Dealing with homeowner dissention

Started by AnnaJ1 • 10 replies • 497 views

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AnnaJ1 (Maryland)
Posts: 95

Posted:

So, in general my neighborhood hates the HOA. To them, its just a nosy entity that takes money and tells people what they can and can’t do with their property. Mind you the neighborhood has a large amount of common areas, ponds, streetlights, we're funding a reserve for an upcoming community center, etc, and our dues are only about $55 monthly. There is one homeowner who leads the charge in this “hate effort.” She emails the board with complaints. She and her husband distributed flyers to recruit neighbors to gather for a HOA board bitch session, and they verbally ambushed the annual meeting. Recently, she posted in a county-wide group on Facebook. I’m the HOA president, and I kind of want to reach out to her because she is mischaracterizing the HOA and the board. For example, she says the grounds maintenance fees are inflated. The Board recently met with three different landscapers. We have the lowest price and best service by far. She says we’re in bed with the management company. Just simply not true; we’ve worked with them for 13 years and they have not raised their price in all this time and they do wonders for us. And the Board makes decisions based on personal gain (I don’t know what she means, it’s really impossible), etc. etc. Should I reach out to her to educate/have a talk with her, or leave it be?

ChrisE8
Posts: 454

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By AnnaJ1 on 11/29/2020 7:34 AM
So, in general my neighborhood hates the HOA. To them, its just a nosy entity that takes money and tells people what they can and can’t do with their property. Mind you the neighborhood has a large amount of common areas, ponds, streetlights, we're funding a reserve for an upcoming community center, etc, and our dues are only about $55 monthly. There is one homeowner who leads the charge in this “hate effort.” She emails the board with complaints. She and her husband distributed flyers to recruit neighbors to gather for a HOA board bitch session, and they verbally ambushed the annual meeting. Recently, she posted in a county-wide group on Facebook. I’m the HOA president, and I kind of want to reach out to her because she is mischaracterizing the HOA and the board. For example, she says the grounds maintenance fees are inflated. The Board recently met with three different landscapers. We have the lowest price and best service by far. She says we’re in bed with the management company. Just simply not true; we’ve worked with them for 13 years and they have not raised their price in all this time and they do wonders for us. And the Board makes decisions based on personal gain (I don’t know what she means, it’s really impossible), etc. etc. Should I reach out to her to educate/have a talk with her, or leave it be?

Do you have regular newsletters or something to all owners, showing the true facts?

She hates the board and it will be tough to change her mind. But if you don't already have monthly newsletters and frequent owner meetings, I would do that. That will take the wind out of her sails. But I would also meet with her.

Also, are HOA records generally available? I would disclose as much as possible to owners, or at least make records easily available.

Communicate, communicate, communicate, and be transparent to EVERYONE. That's what I'd do.

AnnaJ1 (Maryland)
Posts: 95

Posted:

Thanks Chris. We recently just resumed the newsletters. We do have regular meetings that are poorly attended. Records are only an email away from our management company. They are extremely responsive.

GeorgeS21 (Florida)
Posts: 3,808

Posted:

The Board (president) should increase communications - via email, website, and if necessary, USPS - with FACTS and FIGURES.

If I was the president, I would NOT engage with the chronic complainer, except as required by state law - and, then only at open Board meetings, that were properly noticed.

I would, at the board meeting, ask the chronic complainer to volunteer for whichever committee your association has for the areas you mentioned.

ChrisE8
Posts: 454

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By GeorgeS21 on 11/29/2020 8:03 AM
The Board (president) should increase communications - via email, website, and if necessary, USPS - with FACTS and FIGURES.

If I was the president, I would NOT engage with the chronic complainer, except as required by state law - and, then only at open Board meetings, that were properly noticed.

I would, at the board meeting, ask the chronic complainer to volunteer for whichever committee your association has for the areas you mentioned.

I second GeorgeS21.

MichaelS56 (Minnesota)
Posts: 859

Posted:

Very good advice has been given. It just shows how one or two toxic residents have the power to make so many lives stressed out or even miserable. Our 84 unit association, presently does not have one. Whew.

CathyA3 (Ohio)
Posts: 6,299

Posted:

I agree with the suggestions others have made.

You're dealing with what we refer to as "vocational dissidents" (or Chief Complaining Officers). They thrive on conflict and controversy. Despite what they may claim, they are not trying to make the community better - they are trying to stir up turmoil and get attention, and the board should not give them what they want.

There is a trick to dealing with them, which is mostly to not engage. We had a list of canned responses to be used as needed, with no unscripted discussions. Any communications with them were done in writing (and these were few and far between). A simple "think you for your comments" will do if you're forced to say anything at all. Above all do not get pulled into debates with them.

You're never going to shut them up. By using all of the board's communication tools effectively, you'll be able to destroy their credibility with the rest of the community and minimize the drama. That's your goal. It may take a year or more to eventually dial down the noise, but if the board sticks to their playbook, it will happen.

JohnC46 (South Carolina)
Posts: 14,265

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By CathyA3 on 11/29/2020 9:03 AM
I agree with the suggestions others have made.

You're dealing with what we refer to as "vocational dissidents" (or Chief Complaining Officers). They thrive on conflict and controversy. Despite what they may claim, they are not trying to make the community better - they are trying to stir up turmoil and get attention, and the board should not give them what they want.

There is a trick to dealing with them, which is mostly to not engage. We had a list of canned responses to be used as needed, with no unscripted discussions. Any communications with them were done in writing (and these were few and far between). A simple "think you for your comments" will do if you're forced to say anything at all. Above all do not get pulled into debates with them.

You're never going to shut them up. By using all of the board's communication tools effectively, you'll be able to destroy their credibility with the rest of the community and minimize the drama. That's your goal. It may take a year or more to eventually dial down the noise, but if the board sticks to their playbook, it will happen.

Great advice.

AugustinD
Posts: 5,144

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By CathyA3 on 11/29/2020 9:03 AM
You're dealing with what we refer to as "vocational dissidents" (or Chief Complaining Officers). They thrive on conflict and controversy.

Perhaps. But I have found that the number of CCOs can be reduced by (I'd say) roughly half by engaging them in a somewhat Socratic discussion that teaches them about how the governing documents dictate what the board does. I remember a guy complaining about large old, dying trees on medians. Large branches were falling. The guy was right. The guy roared at me on the phone. I told him I agree this was the number one priority for the next few weeks. He said he could have a crew out there and get this done. I told him that the Declaration required licensing and bonding of such a crew. Did his crew have this? Because if so, great, I would be all over it and motion to the board. He slowed down and said he did not think they had this licensing and bonding. The trees were taken down within the next two weeks, in an elaborate fashion, and by licensed and bonded crew.

I think folks are not totally irrational. Many will begin to understand why boards make the decisions they do. Even if the CCOs do not agree with these decisions, they may at least concede that the decisions were not, say, criminal, monstrous et cetera but a different point of view.

Also as others have pointed out, I think communications like newsletters and board meetings that pound again and again on the same point as needed can help a lot.

JohnC46 (South Carolina)
Posts: 14,265

Posted:

An old management trick was to promote the most vocal/PIA union people to management positions where they could not longer be an active union member.

One way to deal with dissenters in an HOA is to invite them to be on committees.

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