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Differences Between Community Association Managers & Property Managers

What is the difference between a property manager and a community association manager?
Kimberly Sutherland | Mar 18, 2024 | 4 min read
Differences Between Community Association Managers
Community Association ManagersManages every type of community: condo associations, homeowner associations, resort communities, and commercial tenant associations and works directly with property owners and homeowners.
 are often confused with 
Property Managers Oversees individual rental units or a group of rental units, such as an apartment complex. They’re responsible for managing the entire property, not individually owned units. 
but there are some important differences in these two titles. Each are involved closely with the upkeep and management of property, however where property managers generally handle rental properties, community association managers are usually hired by a homeowners association board members and handle everything from vendors to financial management. It is important to know if your community has community managers or property managers to really understand their roles and responsibilities to you, your board and your communities residents.

The Role of Your Community Association Manager

It doesn't matter if your association encompasses hundreds of homes or is a smaller condominium complex, it is important to have a person dedicated to maintaining property records, budgets, and managing community spaces such as the clubhouse and/or common landscape features. Other duties of the Community Association Manager include:

  • May be certified and experienced in managing some type of community association such as condos, townhomes, resort communities, or homeowners associations.
  • Does not report to a single owner, but works with the association's board of directors in the management of the association
  • Supervises all aspects of community maintenance issues such as pool cleaning and landscaping
  • Develops a budget with the board and provides financial management services and reporting
  • Develops and supervises recreational programs established for the benefit of the whole community at the direction of the board
  • Will typically perform site inspections and negotiate contractors for common property repairs or enhancements
  • Assist the board in selecting vendors that fit the needs of the community properties by providing bids based on the scope of work needed

Your community association manager is tasked with managing the daily affairs of keeping the property performing efficiently. This is accomplished by providing a high-level of customer service. Expect a professional community association manager to respond quickly to emails and phone calls, and going the extra step to answer community questions. If any deed restrictions are violated or community rules are broken, your community association manager should be ready to communicate and resolve these issues in a professional manner. 

Property Manager Responsibilities

As the liaison between the tenants of an association and the HOA, the property manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of individual units, including maintenance and the collection of payments. Residents should rely on the property manager to handle arrangements for repairs within units or homes, along with keeping empty properties listed for sale or rent. In a nutshell, the property manager is responsible for the physical assets that are the main income generating source for the property, which is the individual units. Other property manager duties include:

  • Deals directly with tenants and prospective tenants
  • Collects lease or HOA payments
  • Handles unit maintenance and repair
  • Responsible for finding or evicting tenants
  • Responds to tenant complaints or requests
  • Inspects units after a tenant moves out

While the property manager caters to the needs of the tenants, the community association manager will cater to the needs of the community as a whole. Contact RealManage to learn more about HOA community management that is based on communication and transparency.

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