Condo Media - September 2013 - 59

requires loyalty, care, obedience, accounting, and disclosure. The duty of
loyalty requires the board members to
put the interests of the association of
unit owners first, above his or her own
interests. The duty of care requires that
trustees exercise a reasonable degree
of skill in all their actions. The duty of
obedience requires that the board carry
out, in good faith, the actions that respect the desires of the unit owners. The
duty of accounting requires the trustees
to accurately report on the status of all
funds received or expended on behalf
of the association. disclosure requires
the board to keep the unit owners fully
informed of all material facts regarding
the management of the property.

Getting Help

As volunteers, it is unlikely that the trustees will have the expertise to fulfill these
responsibilities without input from industry professionals. The trustees must recognize their limitations and understand the
importance of the guidance of an expert.
The trustees can reach out to an attorney
for legal advice, seek financial guidance
from an accountant or auditor, review risk
management, policy coverage, and building limits with an insurance agent, plan
construction projects with an engineer,
and obtain other specialty services from
industry consultants. In the self-managed
association, with no property management company to provide operational
input, it is especially important to utilize
the resources available. Community Associations Institute (CAI) provides support
in finding experts who can provide help
for your self-managed community.

Getting the Money

Following trends in the economy that
will impact your expenses is also critical.
Investigating how insurance costs will
be impacted by weather events and following the market for utility pricing will
help to minimize shortfalls and ensure
the development of a realistic operating
budget, which is essential for the selfmanaged association.

Getting the Picture

Getting on the board is just the
beginning of an exciting and fulfill-

Patricia Brawley, CMCA, AMS,
PCAM, has managed community associations for more than 20 years and
is currently a management consultant
with Community Solutions.

Turn on your headlights!!
Operating your association without
professional guidance is like driving
your car at night with the headlights off.
Call on COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS to light your way!
A full-service professional
consulting group providing
in-depth, objective, and
affordable guidance to the
community association
industry. Catering to the
needs of condominium
associations, cooperative
boards of directors,
homeowner associations,
management companies
and developers.

Getting Knowledge

Beyond the general understanding of
condominium operations and governance,
as a trustee you should stay connected to
local, state, and national developments
that may affect your community. Changes
in laws and court rulings can impact your
decision-making in major ways. Taking
advantage of programs offered by industry
support groups like CAI that enhance
your knowledge will also help you make
good decisions.

ing adventure for every trustee, but
especially for those who serve the
self-managed community. Getting
you all the information you need to
be successful as a trustee is the goal
of Community Associations Institute.
Take advantage of the resources available to you and your community. CM

P.O. Box 920124
Needham, MA 02492
(781) 455-8408
Fax (781) 455-8482
commusolu@aol.com

Patricia Brawley,

CMCA, PCAM, RPA

Robert Kravets,

CMCA, PCAM

Condo Media • September 2013

Condo Media - September 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - September 2013