You are likely to be happy living in one of the estimated 300,000. According to national surveys, most Americans who live in condominium or homeowner associations are satisfied with their living arrangements. However, not all boards of association directors act as responsibly as they should. If the association boards are not properly managed, homeowners can become frustrated and even cause conflict between themselves. In extreme cases, it can lead to costly lawsuits.
Zogby International conducted a national survey and found that nearly nine out of ten community association residents believed their elected homeowner boards were working in the best interest of their community. This statistic might seem positive. However, only five percent of 100 boards are performing at their best, meaning that at least 15,000 associations have not reached their full potential.
Governance Guidelines, which were recently developed by Community Associations Institute(CAI), are a great help. These guidelines are designed to help community associations set and maintain basic standards of responsible governance. This is the cornerstone of any community. These guidelines address a variety of issues, such as annual meetings, rules and grievances, appeals, assessments, and other areas that could cause problems. This can help associations improve homeowner satisfaction.
CAI states that their guidelines are able to enlighten boards and prompt constructive community dialog and lead to more responsible and responsive governance.
“There are a number of communities, especially new and struggling associations, which can benefit from these guidelines,”Thomas Skiba is the chief executive officer at CAI, a non-profit organization that currently has 29,000 members. “We know there are community association boards that need to be reminded that residents deserve to have their reasonable expectations met.”
Communities can adopt Rights and Responsibilities to Better Communities, which are 42 principles and practices that help communities to promote harmony, improve communication and reduce conflict. This program outlines the rights and responsibilities of both residents and leaders of community associations. Visit this website for more information www.caionline.org.
