The board of managers is the integral part of the building community. They are the backbone that oversees the day-to-day operations, as well as the capital improvement projects. It is no easy task to take on this responsibility on top of a preexisting job and hectic family life. There are certain traits that are important for a board member to have. They must be a great communicator, reliable, and honest to be able to relay information held within the meetings with the homeowners. The boards goal is to work towards the common good of the people, and importantly must be able to put personal feelings or motives aside. This certainly puts a huge responsibility onto the homeowners to elect the right people for this crucial job.
Board members are placed in a position in which they must represent both the best interest of the homeowners, and of the building. This can sometimes become a tricky relationship. They have to make the tough decisions for the building association as a whole, and make sure that the residents stay happy. Sometimes this will not always go hand-in-hand, and an air of hostility may arise. At the end of the day, the board members also live in the building, and might have to deal with neighbors that might not be in favor of every decision that was made. Tina Straits, Vice President and General Manager of Baum Property Management notes, “Many times, a homeowner does not understand specific processes, or that the board must follow a particular law, or even that the board cannot do anything in response to certain complaints, such as parking on a public street.”[1] It is important that the homeowners know the distinction between what the board is obligated to do by law. The knowledge would alleviate any unnecessary hostility that may arise when the homeowner doesn’t get what they want.
The best boards are communicative and responsive. “Knowledge of what is happening day-to-day on the property, open communication with owners, staying up to date on the community’s financials, and making informed decisions about bids, execution of capital repair projects, and maintenance initiatives are important steps a board can take in turning around the fate of a building in distress.”[2] The board is hands on with what is going on in the building, and is able to relay that information to the homeowners. It is best that homeowners are not kept in the dark, and have clear knowledge of what is going on in their building through the help of the board of managers.
[1] Odenthal, M. (2018, October). Board Culture. Retrieved on The Cooperator https://cooperator.com/article/board-culture/full#cut Accessed on October 25, 2018
[2] Valada-Viars, K. (2017, February). The Best Boards. Retrieved on The Cooperator https://cooperator.com/article/the-best-boards/full#cut Accessed on October 30, 2018