Community associations
Written for community managers and representatives.
Hiring a vendor, verifying its insurance, and budgeting for the services residents notice every day.
Community associations
Common areas, contracts, and the signatures on them
A vendor works the ground under a contract your board signed.
Subjects
Pick from 11 subjects
Insurance, pricing, pool, landscaping, and the rest — each row opens on its newest guide.
| Landscaping | 9 guidesNewest in this subject |
|---|---|
| Pool | 7 guidesNewest in this subject |
| Vendor Management | 6 guidesNewest in this subject |
| Budgeting | 5 guidesNewest in this subject |
| Amenities | 3 guidesNewest in this subject |
| Governance | 3 guidesNewest in this subject |
| Porter | 3 guidesNewest in this subject |
| Compliance | 2 guidesNewest in this subject |
| Insurance | 2 guidesNewest in this subject |
| Janitorial | 2 guidesNewest in this subject |
| Staffing | 2 guidesNewest in this subject |
The library
Browse the library
Filter by subject. Every card opens a finished guide.
For the math rather than the reading, run the numbers on the free tools before you take a season's staffing cost to your board.
44 guides
The HOA landscaping calendar for each season and each region
Timing is the part boards get wrong. This season-by-season landscaping calendar sets the windows for the cool-season North, the warm-season South, the transition zone and the arid West.
What to check on a vendor's insurance before anyone sets foot on the property
Three things on a current certificate decide who pays when a mower breaks a window or a porter slips on a wet floor: the liability limit, workers' compensation, and your association named as an additional insured. A certificate in a folder proves none of it eighteen months later.
9 red flags to watch for when hiring an HOA vendor
The warning signs that separate a reliable HOA vendor from a headache. All of them are visible before you sign, not after the first missed visit.
What does an HOA porter do? A scope-of-work guide
A porter keeps common areas presentable day to day — trash, litter, breezeways, the pool deck. Deep cleaning and repairs are two other trades with two other price lists, and the scope document is where you keep the three from blurring together.
The HOA common-area cleaning checklist, from daily tasks to seasonal ones
Give every common-area cleaning task a frequency and the complaints mostly stop. The checklist runs daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal, ready to hand to a janitorial or porter company.
Where HOA irrigation money leaks, and how to stop it
How HOA boards cut irrigation water waste, avoid surprise repair bills, and keep common-area turf healthy. Audits, smart controllers, seasonal adjustments and a funded repair line.
What drives HOA pool maintenance cost, and how to read a proposal
Which buckets a community pool budget has to carry, what makes one proposal higher than another, and how to write a scope so two proposals are finally comparable.
What an HOA reserve study contains and when your board needs one
A reserve study is two things bound together: a list of everything the association will have to replace, and a funding plan for what to set aside each year. Skip it, or file it away unread, and the special assessment shows up instead.
How to keep an HOA clubhouse clean, safe and bookable
Clubhouse care is three separate jobs: routine cleaning, the reset between rentals, and safety checks. Most boards buy them as one — write down who owns which and the space mostly runs itself.
How to choose an HOA pool vendor
A checklist for HOA boards and community managers weighing pool service companies. Licensing, insurance, what a visit includes, the chemical logs, and how repairs get handled.
How to get competitive proposals for an HOA project
A walkthrough for boards running a fair proposal process. Write a clear scope, find qualified companies, and get apples-to-apples numbers your board can compare side by side.
What the VGB pool safety law requires of community pools
What the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act requires of community pools, why it matters, and how boards can confirm they're compliant.
How community pool chemicals are stored, handled and dosed safely
How community pool chemicals are stored, handled and dosed safely. Plus what your board should check, so a routine task never becomes an emergency.
How HOA porter service is priced, and how to read a proposal
What drives the price of HOA porter and common-area cleaning, how the two pricing models differ, and how to normalize a scope so two proposals finally describe the same job.
Who pays when an HOA tree falls, and how to lower the risk
Liability for a fallen tree usually turns on notice — what the association knew, or should have known, before it came down. A written inspection routine is what answers that question later, instead of a lawyer guessing.
10 HOA curb appeal improvements that are worth the money
The entrance is the one place every resident and visitor passes, so it is where curb appeal money goes first. Nine more common-area upgrades follow, each with a note on what it costs to keep up.
A before-and-after cleanup checklist for HOA community events
A before-and-after cleanup plan for HOA community events. Who does what, how to protect the deposit, and how to have the amenity ready for normal use the next morning.
How to build an HOA annual budget
A step-by-step walkthrough of building an HOA annual budget that holds up. Start from last year's actuals, then set dues, fund the reserves, and plan for the mid-year surprises.
How to compare HOA vendor proposals beyond the bottom-line price
Two proposals at the same headline number can describe completely different jobs. A board's guide to reading vendor proposals on scope, terms, and true annual cost, not just the number on the front page.
Does your HOA pool need a lifeguard or a pool monitor?
The real differences between lifeguards and pool monitors, the liability tradeoffs, and how boards decide which staffing model fits their community.
How to place, stock and service HOA pet waste and trash stations
How to place, stock and service dog-waste and trash stations so they stay clean and get used. Plus the upkeep habits that keep pet waste off the lawns and out of your inbox.
The HOA pool opening and closing checklist every board should keep
A checklist for community pools. What has to happen before you open, what has to happen before you close, and what your board should verify at each end.
7 common HOA pool problems and how to fix them
The recurring pool headaches community boards face. Cloudy water, algae, chemistry that will not hold, pump trouble, stains, and leaks. What causes each one, and how it gets fixed.
What belongs in an HOA landscaping budget, and where communities overspend
Build an HOA landscaping budget that holds up all year. Split it into routine service, seasonal work and repairs, note the line items boards forget, and see where communities quietly overspend.
How HOA boards confirm the porter work got done
Porter and cleaning work is easy to under-deliver on, because nobody watches it happen. Here is how HOA boards confirm the service they pay for gets done, without micromanaging.
What every HOA vendor contract should include
The clauses that protect your community. Scope, insurance, cancellation, and price escalation, laid out as a checklist you can hold against any vendor agreement before you sign.
How to cut HOA water costs with drought-tolerant landscaping
How HOA boards lower water bills and meet drought restrictions. Fix the irrigation first, group plants by thirst, convert the turf nobody walks on, and plant natives suited to your climate.
9 HOA pool vendor red flags boards should never ignore
The warning signs that a community pool vendor will cost you more than they save. Vague contracts, lapsed insurance, no test logs, an outlier low proposal. Plus what to do about each one.
Does your HOA need a porter, a janitorial company or a handyman?
These three roles overlap just enough to cause confusion, and expensive mismatches. Here is what each one does, so your HOA hires the right help for the need it has.
7 common-area upkeep mistakes that cost HOAs more later
The small upkeep shortcuts that quietly turn into big repair bills and resident complaints. Plus how your board avoids each one before it costs anything.
How to pass your HOA pool health inspection
What health inspectors check at community pools, which violations close a pool on the spot, and how boards and managers prepare so the pool opens on time.
How to run an HOA vendor RFP
A step-by-step guide to running a fair, apples-to-apples vendor RFP for your HOA. How to write the scope, what to require from vendors, and how to compare proposals without being fooled by the lowest number.
How to switch HOA vendors without disrupting your community
A step-by-step plan for replacing an underperforming HOA vendor cleanly. Check the contract, line up the replacement company, time the handoff, and leave no gap residents will notice.
How to write HOA landscaping standards homeowners will follow
How to write clear, enforceable HOA landscaping standards for homeowner lots. Specific enough to enforce the same way on every lot, reasonable enough that people follow them.
Which HOA vendors get a 1099, and when it is due
What HOA boards and managers need to know about issuing vendor 1099s. Who gets one, the W-9 to collect up front, the January 31 deadline, and the threshold change boards keep missing.
How to check HOA vendor references the right way
The reference call is the step boards skip most, and the one that predicts real performance best. The questions to ask, and the answers that should give you pause.
What HOA landscaping costs, and how to compare proposals
What drives an HOA landscaping proposal up or down, how the common pricing structures differ, and how boards can compare proposals fairly instead of chasing the lowest number.
How to verify an HOA contractor's license
A board's guide to which licenses HOA vendors need, how to check them against the state's own database, and why 'we're licensed' should never be taken on faith.
How to verify a vendor's certificate of insurance (and why one check isn't enough)
A certificate of insurance proves coverage on the day it was issued and nothing about today. Four things to check on it, and the standing routine that catches the policy that lapsed quietly last month.
How to decide between in-house and contracted HOA landscaping
Running landscaping with your own staff versus hiring a vendor. The real costs, the risks, and the trade-offs your board should weigh before it votes.
What to share with residents about HOA money, and how often
Practical ways HOA boards stay open with residents about money and the companies they hire. What to share, how often, and why openness cuts complaints instead of inviting them.
The hidden cost of the lowest HOA vendor proposal
Why the cheapest vendor proposal so often ends up costing your community the most, and how your board weighs true value instead of defaulting to the lowest number.
How to reduce HOA board workload without cutting corners
Volunteer HOA boards burn out on chasing companies, paperwork, and endless email threads. Here is how to cut the workload with written defaults, a calendar, and real delegation.
7 mistakes that expose HOA board members to personal liability
The common missteps that can put HOA board members personally on the hook. Skipped insurance checks, undisclosed conflicts, thin minutes. Plus the habits that protect you.
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