversee a corporation.

Only if you have a group of people, who think like you do and who can be elected as a board majority, is there any hope. If a person is not willing to serve on the board, then I think it's best they not complain. I suggest that they become comfortable with mediocrity in exchange for not giving all the unpaid hours that others (as incompetent as they are) are willing to give.

Good luck.

Thank you that is what I have been thinking but really was not sure .

If I had been able to attend the meeting where they were chosen I would have volunteered but having had major surgery only a few days before I was not able to go .

I have been seriously thinking of just going door to door as a campaigner would to try and muster some support .I am not sure if you could do such a thing and I do hate going door to door by myself but I am not sure how to connect with the home owners other than by doing this .

AugustinD
Posts: 5,144

Posted:

At the three HOAs at which I have lived, the approach of either going door-to-door, doing mass emailings, or running a phone campaign have been effective at bringing around significant change. I have also observed that candidates being seen around the HOA grounds volunteering their time for small improvement projects also wins over voters. E.g. one of my favorite board members organized a "clean up your house and yard" campaign, whereby members could put household items on the curb, and there was a pickup detail to take the items to the city dump. It was amazingly successful. Also the other volunteers she enlisted had fun. At the same time, people saw the organizer out really making a difference. She won by a landslide and continued with great enthusiasm and success as a board member.

At each of my three HOAs, many members to whom candidates reached out would, in private, express their dismay with the board and typically agree to vote for the person proposing change. Granted there was often a majority who did not care. On the third hand, the figure for a quorum for the annual elections is typically around 20%. So a majority not caring, and not voting, often has no effect on the election.

You are likely entitled to the membership mailing list per state law or your HOA's governig documents to assist in this. I hope you recover soon from your surgery.

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,059

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By LoriF3 on 09/19/2017 5:06 AM
I am curious to know those of you on here who have a Home Owners Assassination

Can you reach these people like President ,Vice President etc...

If yes how can they be reached and are they responsive ?

Yes and Yes.

Keep in mind that I am on the Board.
However, I could contact and get responses prior to being on the Board.

Being on the Board, I try to respond to any email within 48 hours.
Letters take a little longer.

LoriF3 (South Carolina)
Posts: 240

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By AugustinD on 09/19/2017 7:05 AM
At the three HOAs at which I have lived, the approach of either going door-to-door, doing mass emailings, or running a phone campaign have been effective at bringing around significant change. I have also observed that candidates being seen around the HOA grounds volunteering their time for small improvement projects also wins over voters. E.g. one of my favorite board members organized a "clean up your house and yard" campaign, whereby members could put household items on the curb, and there was a pickup detail to take the items to the city dump. It was amazingly successful. Also the other volunteers she enlisted had fun. At the same time, people saw the organizer out really making a difference. She won by a landslide and continued with great enthusiasm and success as a board member.

At each of my three HOAs, many members to whom candidates reached out would, in private, express their dismay with the board and typically agree to vote for the person proposing change. Granted there was often a majority who did not care. On the third hand, the figure for a quorum for the annual elections is typically around 20%. So a majority not caring, and not voting, often has no effect on the election.

You are likely entitled to the membership mailing list per state law or your HOA's governig documents to assist in this. I hope you recover soon from your surgery.

I would love to do a mass email but I do not know anyone's email and I hardly know which homes are rentals and which ones are owners .Like I said its been asked for property manager keeps saying things like he does not want to violate privacy etc...I know at one time a list was going around but I can't find it plus many people moved out this summer and new people moved in so I don't know if any of the names and stuff are accurate.

I wonder about doing campaigning never ran for anything before do not even know again which are owners and which are renters without a door to door canvassing .( which I am not sure I could get done ) I have been getting some responses on Nextdoor but am not sure how to know if they are just upset now and will follow through or not .
Thank you I am doing better now still have to see an oncologist every 3 months ,and I guess since I am trying to recoup have time on my hands .

LoriF3 (South Carolina)
Posts: 240

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By TimB4 on 09/19/2017 7:42 AM

Posted By LoriF3 on 09/19/2017 5:06 AM
I am curious to know those of you on here who have a Home Owners Assassination

Can you reach these people like President ,Vice President etc...

If yes how can they be reached and are they responsive ?

Yes and Yes.

Keep in mind that I am on the Board.
However, I could contact and get responses prior to being on the Board.

Being on the Board, I try to respond to any email within 48 hours.
Letters take a little longer.

You want to move more south we could sure use some one like you here

I would rather live in a non hoa now only because if nothing gets done well there are no rules .Here we have rules but hardly anyone follows them .

I drove around some streets today coming back from the grocery store .

I saw lots of need to be mowed lawns , dead tree ,car on bricks in driveway ,of course the 2 vacant houses one because of a house fire that a rental company owns and the other a owner which the property manager says he cannot locate .( of course I asked the hoa if he has paid the dues they did not know ) Because I was thinking if he hadn't then something could be done .I also was wondering why the property manager could not contact the tax record in the county to see if he is up to date on them .Its been vacant since I moved in 3 years ago .Also there was other things I noticed which just makes an area look run down trash barrels are to be hidden from street view and many houses they were full and in front of the house or garage .

I still think the president and vice president only wanted the positions so she could have her boat in the driveway and him so he thinks he is something

thank you for your help

TimM11
Posts: 354

Posted:

I'm on the BOD in my HOA. For us, all communication runs through the property management company. Someone wants us to address something, they contact the MC. We need to get in touch with a homeowner, we have the MC contact them. Every HOA is different, but this is the way that we find works best for us.

DouglasK1 (Florida)
Posts: 2,046

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By LoriF3 on 09/19/2017 5:06 AM
I am curious to know those of you on here who have a Home Owners Assassination

Luckily we've never had one of those.

Escaped former treasurer and director of a self managed association.

LoriF3 (South Carolina)
Posts: 240

Posted:

Okay I made a typo and I do not see a way to edit but I am having some eye problems .I got something in my eye from mowing the grass yesterday and its constantly watering .

CarlJ2 (Texas)
Posts: 194

Posted:

Unfortunately we don't have a way to edit.

GenoS (Florida)
Posts: 4,276

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By LoriF3 on 09/19/2017 5:06 AM
I am not sure what to do ,is this like this for everyone or is this just really odd

It's really odd. It sounds like there's an HOA there that most people wish would go away.

AllisonD (Florida)
Posts: 449

Posted:

Its a great question. When I first moved here, I did not know who anyone was. Right away someone came and said my mailbox needed straightening but that person did not introduce himself. At the first meeting I attended, when I asked a question a woman yelled over to me 'read the newsletter'. What newsletter??? Soon thereafter I was recruited to be on the board and sometime after that I became president, which I have been for about 7 years. When I became president I created a 'Welcome Packet' for all new residents. It contains a welcome letter from the board, lists the amenities, garbage pickup days, what improvements need an ARB, how to guests enter the gates, what you get for your dues, etc. There is a FAQ at the end. I personally email it to all new residents with a personal welcome email. If I do not get a response I continue to email until I get a response. Every homeowner gets personal attention from me. Every homeowner emails me from time to time. The success of this HOA is a direct reflection of my management of it (we have a management company but they work for us, I do not allow them to interact too much with our residents). It is not something I would ever allow a management company to do in my place, nor would I reduce my time devoted to duties. This is how I feel about the neighborhood I live in. But I know that there are some HOA's where homeowners have no clue what is going on, dont know who the board members are and are never encouraged to ask questions or participate.

JanetB2 (Colorado)
Posts: 4,219

Posted:

Lori ... When is your next HOA meeting??? Because to take care of the many issues you have posted ... you need yourself and other like minded individuals who are willing to step up and take on this task.

JanetB2 (Colorado)
Posts: 4,219

Posted:

Sorry meant to state your next ANNUAL Homeowner's Meeting to elect Directors.

KerryL1 (California)
Posts: 14,550

Posted:

I'm with Janet and in Lori's case, she & the others who step up MUST educate themselves about the structure and function of their HOA as found in their nCC&Rs & Bylaws. If they're too weird to read--and they can be--they need the help of an HOA attorney.

JanetB2 (Colorado)
Posts: 4,219

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By KerryL1 on 09/19/2017 11:31 PM
I'm with Janet and in Lori's case, she & the others who step up MUST educate themselves about the structure and function of their HOA as found in their nCC&Rs & Bylaws. If they're too weird to read--and they can be--they need the help of an HOA attorney.

Amen ... potentially they need an attorney.

LoriF3 (South Carolina)
Posts: 240

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By AllisonD on 09/19/2017 7:02 PM
Its a great question. When I first moved here, I did not know who anyone was. Right away someone came and said my mailbox needed straightening but that person did not introduce himself. At the first meeting I attended, when I asked a question a woman yelled over to me 'read the newsletter'. What newsletter??? Soon thereafter I was recruited to be on the board and sometime after that I became president, which I have been for about 7 years. When I became president I created a 'Welcome Packet' for all new residents. It contains a welcome letter from the board, lists the amenities, garbage pickup days, what improvements need an ARB, how to guests enter the gates, what you get for your dues, etc. There is a FAQ at the end. I personally email it to all new residents with a personal welcome email. If I do not get a response I continue to email until I get a response. Every homeowner gets personal attention from me. Every homeowner emails me from time to time. The success of this HOA is a direct reflection of my management of it (we have a management company but they work for us, I do not allow them to interact too much with our residents). It is not something I would ever allow a management company to do in my place, nor would I reduce my time devoted to duties. This is how I feel about the neighborhood I live in. But I know that there are some HOA's where homeowners have no clue what is going on, dont know who the board members are and are never encouraged to ask questions or participate.

Thank you I like the welcome packet idea and will try to get one going in here

LoriF3 (South Carolina)
Posts: 240

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By JanetB2 on 09/19/2017 10:51 PM
Lori ... When is your next HOA meeting??? Because to take care of the many issues you have posted ... you need yourself and other like minded individuals who are willing to step up and take on this task.

Rumor from our HOA secretary is October but that is all she has said so far ,we usually have to do these outside but they are looking for a inside place to meet.
( we have no club house nor pool ) other than a playground for kids under 5 and street lights and sidewalks that is it

LoriF3 (South Carolina)
Posts: 240

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By JanetB2 on 09/19/2017 10:52 PM
Sorry meant to state your next ANNUAL Homeowner's Meeting to elect Directors.

As to when they will pick anyone I do not know and do by directors do you mean people on the hoa or a board ?

Right now we have a secretary ,and vice president and a interim president and that is all I know

LoriF3 (South Carolina)
Posts: 240

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By JanetB2 on 09/19/2017 10:52 PM
Sorry meant to state your next ANNUAL Homeowner's Meeting to elect Directors.

As to when they will pick anyone I do not know and do by directors do you mean people on the hoa or a board ?

Right now we have a secretary ,and vice president and a interim president and that is all I know

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,059

Posted:

Lori,

The HOA is the organization created by the governing documents (typically the CC&Rs) to maintain the common areas and provide specific services (trash, etc.).

The Corporation (HOA.inc) is the business entity registered with the State.

The Board of Directors are individuals elected or appointed to serve as a Director and make the decisions that affect the corporation (awarding contracts, etc.).

Officers are individuals appointed by the Board to perform the day to day tasks of the Association and implement the decisions of the Directors.

Often (normally) the Officers are appointed from amongst those serving as a Director. When this occurs, that individual is performing two jobs with different authority and responsibilities. Just as if you were serving as a Director for your company and took a night job as a Janitor with the same company.

Sometimes, the day to day duties of the Association (dealing with contractors, collecting assessments, making deposits, paying bills, etc.) are delegated to a management company, property manager, independent contractor, temporary workers or employees.

The MC answers to the Officers
The Officers answers to the Board of Directors
The Directors answers to the membership

JohnC46 (South Carolina)
Posts: 14,265

Posted:

Lori

Try and get this straight. BOD Members (Directors, etc.) are elected by the owners or appointed by the BOD to fill a vacancy.

The BOD Members (Directors) elect their Officers from among themselves. All Officers are BOD Members (Directors) but not all BOD Members (Directors) are Officers.

Typical BOD of 5:

Tim Smith, BOD Member, President
Mary Jones, BOD Member, VP
Jane White, BOD Member, Treasurer
Dick Brown, BOD Member, Secrertary
Harry James, BOD Member, not an Officer

In a BOD of 3 typically they will all be Officers. President, VP and Treasurer same person, Secretary.

Repeat. The BOD elects its own Officers. The BOD can call for an Officer election anytime they want to. For a BOD of five, 3 could call for an Officer election. For a BOD of three, 2 could call for an Officer election.

If at election time there is not a Quorum (a specific number of members at the election meeting {in person or via Proxy} as dictated in your Bylaws) there can not be an election and the existing BOD stays in place. This is how many have remained on BOD's year after year and this is the fault of the owners for not taking enough interest to attend/vote. It is not the fault of the BOD.

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,059

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By LoriF3 on 09/20/2017 4:35 AM

Posted By JanetB2 on 09/19/2017 10:51 PM
Lori ... When is your next HOA meeting??? Because to take care of the many issues you have posted ... you need yourself and other like minded individuals who are willing to step up and take on this task.

Rumor from our HOA secretary is October but that is all she has said so far ,we usually have to do these outside but they are looking for a inside place to meet.

Our Association uses the local elementary school cafeteria for general membership meetings.
They let us use it for free.
We simply need to schedule.

you might want to make that suggestion to the Board to see if that can happen in your area.

LoriF3 (South Carolina)
Posts: 240

Posted:

Yikes I feel like I am trying to do one of those puzzles where she is related to him but he is not related to them .

Okay I have absolutely no one in here my subdivision who seems to know what side is up .

I did dig through the papers I saw that at the start in 98 there were 3 names listed as board of directors not 1 of them lived in this subdivision .
I know that 1 of the 3 sent resignation papers in to resign .
I never saw anything of the other 2

I know we have a property management who is to hire the people to cut the common areas and not sure what else he does because he is never on the property much .

I know we had 5 people on the home owners association
I know 2 quit
I know one was appointed as an interim president
One is vice president
One is secretary

I do not know how long they are to serve ( I never saw it clearly labeled )

JohnC46 (South Carolina)
Posts: 14,265

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By LoriF3 on 09/19/2017 8:12 AM

Posted By TimB4 on 09/19/2017 7:42 AM

Posted By LoriF3 on 09/19/2017 5:06 AM
I am curious to know those of you on here who have a Home Owners Assassination

Can you reach these people like President ,Vice President etc...

If yes how can they be reached and are they responsive ?

Yes and Yes.

Keep in mind that I am on the Board.
However, I could contact and get responses prior to being on the Board.

Being on the Board, I try to respond to any email within 48 hours.
Letters take a little longer.

You want to move more south we could sure use some one like you here

I would rather live in a non hoa now only because if nothing gets done well there are no rules .Here we have rules but hardly anyone follows them .

I drove around some streets today coming back from the grocery store .

I saw lots of need to be mowed lawns , dead tree ,car on bricks in driveway ,of course the 2 vacant houses one because of a house fire that a rental company owns and the other a owner which the property manager says he cannot locate .( of course I asked the hoa if he has paid the dues they did not know ) Because I was thinking if he hadn't then something could be done .I also was wondering why the property manager could not contact the tax record in the county to see if he is up to date on them .Its been vacant since I moved in 3 years ago .Also there was other things I noticed which just makes an area look run down trash barrels are to be hidden from street view and many houses they were full and in front of the house or garage .

I still think the president and vice president only wanted the positions so she could have her boat in the driveway and him so he thinks he is something

thank you for your help

Lori

This and some of your other posts make it seem like your association is a drug infested, low life, trashy neighborhood.

I suggest you consider selling and moving on.

LoriF3 (South Carolina)
Posts: 240

Posted:

I know when we were needing to move and we were looking at different areas this area seemed pretty good .

I know we are having problems right now and that is why we need a new property management company .

We need one who is on the property more than every 5-6 months .

The area we live in has been pretty good up until now and well there is going to be a new subdivision to be bulit on the other land next to ours ( different builder )

There is a need to step up in the community and I think the home owners know this management company does not care to do anything but collect their fee .

I have seen it on several posts on another forum .

I and the secretary are working as best we can just would nice to have a management company willing to do their job

LoriF3 (South Carolina)
Posts: 240

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By TimB4 on 09/20/2017 7:03 AM

Posted By LoriF3 on 09/20/2017 4:35 AM

Posted By JanetB2 on 09/19/2017 10:51 PM
Lori ... When is your next HOA meeting??? Because to take care of the many issues you have posted ... you need yourself and other like minded individuals who are willing to step up and take on this task.

Rumor from our HOA secretary is October but that is all she has said so far ,we usually have to do these outside but they are looking for a inside place to meet.

Our Association uses the local elementary school cafeteria for general membership meetings.
They let us use it for free.
We simply need to schedule.

you might want to make that suggestion to the Board to see if that can happen in your area.

I have been told that someone is checking on the elementary school have not heard back though as a few people do not wish to stand outside for the meeting

thank you