Get on Board Guidebook

By Judi Castor

This book is a brief of what makes or hinders the success of Boards of Directors, Managers, and Management Companies, urging them to take a look at themselves and the role they play in the image of the industry.

It defines issues facing the industry in simple terms and shares real experiences. It also shares insight to the wide open future of the industry and what needs to be addressed to capture this opportunity at a professional level.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Judi Castor
• Release date: Sep 27, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301397457

Book preview

G E T O N B O A R D

A G U I D E B O O K

FOR

BOARDS of DIRECTORS

of

Condominiums

Homeowners Associations

Cooperatives

BY

JUDI CASTOR

© Copyright June 2012 by Judi Castor, Editing by Veronica Moore

Artwork and Graphics © June 2012 by Meghan Daly

All rights reserved. The text of this publication, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher.

www.getonboardguidebook.com

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All rights Reserved.

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First Edition License Notes

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DEDICATION

I dedicate this Guidebook to all the board members who serve on a board of directors for the right reasons and without personal agendas. This is to those who have the betterment of their associations as their goals with full understanding that they are the minority and yet, they stand tall and move forward. They do this in spite of insurmountable obstacles and egos bigger than buildings that use boards as a status symbol to fulfill their need for power.

I’d like to thank my husband, Frank, for his ongoing support and who has always been the wind beneath my wings. In the toughest of times, I turned around and he was there with his positive attitude. His support and encouragement is priceless.

I’d like to thank my son-in-law, Joe Gerstl, for his encouragement to put my experiences in writing. From all the stories I shared with him, he believed there were so many people that would benefit from reading them.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER ONE: Why Associations Drop Management Companies

CHAPTER TWO: Why Management Companies Drop Associations

CHAPTER THREE: Role of the President

CHAPTER FOUR: The Board of Directors

CHAPTER FIVE: Turnover of an Association

CHAPTER SIX: Situations You May Encounter

CHAPTER SEVEN: Perception is Reality

CHAPTER EIGHT: Characteristics of Great Boards of Directors and Management Companies

CONCLUSION

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INTRODUCTION

This book is a no-nonsense guide that will give you insight to situations occurring in board management environments. The goal of this book is to reveal common threads that offer fresh approaches for you and your board. It also brings to the surface the reality of board and management company issues that can make these groups stagnant or dysfunctional. In this book, I address directors and their roles, in a way few do, along with offering a different perspective of the management company’s role in your success as an association and board.

Many associations, cooperatives, and condominiums share very similar owner/tenant situations that weigh heavily on the Board of Directors which causes frustration and insecurity. If you are experiencing overall issues that stagnate your progress, or have issues which prompt your management company to drop you, this guide will give you ideas and procedures that will make it easier to prepare your board for success. In this guide, I also provide examples of real-life situations I have experienced.

This guide has been developed to assure associations across the country they are not alone in managing frustrating issues that can make them feel ineffective and blocked.

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CHAPTER ONE

WHY ASSOCIATIONS DROP MANAGEMENT COMPANIES

As in any relationship, there will be areas of unforeseen disagreement or expectations that cannot be resolved. It is so important to be clear from the beginning and set specific expectations of the boards.

Sometimes marginal management companies will promise more than they can deliver to secure an account. Competition is tough and many times they don’t even have a competent Licensed Community Association Manager (hereinafter called LCAM) available to fill a position. Instead, they hire unlicensed and marginal people that work under the company umbrella. For all intents and purposes, this is illegal. A management company will do this to save money; however, they charge you for a LCAM, but provide you with one that is not licensed. Do you think that the management company will credit you the difference in the amount they charge you for the LCAM? Probably not!

Management Companies, and/or corporations, often times have an officer of the company, i.e president or vice president, who has a LCAM,