- General Administration – including but not limited to:
· Maintaining the operation in a positive, effective forward path.
· Providing a high level of customer service – timely answering of phone calls, responding to emails and other correspondence.
· Answering questions and going the extra step to assist the client.
· Documenting and maintaining records
· Reviewing policy and making recommendations for policy generation and implementation procedures such as but not limited to the:
o Areas of common area rules
o Deed restriction enforcement
o Collection of assessments
o Amenity operations (pool, tennis, access, hours, guests)
o Communications, advertising, etc.
- Maintenance of Common Areas – The manager is responsible for overseeing all aspects of maintenance on behalf of the board including:
· Knowing the common areas like the back of his or her hand and work closely with the relative service providers to insure all common areas are:
o Safe
o Well maintained
o Properly insured
· Ensuring contracts for services are appropriate, competitive and perform according to specifications
· Completing special projects on time and within budget
· Ensuring services get performed within budget.
· Educating the Board ahead of time of forecasted budget over runs and given options on other ways to deal with expense variances
· Implementing effective preventative maintenance schedule
· Documenting and revising schedules as appropriate
· Knowing who does what, when, where and why and have a schedule and associated costs so that you can:
o Tracking compliance of contractual obligations
o Overseeing expense forecasting and future budgeting
o Assisting when coordinating multiple contractors to work in the same area or project
· Planning, communicating, implementing, evaluating, and adjusting accordingly
- Provision of Common Services – The association’s governing documents; management contract; budget; and Board of Directors are the drivers for this area.
· The manager needs to fully understand what he or she is obligated to do:
o The manager must understand that he or she has a moral obligation to uphold the association’s governing documents which have higher authority then any board of directors.
o Conflicts in instructions or being asked to do something that is illegal or immoral is not a contractual obligation.
o The manager has an obligation to honestly and legally perform services and should never do anything he or she feels is against the law or potentially liable to the association.
· In providing common services, the manager is responsible for several areas including but not limited to:
o Developing or updating contract specifications to assist in bidding out contracted services.
o Managing contracted services.
o Communicating any deficiencies of services to contractor, issues to be resolved and effects of non-resolution.
o Researching more appropriate vendors, better services, better prices (low price is not always better service), more efficiencies of services such as:
· Share services with neighboring communities to get better price.
· Share maintenance or portering contract employee with other communities.
· Reduce janitorial or other services in slow use periods.
· When possible, buy in bulk.
· For large scale evaluate hiring on-site maintenance person vs. all the paid out dollars to various general contractors.
- Internal communications - The manager is responsible for:
· Coordinating communications amongst Board members particularly when conducted via email; summarize results and ask Board to ratify at future meeting so it is read into minutes.
· Compiling to-do and action items lists for Board, Manager, and Support Staff; with updates so all can track progress throughout the month.
· Asking for clarification when he or she receives conflicting direction or doesn’t understand the information.
· Managing Board communications point of contact(s):
o A manager should not have 5 different ‘go to’ or ‘take direction from’ people on the board as this can create confusion
o It is best when it can be agreed that, while the manager works all the board members, he or she funnels his or her communication via the President and / or Treasurer
- Financial Management
· Understanding the association’s financial position
· Reading and reporting on the financial statement
· Monitoring the budget and forecasting the income and expenses monthly looking forward
· Explaining the positive and negative variances of actual vs. budget as well as recommending how to deal with cost overrun
· Managing effect accounts payable to insure invoices are paid correctly and only when services are verified, etc.
· Implementing and managing a professionally aggressive assessment collection policy that adheres to the association’s documents yet provides results
· Exhibiting sound budgeting finesse from a historical and forward thinking perspective
· Conveying adaptability, flexibility and accountability
- Procurement of Insurance and Loans - no contract for insurance or loan should be secured without Board review and approval. However, the manager is responsible in:
· Assisting in seeking viable insurance bids, preparing the applications, etc. and presenting the options to the Board
· Recommending appointment of finance committee to work with treasurer and manager when seeking a loan
· Looking to the documents for the authority, obligation and requirements first.
· Knowing what maximum thresholds must be met.
· Documenting the assets in a list, with values as well as photos.
· Bringing competitive information and options to the Board in both arenas.
- Preparation of Tax Return and Other Reports
· Ensuring that the board seeks and obtains insight and feedback from qualified, respected professionals within the Association Management industry including:
o CPAs
o Attorneys
o Reserve specialists
o Landscape architects and horticulturists, engineers, etc.
· Presenting a variety of experienced bids to the board based on his or her depth of experience and business association relationships.
· Developing and presenting a monthly manager’s report with topics including (some large scale on-site communities request weekly reports due to the high walk in traffic issues).
o Financial report and high level summary
o Collection report including accounts at or going to attorney
o Deed restriction enforcement including those requiring board action
o ARC including any requiring board action
o Service Contracts – summary of all contracts as well as any that have been put out for bid for board consideration
o Special requests, issues from residents or special projects
o Operational trends
o What is on the horizon for next 30-60-90 days
· Knowing the deadlines for the state and federal required reports and working with the Board and their selected vendors to insure reports are filed accurately and timely.
- Assist the Board on Policy Matters
· Evaluating current policies to see if they:
o Comply with governing documents and state law
o Are effective or need to be updated or extinguished
o Even exist or not
· Looking at all policies with these questions in mind:
o Is it enforceable?
o Is it necessary?
o Is there a better way?
o What is the best practice?
- Environmental Standards – The manager should work with the board to adopt resolutions based on identifying and defining different approaches to energy conservation based on the specific needs of the community including:
· Evaluating common areas for green operations such as:
o Utilize more energy efficient equipment and lighting
o Reduce schedule for exterior and landscape lighting
o Install modern timers on filtration systems
o Plan sustainable landscaping
· Looking for more ways to conserve natural resources such as water and electricity without detrimental effects to services or community curb appeal
· Implementing Horticultural practices that can reduce landfill use:
o Reduce lawn clipping waste
o Consider more natural herbicides and fertilizers
o Compost clippings and tree debris
o Re-use as mulch after it is properly cured
· Encouraging the residents to be more energy friendly and conservation minded:
o Institute a recycling program to the community
o Introduce water and electricity saving tips through newsletter and website articles
o Seek out city and county incentive programs
· Developing and adopting rules and procedures to address energy conservation activities including:
o Clotheslines
o Solar panels
o Street lighting