Many homeowners get mixed up between what their HOA Board is responsible for and what they can expect from their property management company. Some think they're the same, while others don't know the property management company exists. Here is the difference between the two.
Your HOA Board of Directors is a volunteer group of representatives elected by you, the homeowner. The Property Management Company (PMC) is a privately owned company in business to serve the needs of Homeowner Associations and similar properties. The HOA board hires a PMC to manage the business affairs of the HOA.
HOA Board of Directors
This volunteer board is responsible for the general well being and smooth running of the community. They supervise the everyday work of contractors, like landscapers and maintenance people. They respond to calls from homeowners, checking out anything that’s wrong and relaying problems to the property management company. They hold monthly or quarterly meetings, so homeowners can get complaints out into the open and discuss potential solutions. And a good HOA Board will set up periodic social events for homeowners to get to know each other.
Property Management Company
PMC workers are hired for their skills in specific areas, like accounting and contract management – skills that volunteer boards seldom have. They are paid to spend hours doing the work required for a property to function well. Gassen Property Management Company is a great example. Gassen offers three categories of services: Business management, general contracting, and property sales and rentals.
Business management includes keeping track of homeowner accounts, paying HOA bills, and training the board on CC&Rs and how to run meetings. The general contracting side means hiring contractors to make property repairs or upgrades, and maintain the landscaping. Property sales and rentals includes posting properties, and helping homeowners navigate the ins and outs of selling or renting.
How They Work Together
Given these different sets of responsibilities, here is how the two organizations work together. You have noticed there’s a minor flood on your lawn every time the sprinklers go on. You talk to the HOA’s office manager or a board member, who walks the grounds with the landscaper, discovering other such floods. Now it’s looking major. Your board calls your Gassen representative, who investigates further and negotiates for whatever repairs are needed. The board may start the process, but should send anything complicated to the PMC.