Teenage Boys for Help with Common Areas

Started by SharynH • 10 replies • 193 views

💬 Join us to post & get advice from 50,000 HOA & Condo leaders.

⚡ Takes 30 seconds

Already a member? Log in

SharynH (Texas)
Posts: 1

Posted:

A homeowner in our HOA offered to have her teenage boys help with various tasks that I, as a part-time manager, am not able to do, given the number of administrative items that must be done. One of the main tasks is removing the leaves from the pool on a daily basis and removing fallen limbs and other hazards from the sidewalks and paths. The homeowner attests that the boys are responsible, and they just want the boys to the value of hard work and earning their own money. The homeowner is willing to sign a liability waiver. They would not be employees but rather contract labor for a minimal fee. Should we add them to our workmen's compensation policy? What is the best practice for handling this situation?

DeanJ
Posts: 1,786

Posted:

The first step would be getting board approval and a waiver prepared by the HOA’s attorney.

MichaelS56 (Minnesota)
Posts: 859

Posted:

Review HOA insurance liability coverage for the teenagers

CathyA3 (Ohio)
Posts: 6,299

Posted:

No no no no no. Is that clear enough. :-)

You're probably not insured in the event something goes wrong. Liability waivers are fine, but by themselves are not a substitute for insurance.

And they're probably MINORS! Who do you intend to have supervise them? Mom? Do you think she's qualified for that sort of work and that they'll obey her?

Are you intending to pay them? If so, they this could be on the level, or it could be a bit of a scam. Or is Mom asking for a reduction in assessments in lieu of payment? That's not legal.

My usual spiel about the folly of hiring volunteers for HOA work:

* They're not free (insurance, among other things).

* You do not get professional quality work. No warranties or guarantees, and the workers may void existing warranties. They may cause damage that the HOA will have to pay for fixing. And they can walk off the job whenever they feel like it.

* It's not sustainable. Just because you have willing volunteers today doesn't mean you'll have them in the future. This is especially true in condos, where owners often buy in order to get away from that sort of thing.

* It misleads homeowners about the true cost of ownership in the community. This can make it hard to increase assessments in the future since you've created unreasonable expectations.

Nope, don't do it.

CathyA3 (Ohio)
Posts: 6,299

Posted:

Forgot to mention:

It sounds like this is a bright idea on Mom's part to benefit her kids (and maybe Mom as well since she won't have to give them spending money). Boards are obligated to act in the best interests of the HOA, not in the interests of individual homeowners. This is not in the best interests of the association, for the reasons I've stated.

The best way for kids to learn the value of earning money is to work for some guy who doesn't think they're wonderful and who won't allow any slacking. Retail is a particularly eye-opening gig, and kids learn that they're easily replaceable if they decide that they'd rather go swimming one day than show up for their shift. It's tough, but it teaches the value of studying and eventually getting a job that's not in retail.

KellyM3 (North Carolina)
Posts: 2,239

Posted:

To Cathy's point....HOA leaders should lead gingerly with volunteer labor and probably shouldn't offer paid jobs to teenagers for logistical reasons. These volunteers literally vanish overnight when they move or find their schedules too competitive to give time.

ElleN (Idaho)
Posts: 1,335

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By SharynH on 04/11/2025 11:17 AM
A homeowner in our HOA offered to have her teenage boys help with various tasks that I, as a part-time manager, am not able to do, given the number of administrative items that must be done. One of the main tasks is removing the leaves from the pool on a daily basis and removing fallen limbs and other hazards from the sidewalks and paths. The homeowner attests that the boys are responsible, and they just want the boys to the value of hard work and earning their own money. The homeowner is willing to sign a liability waiver. They would not be employees but rather contract labor for a minimal fee. Should we add them to our workmen's compensation policy? What is the best practice for handling this situation?

Nothing anyone has posted has convinced me that a HOA should have a blanket prohibition on hiring teenagers, all on the assumption that they are not responsible.

Companies hire teenagers all the time and pay them pursuant to law, with insurance and tax reporting requirements met.

The teens have to meet the Declaration's requirements for contractors. The HOA and the contractor have to meet the requirements for workers' comp insurance. Do they?

KerryL1 (California)
Posts: 14,550

Posted:

Entirely agree with Cathy.:"Boards are obligated to act in the best interests of the HOA, not in the interests of individual homeowners. This is not in the best interests of the association, for the reasons [ Cathy] stated."

CathyA3 (Ohio)
Posts: 6,299

Posted:

I just noticed something else. If the OP is a part-time manager and doesn't have time to take care of all the tasks on her plate, then the board needs to have some discussions about whether or not they need a full time manager and what tasks they expect the manager to handle.

The proposal above (pay some teenagers to take care of the extra tasks) means the association would be paying twice for tasks that they think the manager is handling, and almost certainly getting lower quality work. Going the cheap route is seldom worth it. Homeowners (and boards) should expect to pay a fair price for competent work, because communities don't manage themselves.

ElleN (Idaho)
Posts: 1,335

Posted:

We are talking about "removing leaves from the pool on a daily basis and removing fallen limbs and other hazards from the sidewalks and paths."

I think hiring someone (other than maybe teens on a trial basis) for such minimal chores poses challenges.

CathyA3 (Ohio)
Posts: 6,299

Posted:

Our lawncare crew takes care of leaves and branches on the grounds. They even picked up a dead mouse that was on my front sidewalk.

We don't have a pool, but I would not expect our manager to handle pool maintenance chores - and she would refuse to do them. If you have a pool, then pool maintenance is a thing and goes beyond fishing debris out of it.

All of this suggests to me that this community is underfunded. Just as there is no Magic HOA Money-Printing Machine, there is no Magic HOA Fairy that performs all of the tasks that people don't want to pay a fair price for. Pools in particular are expensive, and state laws can be picky about how they're maintained.

🎯 You've read this entire discussion

Join the conversation with 50,000 HOA & Condo Leaders:

✓ Ask follow-up questions
✓ Share your experience
✓ Get expert advice
✓ Access 350,000 discussions

Create Free Account →

⚡ Takes 30 seconds

Already a member? Log in here