“Are my expectations reasonable?” This question has been posed to me several times over the past month by board members who are considering a change in management companies or asking the existing management company for a manager change. Volunteer board members are often retired and heavily involved in their community’s governance and activities. Managers on the other hand often have a portfolio of associations and juggling multiple balls every day. So when is it appropriate to sit tight and wait for a response and when is it necessary to start pushing for your item to get higher priority?
The answer is not cut and dry so let’s consider various scenarios. The answer I recently gave to a board president is to make sure the request was in writing and allow for two to three business days for a response. I would argue that this is the general rule that you should follow. But when should you deviate from it?
Scenarios:
1. There is a deadline involved. Tax season just finished and April 15 was a hard deadline. The board president on April 15 still hadn’t received a copy of the tax returns to electronically sign. I coached to call, text, email and also loop in her supervisor on the email and push hard for the manager to send out the returns for signature and then assure they were mailed that same day. I’m happy to say that got everyone’s attention.
2. If you are waiting the suggested two to three days for a response and you still haven’t received one. Then it is time to send a reminder email and ask for a specific date of when the task or follow-up will be completed. Deadlines are great for holding people accountable for completing a task.
3. The habitual delay situations need firmer action. The first thing would be to start documenting your requests and when responses are received. A supervisor will want proof prior to having a chat with a community manager or reprimanding him/her. Then, after several instances, reach out directly to the supervisor and ask for a phone conversation. I would start the conversation asking if the community manager has a workload that is too heavy or needs more time from an assistant because your items seem to be relegated to the back burner. That opening is a soft way to present to the supervisor that you are not a happy camper that your list of items are not being handled in a timely (your opinion) manner. Their response will guide your conversation.
Expectations need to be discussed to assure all parties are in agreement with the timelines for action. If you are continually at a mis-match with the employees of the management company (community manager, accounting staff or admins) then you may need to consider if a different management company would be able to fill your needs better. But it is simpler to work with your existing one, when at all possible.
Mickey Latz, MBA, CMCA, AMS is the president of HOA Consultants, LLC. He consults with boards, business partners and management companies. He is the former owner of Golden Valley Property Management which he started in 2003 and sold in 2022.
