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Homeowners’ associations of all kinds, managed, unmanaged, condos, villas, single family homes, and townhomes all have one thing in common that in the long term determines if their community culture is healthy, and that is communication. Heathy communities require a leadership effort that is focused on communication with the community members.

Managers are the representatives of the management company (or employees of the association) and there are many management companies that do not place enough importance upon the proactive communication that it deserves, especially in this era of information-sharing and internet proclivity when it can be so easily embraced. It is also no coincidence that managers and management companies that do provide, support, and encourage the use of communication tools find themselves managing healthy associations and strong communities.

When homeowners and residents understand the issues that surround board decisions, the fact is that they are more likely to support and participate in those decisions. Communication is the tool that provides that understanding. Communication creates transparency and transparency creates understanding. Without an effective pro-active communication program in place, the only real correspondence received by association homeowners can be divided into three categories:

1. Requests for money (i.e., monthly statements, past due notices, special assessment notices)

2. Letters of non-compliance (violation notices)

3. Legally mandated notices.

It’s no wonder that some homeowners have such a negative perception about their association, their board of directors and their management company are the only sources of communication received by them and are mostly financial or punitive in nature. Left to those perceptions, homeowners are less likely to support or participate in any association-related matters. Without any communicative experiences to the contrary, negative perceptions continue to grow and become harder and harder to change. A lack of communication ultimately leads to discontent and negativity within the community. For community associations, those feelings can result in an unwillingness to get involved in association issues, rebellion against association authority and lack of support for board decisions and management directives. In addition, association committees often sit without volunteers, community rules are habitually ignored, and owners often begin any one-on-one communication between board or management with a combative demeanor. Is it any wonder no one wants to serve on the board of directors or that community association managers suffer from higher-than-normal rates of professional burnout?

Change the way people think about their community through communication and eventually the association becomes something much more than just a collector of assessments and punisher of the wrongdoer. It becomes a collection of families working together to create a better community. A community that is safe, supportive and protects the investment of its members. For community association leadership, that association becomes easier to manage.

Community websites are a great way to disseminate information and provide various tools for increasing communication, but who has time to keep them updated and relevant? The lack of time argument can be used for newsletters and for websites. However, the problem (time) is also the solution. If you want to create more time to communicate, you must start communicating! By moving from traditional websites to Web Apps you will have access to tools that will promote better communication within your community. If owners are informed about upcoming maintenance projects, then concerns can be dealt with prior to the beginning of the project and owners will not call with questions after the project has begun. When community rules and policies are explained and reinforced in newsletters and available on websites, more owners will comply with them. Again, the result is a reduction in complaints because there are more informed residents. 

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Alexious Fiero

The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.

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