Why state licensing for property management companies is good for you!
In formal classes the HOA industry money makers (property management companies and attorneys) seem to smirk/smile when they say “but ultimately the Board is responsible for everything.” Note, the HOA attorney is in a lobby group with the property management companies which then work to keep themselves self-governed and unaccountable. This is not in the best interest for you or your fellow homeowners. It’s an obvious conflict-of-interest.
As a Realtor in Arizona, I recently went to a class presented by an HOA property management company. The topic was the various ins and outs of HOAs hiring a management company. But as the class progressed, I thought it really would be better taught by an attorney and not somebody within the HOA industry.
Here are my conclusions after going through this class:
I’m a painter, and painting a picture: Imagine living in a neighborhood where you can’t have a bench to sit on in your front yard. Imagine a Board member tries getting the board to fix a drainage issue multiple times, the Board and HOA property manager do nothing, and the condo eventually floods. Imagine having a leak for 11 months in your dining room, HOA still has not fixed it. Imagine an HOA trying to get the Board to agree to sign a Code of Conduct giving all control to the President and property manager, the rest of the Board does nothing in between meetings. Imagine a property manager that is so bad that 12% of the owners sell and move out in approximately six months, and note that the management company makes $4800 in transfer/disclosure fees as their reward for poor management?
