August 19, 2021 - BY Admin
After regular business hours, our management company has a very efficient
emergency response system in place.
Knowing when to call your HOA after hours though can be a tricky puzzle to
piece together. In this article, we will go over when to handle things
personally between neighbors, when to call the police, and when you should call
the HOA.
Our management company can do little about your neighbor's dog barking at
3:00 A.M. Reach out to your neighbor and attempt to resolve the issue
personally. If the conflict isn’t resolved, then the best way for this kind of
a situation to be handled in the long term is for you and your other affected
neighbors to report it in writing to the Board of Directors in care of
management.
Prowlers and vandals are best handled by the local law enforcement
officials. That is not to say that the Board or management do not want to know
about this activity. They do and they should. However, the most effective
response and enforcement will come from the Police or Sheriff's Department.
See our blog on when to 3-1-1.
A rule of thumb to remember when determining whether or not to call the
management company after hours is if a situation that is not reported
immediately will cause personal or property damage. After hours on-call
personnel will be notified and the situation will be addressed.
Example:
If a broken common area sprinkler or irrigation timer is threatening personal
property, the management company should be notified so that the landscape
contractor can be called to solve the problem.
Remember, your Board of Directors and management depend upon the eyes and
ears of the community to make sure everyone’s needs are met. Please don't
hesitate to contact management during normal business hours with any questions
you may have about the after hours policy.
Everyone Should
Attend Board Meetings
If you've never attended a Board of Directors meeting, then you are not
taking advantage of your right to observe and participate in the decision
making process that protects, preserves and enhances your community's assets
and, ultimately, your property values.
If you really understood what kind of business is conducted at a Board
Meeting, and the important role that you, as a homeowner, play in making those
decisions, then you just might change your mind and choose to attend a meeting.
Most of the business decisions made at Board Meetings have a direct impact
on property values in the community. Some decisions have an indirect effect,
such as rules and regulations and financial operations. Regardless, every
meeting will have some kind of impact on the community as a whole and on you
personally.
This is your moment to shine. At the Homeowners Open Forum, community
members can address the Board with ideas, comments, and suggestions.
An important point to remember is that although important issues may be
brought to the Boards’ attention during Open Forum, don't expect the Board to
act on these issues at this time. Many issues are turned over to Management for
research. The more prepared the Board is before making a decision, the better
the decision will be.
The Business Meeting is where the Board discusses and makes decisions based
on a pre-established meeting agenda relating to how the Board will move forward
with HOA business.
The Business Meeting is open to all homeowners to attend. However, this
doesn’t mean they are allowed to speak to the Board during this portion of the
Board meeting. Homeowners are encouraged to attend in order to observe only.
The Executive Session is conducted without homeowners present in order to
discuss legal issues, personnel issues and/or non-compliance hearings.
