Why should an Homeowners Association (HOA) or a community association consider hiring a property manager?

There’s a lot to consider when you’re thinking about self-managing your association. Many associations are in communities that include parks, running paths, pools, playgrounds, and workout facilities. These common areas are all the responsibility of the association to maintain and keep safe.

Typically, the association’s leadership is a collection of volunteer board members. They are residents who live in the community and have decided to volunteer to serve on the board. They rarely have experience maintaining and managing properties and, either due to family/life issues or a full-time job, they have very little time to devote to the effective management of the community.

Associations can run into trouble. So if you’re involved in an HOA that isn’t using a professional management company, it might be time to consider investing in those services.

A good property management company can help the association make sure they’re in compliance with their governing documents as well as any civil codes and state laws. Property managers can also keep the common areas maintained, ensure notices are put out to homeowners on a regular basis, and assist with financial management of the association.

Here are some of the additional ways your association can benefit from hiring a property manager.

Bay Area Vendor Relationships and Community Maintenance

Your Peninsula property management company can share the good relationships that they have established with outside vendors. This often results in lower rates for your HOA when it comes to insurance, lawn maintenance, general contracting, and other maintenance work.

Property and association managers work closely with these preferred vendors to ensure there’s a high quality of work that’s done on time and for less money than you’d pay an outside contractor you contact directly and who you’ve never worked with before.

Financial HOA Management in the SF Bay Area

Property managers can also assist your HOA with financial management.

Most association management companies have years of experience collecting dues and fines and assisting with the development of a yearly budget. Your Peninsula property manager can help you manage that budget and assist with the establishment of reserve accounts and long term capital plans to benefit your community.

Enforcing HOA Rules

A professional association management in the San Francisco Bay Area also delivers rules enforcement. We will do regular inspections and notify homeowners when they’re out of compliance with the rules and regulations. We follow up with any notices that were served or fines that were levied.

It’s easier for a third party to do this. If you’re serving on the board, confronting your neighbors when there’s a violation to address may be an uncomfortable situation. With decades of experience, we are very familiar with how to handle issues swiftly and effectively.

We can help with legal representation as well. Property management companies work with attorneys in multiple areas of real estate law, so we can help your association hire the right expert if there’s a contract dispute, collection matter, or other legal issues to deal with.

Peninsula Property Management and Community Values

Lastly, good association management means that the values of your community are maintained. All of the board’s tasks will be completed in a timely fashion, the common areas will be kept clean and maintained, and the board can be sure they’re in compliance with rules, regulations, and laws.

Implementing a uniform set of standards will create an enriching living environment for everyone in the community.

If you have any questions about the management of your property or your association, please contact us. Founded in 1982 in Marin County, Bayside Management has expanded to offer full-service property management to San Mateo and the entire San Francisco Peninsula. We manage single-family properties, multi-unit complexes, commercial properties, and homeowner associations.