Infographic of what an HOA Management company does

 
graphic courtesy of http://www.neighborhoodmanagement.com

North Texas HOA Management Company

Thanks to NMI (Neighborhood Management, Inc.) for contributing articles to this blog about community association boards.

NMI is a North Texas HOA management company serving north Texas including Dallas, Fort Worth, Denton, Sherman, Royce City, Mansfield, Rockwall, Highland Village and Argyle. 

We are open to receiving articles from other companies in the industry that can help people who are serving on a homeowner's association board.

HOAs and insurance

A portion of your association fees are applied towards our community’s insurance requirements. Have you ever pondered the sort of insurance our community association requires? The following is an outline of the various sorts of insurance ordinarily on offer to associations.

 Our association doesn’t use all these kinds of coverage; but they’re obtainable should we need them. The board and manager operate in close concert with the association’s insurance professional who knows our particular requirements.

 Property insurance. The majority of coverage types are founded upon property insurance. It protects every building, structure, and personal asset held by the association, encompassing common property, parks, woods, open spaces, and recreational facilities, and occasionally incorporates parts of residential areas. 

 General liability. Besides safeguarding physical property, our association holds commercial liability insurance. Contrasted with property damage, which can frequently be measured in dollar amounts, liability claims have no constraints beyond those ordered by courts. 

 Auto (owned, non-owned, and hired). Associations with workers who operate cars, trucks, or maintenance vehicles on association property or at other locations while taking care of association matters require auto insurance.

 Directors' and officers' liability. Boards are volunteers making and effort to assist their communities, but as the old saying goes, “No good deed goes unpunished.” So, even at those time boards behave properly and apply good judgment someone may still lodge a lawsuit asserting wrongful firing, sexual harassment, prejudice, or mishandling of funds, to list a few frequently-encountered suits.

 Umbrella liability. This sort of coverage fills some of the holes left by other kinds of insurance policies. No basic umbrella policy can be had, so the association works jointly with our insurance specialist to customize a policy suited to our particular requirements.

 Workers’ compensation. This insurance—which most states demand—offers compensation for workers who get hurt while doing work for the association.

 Terrorism. Insurance providers are currently compelled by law to provide coverage for confirmed acts of terrorism. An “act of terrorism” is generally given to mean any violent deed that is injurious to life or property with the goal of altering a population's behavior, with compensation adding up to at least $5 million. 

 Mold. Destruction caused by mold is omitted from the majority of standard property insurance policies, which lean towards giving coverage for destruction that is immediate and unintentional but don’t usually provide for the price of home cleaning and maintenance.

Community Association Tips for Homeowners for the Summer

Summer is coming, but prior to taking pleasure in the sunshine, you need to ensure you’re ready for rainy days. Begin by reinforcing your homes and buildings against drainage problems.

 Roofing. Biannually, ask a licensed service provider to clear away all leaves and refuse from your roofs and gutters. Certify that the water clears out correctly, not just at flat roof drains and scupper drains, but additionally on sloped roofs, surrounding flashings, and any spots where water is guided when it is raining heavily.

 Windows and doors. Make a point to vacuum your window and sliding-door tracks on a regular basis. Leaking frequently happens at the bottom corner seams of windows and sliding doors when debris gets stuck.

 Stucco/siding. Waterproof gaps around every wall opening — hose bibs, light fixtures, windows, and doors, while taking care to leave the release flashing untouched.

 Decking. Clear your deck of leaves and other matter. Patio-deck drains are usually tiny, which makes it easy for just one big leaf to clog the drain. 

 Notify the manager if you want suggestions for trustworthy providers or more info on drain upkeep.

HOA Due Process

Invariably, at various times, community guidelines are broken. When this occurs, the association notifies residents about the matter and pursues what is called due process procedure. 
 In simplest terms, this means that the association always informs residents of supposed infractions before at all acting. We give printed notice elaborating on the possible guideline infraction and request that residents resolve the issue on their own by a precise date. These notices also describe any action the association may pursue if the infraction isn't resolved.
 The association appreciates that circumstances are sometimes other than they appear. So, whenever we issue notices to residents, the board wishes to hear the resident’s side of the story. We can schedule board meetings with residents before enacting any type of discipline. In fact, enacting discipline isn’t our aim at all!  It’s more vital that residents adhere to association guidelines for the benefit of all community members. These meetings afford residents and the board a chance to converse about guideline infractions in a non-formal manner and achieve resolution.
 When they’ve had the opportunity to converse with a resident about a guideline infraction, board members will debate the matter among themselves and make a determination. Residents usually get the board’s determination in print within the space of 10 business days. For those who might take issue with the decision, the association provides a means to file appeals.

Preparing the budget for your HOA

Specific costly usual components must be replaced at intervals of 10, 15 or 20 years.
 One aspect of budget preparation is to calculate the amount of money the association needs to put aside this year to ensure we have the required funds when new concrete or hot water heaters need to be installed. To ensure that we evaluate as precisely as we can, we collaborate with a reserve specialist. 

 The reserve specialist will do a review that will give the board direction on how to prevent our association’s physical holdings from declining more swiftly than our financial assets grow. 

 The reserve specialist will go around the community to look it over and write up reserve study for the association. That report will contain an account of all common area elements, suggestions on what needs to be renewed and at what time, what the renewals will cost, and a scheme for defraying costs.

 The reserve specialist picked by the board has the proficiency and background to correctly assess the life spans of our basic elements and will help the board evaluate the price of repairing or replacing them.

 The reserve specialist is also skilled at examining the financial capital required to keep up the basic elements over time and will give the board recommendations on how to balance the total reserve fund against the decline of the basic elements.

 Since the community’s physical holdings are in a constant state of decay, the steering of a reserve specialist will aid the board in defending those holdings and maximize the appearance of the community constantly — and that aids in maintaining our property values!

How to stop dogs that bark all day and night

Dogs left by themselves for the whole day experience boredom and listlessness, and quite a few ease their frustration by barking. A number of them react loudly to every disturbance. Indeed, there is no irritant as bad as constant barking, even for those who love dogs. If your dog exhibits yapping or yowling behavior, please give regard to a few of these bark-reducing options for reducing noise in your area. Your neighbors will appreciate it!

 - Training. Consistently the top suggestion for all behavioral issues! Aid is as near as the Yellow Pages. Training, in addition to benefitting your dog, will surprise you in how greatly it benefits you as well. You may learn a bit as to what is causing your dog to bark excessively, or what it is trying to tell you.

 - Citronella collars. A kinder substitute for electric-shock, anti-barking collars for a comparable price. These can be bought online or in pet supply shops.

 -  Confinement. At times, merely taking a vocal dog inside or restricting it to a crate can diminish the ruckus for neighbors.

 - Reduce stimulus. Draw curtains to aid in quieting street noise, or play a radio on to hide it. Unplug/mute phones and doorbells before departing your home if they unsettle your dog or trigger barking.

 - Companionship. Being that they are pack animals, dogs require company ó a cat, bird, or another dog. Mull over a mid-day visit by a pet sitter, or leave your pet at a friendís home or a day-care compound one or two times a week.