Too often when a property management company learns the HOA board they work for has an issue with them, it is too late to fix. The first and only indication usually comes in the form of a certified letter stating your management company has been terminated due to one of your employees’ performance or lack thereof. With 22 years of experience in the HOA industry, I have to admit I got one of these certified letters when I owned Golden Valley Property Management. The experience taught me a valuable lesson. The best way to minimize HOA turnover is through regularly communicating with board members.
There are several methods a
property management company can employ to communicate with HOA board members, but one is the best in my opinion. Two common ones are verbal and written property management satisfaction surveys. Which is most effective? I know lots of people who shy away from conflict and that also means that they are hesitant to bring up uncomfortable topics. Thus, if you engage one of your employees to call board members, how likely is it that a board member with a problem or concern will state something on the record with the caller? As an HOA board survey consultant, experience has shown that the odds are pretty low that a conversation like that will occur. So, what’s the alternative? One alternative is to have an outside company calling board members. Costly? Maybe. Effective? Probably. Confidential? Maybe.
The other alternative, which
I am a proponent of, is a confidential (anonymous) written board survey. This can be conducted directly by the management company or through an outside professional, like HOA Consultants. Because online surveys can be tracked back to individuals, paper surveys seem to inspire confidence as confidential by participants. This means with confidential mail-in management survey questions, board members almost always freely express their true opinion as to how your management company is performing. The survey should take less than two minutes to complete and have options where appropriate for written comments. Then, to obtain the highest return rate, you should include a postage-paid return envelope.
HOA Consultants can help your management company develop confidential mail-in management survey questions for HOA board members, collect and analyze the responses, and develop strategies to address any concerns or issues that are uncovered. The confidential mail-in HOA satisfaction surveys are the most effective way to minimize HOA turnover. The investment makes complete sense when compared to the replacement cost of acquiring a new HOA community to work with after you get a certified notice of termination.
For a no-obligation confidential mail-in HOA satisfaction survey consultation, contact Mickey Latz with HOA Consultants at 602-402-1955 or mlatz@HOA-Consultants.com. In addition to HOA management consulting services, we can also help you with HOA conflict resolution consulting.
