Condo Media - August 2012 - 30

COVER STORY

HOW TO DELIVER: Unless the condominium documents or state laws dictate otherwise, boards can choose the timing and means of providing advance notice of their meetings. Posting printed notices in common areas (lobbies, mail rooms or kiosks, laundry rooms, etc.) and posting notices and agendas on the association website are the most common delivery methods. Email is another option, but probably best if used in combination with other methods. In Maine, state law specifically requires boards to provide advance notice of board meetings, but allows them to choose the delivery method. Robert Keegan, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, vice president at R&E Associates, Inc. in Kennebunk, says the associations he manages typically post the notice on common area bulletin boards and websites, but will email the information to owners who request that option.

newsletter, which is produced shortly after each meeting.

Financial Information
Most owners want to know, in general, how the association is doing, for obvious reasons. “They want to know where the association is, where it’s going, whether it’s on the right path,” Keegan says. “They want to know how their pocketbooks are going to be affected, over the shortand long-term.” WHEN TO COMMUNICATE: Monthly, quarterly and annually. HOW TO DELIVER: The financial reports included in the minutes of board meetings, or attached to them, typically contain more than enough information to give owners a good read on the association’s finances. Detailed financial information should be available in the management office and readily accessible to owners who want to review it. Keegan says the associations he manages that have websites (some don’t) will usually post monthly financial reports on the Web following regular board meetings. “Owners can view those reports whenever they want.” On an annual basis, Harbor Towers alerts owners (through common area postings and email messages) that the audited financial statement is available in the management office for owners who want to review it.

Minutes of Board Meetings
Like board meetings themselves, the minutes should be open to owners who want to review them. WHEN TO COMMUNICATE: As soon as possible after the meeting. For some, this means after the minutes are transcribed, reviewed and approved formally at the next meeting. Others prefer to make this information available, at least in summary form, more quickly. HOW TO DELIVER: Website posting is probably the most efficient, with hard copies available for owners who want them. Some boards used to mail the minutes or deliver them by hand to owners, but few, if any, do that today. At Harbor Towers, as in most communities, “We’re trying to get away from paper as much as possible,” Lanni says. At Devon Wood, in addition to making the full minutes available to owners (online and in the management office), Kansky says, the board publishes a summary highlighting board decisions and actions in the association’s

Reminders
Boards need to remind owners periodically about many things, the importance of maintaining units, complying with rules and carrying appropriate insurance primary among them. WHEN TO COMMUNICATE: Seasonally, quarterly, monthly (and sometimes more often). HOW TO DELIVER: Notices on websites, email messages and blurbs or short articles in association newsletters

all work well for these reminders — the seasonal ones (about snow removal procedures and fireplace maintenance) as well as those that aren’t tied to the calendar. Most boards send seasonal reminders, explaining snow removal procedures in the winter and outlining pool rules in the summer, for example. Kansky sends owners an insurance memo annually — usually when the association renews its master policy — reminding them of the importance of having individual coverage for their units. She repeats that message at least twice during the year — usually in the newsletter — and restates it when a “teachable moment” arises, as was the case when an owner who did not have a unit owner’s policy suffered a $20,000 out-of-pocket loss. The clear and pointed message: “Don’t let this happen to you.” Jason Rickman, CEO of Rickman Management in Worcester, Mass., says his managers distribute monthly maintenance tips to owners. Some are seasonal reminders to check their heating and air conditioning systems at the beginning of those seasons, but most are more general, common sense suggestions, for example: “Remember to change the batteries in smoke detectors and clean dryer vents.” The company also sends quarterly reminders of association rules and safety precautions — more common sense suggestions: “Don’t prop doors open; make sure sliding doors are locked; and don’t play your stereo full-blast late at night or early in the morning.”

Owner Contact Information
This is actually information boards need to collect from owners, not provide to them, but it is essential. The information is typically captured at move-in, but it has to be updated regularly to keep it current, and that isn’t easy. Phone numbers, email addresses, and emergency contacts change, and owners aren’t always efficient about informing boards or managers when they do.

CONDO MEDIA • AUGUST 2012

Condo Media - August 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - August 2012