In order to avoid problems with renters, associations should employ education and enlistment techniques. Make sure all your residents (both tenants and owners) are educated about the rules and what is expected of them. Enlist their support and cooperation; do not wait until there is a problem to make contact. The following are some ways to carry out education and enlistment.
Create a Resident Handbook
Include information on parking regulations, quiet hours, pool and spa rules and hours of operations, garbage can storage, skateboards and pets. Publish the name and phone number of the manager, or the board members if your association is self-managed. Give several copies to each non-resident owner.
Form an Active Social Committee
Invite residents and owners to get together periodically. Some associations organize potlucks, Easter egg hunts for the children, Christmas caroling, Halloween parades through the complex, and volunteer workdays. In these associations, almost everyone knows each other and problems are minimized. Residents ask each other the important questions, like: “Does my dog bark when I’m not home? Is my teenage son’s music too loud?”
Involve Non-Resident Owners
The annual meeting is a good event to discuss resident issues. Boards of Directors should encourage non-resident owners to be good neighbors by choosing a responsible tenant for their unit. Boards may want to establish a telephone tree to call owners, or create incentives to increase attendance at the annual meeting. Some ideas include:
- Distributing catchy flyers a few days before the meeting to remind owners
- Combining the meeting with a social event
- Offering a door prize at your meeting
Develop a Welcoming Committee
Personally deliver a letter of welcome to all new owners and residents and provide them a copy of your resident handbook. Create a sense of community in your HOA by making new residents feel like “wanted” members of the community. Employing methods that encourage support and cooperation among community members make it much easier to resolve a problem down the road.
To read the full article, please visit “Addressing Problems with Absentee Property Owners.”
Adapted from “Resolving Problems with Absentee Owners” by Diane Rossi.