Although HOA neighborhoods are well-known for their harmonious community ecosystems, neighborly disagreements sometimes do happen. We’re all unique individuals with life experiences, political beliefs, and current circumstances that can make our opinions differ. With the help of great HOA management and property management services, though, minor squabbles can easily be sorted out. That’s the beauty of an HOA: through a larger entity that has the welfare of the community as a whole at heart, arguments tend to be resolved more quickly than in non-HOA neighborhoods. Generally speaking, everyone lives in harmony!
However, at some point in every HOA’s existence, there’s bound to be one resident who, either through a prolonged disagreement or just general argumentativeness, actively disrupts community life. Whether other residents resent this neighbor or even flat-out fear for their own emotional wellbeing, it’s your duty as a board to take action and restore order and a high standard of living to your community.
Doing so can be tricky, but Gassen is here to help. As experts in managing Minnesotan communities of all shapes and sizes, we’d be happy to help you bring back balance to your community—through our online property management services or the blog post below.
Remember: Problematic Residents Have Rights Too
Just because other neighbors take offense to this resident doesn’t mean you can treat them unfairly. For example, as HOA management, you can’t selectively enforce rules listed in the CC&Rs. Not only is doing so unethical but in some states, it can be illegal. Luckily, there exist far more effective and direct ways to let this community member know that their behavior needs to change.
● Call out their problematic behavior | As a board, you have a sort of collective influence that individual members may not. Tell this person, in a straightforward but non-threatening manner, that their behavior is disturbing other residents. Be specific and work to open a discussion about how things can change.
● Give this resident space to air their opinions | For example, if the resident in question is unsatisfied with the way things are being run, invite them to show up to community meetings to let their voice be heard. Suppression or downright ignoring this resident’s views is bound to lead to pushback.
● Be kind | Oftentimes, compassion truly is key to resolving offensive behavior, so try to practice it as much as you can—work toward displaying understanding and finding solutions instead of dishing out blame.
Need Help with Conflict Resolution? Call in Gassen
Sometimes an outside opinion is needed to resolve a conflict, and as a seasoned provider of everything from accounting property management to more general property management services, we at Gassen would be happy to help. Give us a call now at 952-922-5575.