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Posted By PatJ1 on 11/03/2022 12:45 PM
The very 1st RS we had done 9 years ago was thrown in a corner to collect dust by the board at the time. The board paid for it, never looked at, and admittedly didn't even know what it represented.
I saw the same with a certain condo association where I owned a unit. From 2007 (when Declarant turnover occurred) to 2017, the board not only ignored the study. The Board also regularly pilloried the most recent one as not reflecting the outstanding maintenance that the COA's manager made sure was performed. The board/manager even attached a note to the front of the reserve study saying this. Obviously neither the board nor manager questioned anything specific in the study -- not remaining useful life nor estimated expenses. Last I heard is that percent funded remains below 30%. The parking lot pavement is completely 'gatored. The roofs are due for replacement within a few years.
For the archives, the problems I have with having a director or manager perform the reserve study, especially for a condo association:
-- A significant part of a reserve study is laying out a
schedule of reserve contributions and assessment increases as needed to raise the percent funded figure to a reasonable value that will preclude special assessments. It's one thing to estimate useful remaining life and cost of replacement and plug and chug these numbers into a spreadsheet. It's entirely another to come up with a schedule of contributing to reserves and raising the assessment to keep the COA safe. The latter requires judgment based in specific, reserve study experience.
-- The director or manager will likely be the only one who understands what is in it. Meaning there is virtually
zero check on the work she or he does. There is much to be said to have multiple pairs of eyes looking at a reserve study, especially eyes that are experienced.
-- I am sure those rare HOAs/COAs that have their reserve study done by a director or the manager have been comfortable for some years now assuming a certain, relatively low inflation rate. However, what inflation rate is appropriate for the future? What that number should be requires some training and discussion.
-- The older the building, IMO the more experience is needed to estimate useful lives and incorporate a cushion for unpredictability of failure.
-- Federal loan programs now have stricter requirements for a HOAs/COAs' reserve funding. Do these programs require that a COA's reserve study be completed by a professional?
-- To me, for condominiums, fiduciary duty demands that professionals be used.
-- I agree with CathyA3's comment about directors and managers climbing on ladders, crawling into dark spaces, et cetera. Don't do it.
For a HOA (and not a COA) with very little infrastructure, it's more likely (though far from certain) that I could get behind a director or manager performing the study. For HOAs with little infrastructure who feel comfortable doing their own in-house study, I recommend people consider buying a DIY kit that is available from some reserve companies for a few hundred dollars.