Resources
Guides for boards and homeowners.
Practical articles, templates and training to help your community run well.
Blog and news
Latest articles.
Practical guides for board members and homeowners. Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Tell us.
Board basicsHow to prepare your association’s annual budget
5 min read
FinancesWhat a reserve study tells your board, and what it doesn’t
4 min read
Choosing a managerTen questions to ask before hiring a management company
5 min read
HomeownersA new homeowner’s guide to living in an association
4 min read
MaintenanceA seasonal maintenance checklist for common areas
4 min read
GovernanceHow to run a productive board meeting
4 min readBoard resources
Checklists for board members.
Practical starting points for common board tasks. Always check your own governing documents and local law, which take priority.
- Check your bylaws for notice deadlines and send the notice on time
- Prepare the agenda, budget summary and election materials
- Confirm how quorum is reached and collect proxies if allowed
- Arrange sign-in, ballots and someone to count votes
- Record minutes and share results with all owners
- Compare last year’s budget with actual spending
- Collect contract renewals and vendor quotes
- Set the reserve contribution from your reserve study
- Add a small contingency for unexpected costs
- Share a clear summary with owners before adoption
- Confirm licensing and insurance before any work
- Get at least three bids for the same scope of work
- Check references from similar communities
- Put the scope, price and schedule in a written contract
- Review performance before renewing
- Read the declaration, bylaws and rules
- Review the current budget and latest financial report
- Understand your duty to act in the association’s best interest
- Keep confidential matters confidential
- Learn what the manager handles and what the board decides
- Adopt a written policy and apply it to everyone equally
- Send friendly reminders before late fees apply
- Offer payment plans where appropriate
- Follow your governing documents and local law
- Get legal advice before taking formal action
- Keep a current list of emergency and vendor contacts
- Document shut-off locations for water, gas and power
- Know which vendors respond around the clock
- Plan how to notify residents quickly
- Know the steps for filing an insurance claim
Want an editable copy of any checklist? Email us and we’ll send it.
Webinars
Free training for boards.
Short online sessions for board members. Subscribe to the newsletter to hear when dates are announced.
Board member basics
Your duties, your documents and how decisions get made.
Reserve a spotHandling difficult conversations
Violations, collections and neighbor disputes.
Reserve a spotExample scenarios
How we handle common challenges.
These examples describe situations many associations face and the steps we take to resolve them.
Example scenarioMoving from self-management
The challenge: A volunteer board that had managed everything itself was struggling to keep up with bookkeeping, vendor calls and homeowner questions.
How we approach it:
- Collect all records, bank accounts and contracts in one organized place
- Set up owner accounts, payment options and a clear request process
- Put vendor contracts on a renewal calendar
- Give the board a simple monthly report and meeting packet
Example scenarioGetting reserves back on track
The challenge: An older community learned its reserve fund was far below what upcoming roof and paving work would need.
How we approach it:
- Update the reserve study with current costs
- Build a multi-year funding plan the board can explain to owners
- Schedule projects so the most urgent work comes first
- Report progress against the plan every year
Example scenarioReducing late payments
The challenge: Growing late payments were squeezing the operating budget and causing tension between neighbors.
How we approach it:
- Adopt a clear, written collections policy
- Send friendly early reminders and make automatic payments easy
- Offer payment plans to owners facing hardship
- Report delinquencies to the board every month
Glossary
Association terms, explained.
- Assessment
- The regular fee each owner pays to fund the association’s operating costs and reserves.
- Special assessment
- A one-time charge to owners for a cost the budget or reserves can’t cover, such as a major repair.
- Reserve fund
- Money set aside for future replacement of major common elements such as roofs, paving or elevators.
- Reserve study
- A professional analysis of major components, their remaining life and how much to save for them.
- Declaration (CC&Rs)
- The founding document that sets out owners’ rights, obligations and the association’s powers.
- Bylaws
- Rules for how the association is run, including elections, meetings and board duties.
- Quorum
- The minimum number of owners or board members needed for a meeting to make valid decisions.
- Resale certificate
- A package of association documents and account information provided when a home is sold.
- Common areas
- Property owned or maintained by the association for all residents, such as pools, parks or hallways.
- Architectural review
- The approval process for exterior changes to homes to keep the community consistent with its guidelines.