In Denver’s HOAs, Community Participation is Key
“Dear Unit Owner: Be sure to put this month’s HOA meeting on your calendar! It’s . . .” As you get ready to hit the delete button, you remember last month when you heard mention of changes within the HOA, but weren’t present to discuss them. Maybe it was conversation of ways the cleaning crew could improve. Or new schedules for the security vendor. Or issues with snow removal. Or more important, a discussion on how to allocate HOA dues while considering major repair projects. Maybe you decide to, just this once, attend that HOA meeting.
That’s the spirit HOAs are looking for when it comes to building a community where the resident owners are invested in what takes place in that community. Well-run communities depend on a triumvirate of HOA Board of Directors, Management Company, and Home/Unit Owners to participate and work together in harmony for the benefit of all.
Here’s a brief refresher of those roles and expectations:
Homeowners Association Board of Directors
The board are the voice and representative of the owners. The covenants, bylaws and restrictions govern how the Board of Directors operates. The board sets the budgets for operational and reserve funds. It also oversees committees, sets special assessments as needed and attempts to resolve escalated issues.
Management Company
As your management company, CAP Management focuses on the day-to-day operations of your community as its highest priority. A good management company maintains that crucial balance between enforcing the community’s covenants and restrictions while responding professionally and quickly to homeowner concerns.
Home/Unit Owner
The owners are the HOA and vice-versa. It is the owner’s responsibility to participate in the HOA experience in order to protect their investment. The home/unit owner must also follow association’s covenants and restrictions. And most important, their active participation is vital to creating an effective association.
Home/unit owner associations are ideally a rationalized system of shared responsibility that facilitates that overall efficiency called for in the covenants and restrictions. As a resident, your perception may be that responsibility for major repairs lies solely with the management company. Remember though, that the management company serves at the discretion of the HOA board of directors. And that board of directors is made up of residents just like you. Your management company counts on that essential relationship with the HOA board (your neighbors and owners themselves) and you as a resident to work with them in establishing realistic budgets for repairs, monitoring the complex activities and ensuring compliance with the covenants and restrictions.
When something goes wrong, CAP Management does what it takes to make it right – within the scope of the boards directives, set budgets, spending limits (in place to protect the HOA) and a very detailed service agreement. Understanding the needs of the residents while adhering to the HOA board’s guidelines requires finesse, diplomacy and professionalism in securing a mutually beneficial outcome for everyone.
To those owners we haven’t met or interacted with yet, we’d love to see you at the next HOA meeting. We know it might not seem like the most “fun” way to spend a Weekday evening – but participation in your HOA leads to increased community togetherness, a sense of direction for the property, and helps keep owners and boards on the same page.
To see when your next meeting will be held, login (or register for) you community web portal at https://cap.cincweb.com.