Routine evaluations of employees in any business are a healthy practice. Performance reviews let you know whether an employee is living up to the agreed upon scope of work and provide them with encouraging feedback on where they excel and where they can improve. 

Homeowners Associations, though not exactly a business, are no different. Below are a list of questions that HOAs use to evaluate their managers.

1. Are they fulfilling their contractual obligations?

The HOA management agreement signed in the beginning of the partnership should cover job description, scope of work, and other duties. HOAs go through these like a checklist to find out how the HOA manager is doing in relation to them. Are they checking all the boxes or lacking in other places? Did the board find themselves having to cover for some inadequacies of the manager? How much time are they spending on every task and are there tasks they should spend more or less time on?

2. How are their communication skills?

Managing an HOA requires a lot of regular communication, with the community, with the board, with vendors, and through different channels whether in person, through email, or on the phone. To keep all these people happy, the HOA manager must frequently address any concerns they may have in a friendly and efficient manner. When speaking to the board during meetings, managers must be confident and command their attention when giving their professional opinion and insights on how the community is doing.

3. How is their relationship with community members?

Managing a community isn’t just about administrative and financial work. A strong connection with its members is also important and in order to have this, they must be regularly fostering that relationship. A manager with a personable demeanor will find it easier to gain the trust of the homeowners and know about any issues they may have about how the community is being managed overall. When the manager acts on these issues, the homeowners will feel like their opinions are being heard and become more satisfied with the community they’re part of.

4. Do they manage the budget and finances well?

An HOA’s goal is to provide services for the upkeep and maintenance of the community so that the property value increases over time. These services include maintaining communal areas such as the pool, gym, and park. For this upkeep to continue, there must be a budget for it. 

It’s the manager’s responsibility to frequently review the board’s budget and other financials and to relate any issues concerning it to the board so they can act accordingly.

5. Are they monitoring insurance and legal matters?

Being on top of insurance coverage and legal matters limits exposure to liabilities and is one of the most important responsibilities of an HOA manager. They need to make sure that the HOA’s insurance coverage is sufficient and hasn’t lapsed. Not just the HOA’s but also that of the vendors, contractors, and other third-party companies.

The manager should also have regular correspondence with the HOA’s attorney in order to be up to date on legal matters and whether the board and the community overall is in compliance with the governing laws of HOAs.

6. How are their conduct and ethics?

HOA managers can get exposed to a lot of comments, suggestions, and complaints from the board and from the rest of the community, especially residents. That’s a lot of diverse opinions for one person to handle, but, barring abuse, it’s part of the job. It’s important that the manager conducts himself appropriately when hearing these different ideas. 

First of all, they must be patient and polite to the people they’re hearing from. Second, if the ideas, requests, or criticisms are valid then depending on the problem, the manager can either fix it themselves if it’s within their scope of work, or they can delegate to the appropriate vendor like the security agency or the landscape contractor.

The third point is what separates a good manager from a great manager. They must realize that they can’t please everybody and must act with integrity when the suggestions or complaints, whether from the board or the residents, are not in the best interest of the entire community. Being confident enough to counter these ideas, even if it risks disagreements, in order to avoid harmful policies, is a sign of a great manager.

7. Are they continuing their learning?

An HOA manager that attends seminars and training to gain more knowledge is a great one to have on your team. They aren’t complacent with their learning and take the initiative to improve their skills so they can make the best possible decisions for the community.

Need an HOA Management Assistant?

Is your HOA management finding itself doing too many things and neglecting other responsibilities? Remote Workmate can provide your management company with trained and certified HOA Management Assistants. We screen and interview only the best candidates for you to choose from.

Talk to us about your needs by scheduling an obligation-free call today.