Homeowners Are on Your Side. Act Like It.

“Why Do They Hate Me?”

Have you ever been on the managing end of a community association? If so then you’ve probably wondered at some time if you’re the most unpopular person in the community.

You’re not alone. Managing an HOA is not easy work. And the homeowners are the reason it’s so hard.

They Don’t

But that doesn’t mean that they hate you. And it doesn’t mean that it’s their fault.

Quite the contrary. In fact the CAI recently did a survey that found that 90% of homeowners are either satisfied or neutral with their community association experience.

Industry experts also told us in a survey that only about 5% of homeowners ever cause any trouble.

One manager put it amusingly,

“The 3% whack jobs in a community are the problem. Everyone else is typically professional and understands that you are providing a service and random flaws/mistakes happen.”

They’re on Your Side

This means that 95% of the homeowners are the good guys. They pay their dues on time. They see the benefit of what the HOA is doing. They are even civil and understanding when they have a concern.

Be Confident

But since the 5% can be very loud, we sometimes act like everyone hates us. We then shudder at the thought of really giving homeowners a voice because we believe that it will just turn into a forum for the complainers — the 5%. As a result, our communication is watered down and less than transparent.

Don’t do that. It will cause more problems in the long run.

So be confident and know that you have a lot of support! Unless you’re in a rare circumstance, most of the homeowners are on your side. Even if you never hear from them.