Being Manager Calls for Variety of Skills

QUESTION: I have been the board president for my homeowners association for about three years. Since our association is not managed by a management company, I have personally been dealing with vendors and contractors and have learned quite a bit about property management. I am considering community association management as a career.

How can I learn more about managing condominiums and homeowners associations? Would this be a good career for me? What are some of the career choices in this field? What salary can I expect as a novice?

ANSWER: Community association management is an interesting career that requires general knowledge in quite a number of areas such as accounting and budgeting, mechanical equipment, landscaping, construction, maintenance and contract negotiation. You will also need to know the legal requirements of community association operations.

Other important aspects of community association management are verbal and written communication and administrative skills that are necessary for association record keeping, correspondence and dealing with owners’ concerns and complaints. Besides all of the above, being a good manager requires lots of patience and problem-solving ability.

Beginning managers working for a property management firm can expect an annual salary in the $25,000 range. On-site managers who work directly for the board of directors for medium-sized to large associations usually start at the $30,000 range. Some associations employ resident managers who not only have an on-site office but also have living quarters provided for them at the complex that they manage.

There are two local events coming up soon that will assist you in learning more about community association management.

First, the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of Community Assns. Institute will be presenting its full-day seminar on the basic fundamentals of managing a community association. The sessions are geared toward both volunteer board members and beginning managers.

The seminar will be at the Burbank Hilton on Saturday, Sept. 19. Call the CAI chapter office at (310) 285-8286 for more information. CAI also has many books and other resource materials that will be helpful to you.

In addition, the California Assn. of Community Managers will hold an educational conference and trade fair at the Irvine Marriott Hotel in Irvine from Oct. 4 through Oct. 6. Call the CACM office at (714) 476-4542.

Board Doesn’t ‘Do’ Windows, Owner Does

Q: I am having a dispute with the board of directors and the management company of my condominium complex. The stucco walls had to be pressure-washed prior to painting the exterior of the building. My clean windows were left streaked and dirty.

I phoned the management company and asked to have my windows washed but the management company refused. I then wrote a letter stating that if the windows were not cleaned within one month, I would hire someone to wash the windows and deduct the cleaning cost from my monthly assessment payment. The management company again refused to pay, so I deducted the $30 cleaning cost from my subsequent assessment payment.

Now I am being charged a late fee for the unpaid $30. They caused the problem and I feel they should acknowledge their responsibility to clean my windows. How should I proceed?

A: Sorry, but I can’t be sympathetic to your complaint. The association is probably not responsible for cleaning your windows even though the dirty windows resulted from the association’s maintenance of the building exterior. Window cleaning is usually the unit owner’s responsibility. A possible exception might be in high-rise buildings where the windows must be professionally washed from the outside of the building

After the pressure-washing was completed and you were left with dirty windows, perhaps it would have been reasonable for you to ask the board of directors if all of the windows in the complex could be washed at the association’s expense. It is not reasonable for you to expect the association to pay for yours and not pay for other owners’ window cleaning. That could result in a lot of angry neighbors who would complain that you received special treatment.

In any case, a unit owner does not have the right to arbitrarily deduct any amount from the monthly assessment. You must pay the $30. If you don’t pay, the association has the right to file a lien to collect. Then you will have to pay the additional costs of the lien filing and lien release when you give up your battle.

By the way, your disagreement does not involve the property manager or the management company. The manager is just carrying out the instructions or procedures that the board of directors has approved. The manager could not have used association funds to pay for the cleaning unless the board approved it.

Hickenbottom is a past president of the Greater Los Angeles chapter of the Community Assns. Institute (CAI), a national nonprofit research and educational organization. She welcomes readers’ questions, but cannot answer them individually. Readers with questions or comments can write to her in care of “Condo Q&A;,” Box 5068, Thousand Oaks, Calif. 91360.