HOAs and Condo owners United

AlexM1 (Oklahoma)
Posts: 287

Posted:

Does anyone know of any good way to unit condo unit owners? The HOAs have a Board....We have owners who go or not go to HOA meetings. Many things go on and the unit owners know not(in most cases) what is going on... A management company could be taking advantage of owners and the naïve HOA Board and owners have no way of knowing what is going on. I would really like for the condo unit owners know what is going on and have more of a voice in what is going on. I have not yet have any knowledge as to whether this is even feasible le. Any suggestions?

GeorgeS21 (Florida)
Posts: 3,808

Posted:

First - I'm going to answer based on what I THINK you are asking - your paragraph doesn't make complete sense, though.

Find, read and understand all documents - Articles of Incorporation, Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions, Rules and Regulations, and By-laws.

Attend the Board meetings - make sure they are being held and operate in compliance with the above documents.

If they aren't in compliance, force them, using the above documents to become compliant.

Know everyone in your condo association - share information - work together to get things on track.

RichardP13 (California)
Posts: 3,868

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By GeorgeS21 on 07/31/2018 8:20 PM
First - I'm going to answer based on what I THINK you are asking - your paragraph doesn't make complete sense, though.

Find, read and understand all documents - Articles of Incorporation, Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions, Rules and Regulations, and By-laws.

Attend the Board meetings - make sure they are being held and operate in compliance with the above documents.

If they aren't in compliance, force them, using the above documents to become compliant.

Know everyone in your condo association - share information - work together to get things on track.

The question was how to get owners to meeting and keep them informed, not read your documents.

Tell them you are raising their dues substantially. The only people that show up at meetings are the trouble makers. If you have a 55+ community and hold them meeting during the daytime, you can get more. After 5:30 PM they call it a night.

JenniferG11 (Texas)
Posts: 667

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By GeorgeS21 on 07/31/2018 8:20 PM
First - I'm going to answer based on what I THINK you are asking - your paragraph doesn't make complete sense, though.

Find, read and understand all documents - Articles of Incorporation, Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions, Rules and Regulations, and By-laws.

Attend the Board meetings - make sure they are being held and operate in compliance with the above documents.

If they aren't in compliance, force them, using the above documents to become compliant.

Know everyone in your condo association - share information - work together to get things on track.

Yes, this is the starting point, along with state statues governing your association. Find out your rights regarding records and such so that you are able to know whatever you'd like to.

In terms of uniting homeowners, a lot of people make email lists to share information and ideas.

KerryL1 (California)
Posts: 14,550

Posted:

Alex, aren't you ON the board? Remind us the size of your HOA.

Does your HOA have a newsletter? We do and the approved minutes are attached to it each month. This is one way to help keep owners informed.

JaredC (Texas)
Posts: 264

Posted:

I've sent out newsletters. We added a community bulletin board. Our meetings are in the evenings or on weekends. Many of those meetings are by phone which is even more convenient. I have personally dropped off information on the doorsteps of EVERY homeowner. I have taken the time to graph out and simplify our financials to make them more understandable.

Bottom line: People don't care. Homeowners don't care. They literally won't do something as simple as look at the community bulletin board to get the contact info for our management company yet they'll complain they don't know who it is!!! People don't care. They rarely even look at the information that I drop off (to make it easier for them). I've only said it twice but let me say it again: People don't care. They don't come to meetings. They don't read any of the governing documents. People don't care.

I think most people just want to come home from work and be home. Maybe they want to be with their family or go out and be with friends. Perhaps most normal people just want to live their lives and an HOA is something they don't care about. That's all ok. I dare say it's even normal. In the interest of fairness I will mention that some, very few, people do reach out to me and say thank you for keeping them informed but the overwhelming majority of homeowners... say it with me... don't care.

Good luck all the same. :-)

JaredC (Texas)
Posts: 264

Posted:

I've sent out newsletters. We added a community bulletin board. Our meetings are in the evenings or on weekends. Many of those meetings are by phone which is even more convenient. I have personally dropped off information on the doorsteps of EVERY homeowner. I have taken the time to graph out and simplify our financials to make them more understandable.

Bottom line: People don't care. Homeowners don't care. They literally won't do something as simple as look at the community bulletin board to get the contact info for our management company yet they'll complain they don't know who it is!!! People don't care. They rarely even look at the information that I drop off (to make it easier for them). I've only said it twice but let me say it again: People don't care. They don't come to meetings. They don't read any of the governing documents. People don't care.

I think most people just want to come home from work and be home. Maybe they want to be with their family or go out and be with friends. Perhaps most normal people just want to live their lives and an HOA is something they don't care about. That's all ok. I dare say it's even normal. In the interest of fairness I will mention that some, very few, people do reach out to me and say thank you for keeping them informed but the overwhelming majority of homeowners... say it with me... don't care.

Good luck all the same. :-)

GeorgeS21 (Florida)
Posts: 3,808

Posted:

I’m still chuckling ....

FredS7 (Arizona)
Posts: 927

Posted:

If you figure how to get homeowners involved...then tell the government...maybe the same approach can be used to get citizens informed and voting regularly.

I could tell you the story about oatmeal the kid who never talked. Or just say that you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.

AlexM1 (Oklahoma)
Posts: 287

Posted:

Thank you belatedly..... Sorry but had to leave the country... but anyhow... I thought your responses was GREAT and the Truth.. IN OTHER WORDS...ain't possible... thanks again

AlexM1 (Oklahoma)
Posts: 287

Posted:

Actually... I am too.

GenoS (Florida)
Posts: 4,276

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By JaredC on 08/01/2018 7:01 AM
I've sent out newsletters. We added a community bulletin board. Our meetings are in the evenings or on weekends. Many of those meetings are by phone which is even more convenient. I have personally dropped off information on the doorsteps of EVERY homeowner. I have taken the time to graph out and simplify our financials to make them more understandable.

Bottom line: People don't care. Homeowners don't care. They literally won't do something as simple as look at the community bulletin board to get the contact info for our management company yet they'll complain they don't know who it is!!! People don't care. They rarely even look at the information that I drop off (to make it easier for them). I've only said it twice but let me say it again: People don't care. They don't come to meetings. They don't read any of the governing documents. People don't care.

I think most people just want to come home from work and be home. Maybe they want to be with their family or go out and be with friends. Perhaps most normal people just want to live their lives and an HOA is something they don't care about. That's all ok. I dare say it's even normal. In the interest of fairness I will mention that some, very few, people do reach out to me and say thank you for keeping them informed but the overwhelming majority of homeowners... say it with me... don't care.

Good luck all the same. :-)

A very bleak and pessimistic take. Accurate, though. It's not that people don't care. It's that not enough people care. Which, in the grand scheme of things, is about the same thing.