—recommended— Do’s & Don’ts of Community Association Boards — By Diana Carlson — C


ommunity associations are held to higher standards than those in a typical suburban neighborhood. The purpose of a


community association is to preserve the property, maintain property values and maintain the community while still enjoying personal property and personal rights. The board is responsible for ensuring the ethical and transparent management of the community while adhering to practical, realistic, and appropriate governance.


Community associations are held to higher standards than those in a


typical suburban neighborhood. Volunteer leadership as a community association board member can sound a bit daunting and can certainly be challenging but it can also be very rewarding when done effectively. Here are the Top 10-ish recommended Do’s and Don’ts for community association boards of directors.


Do’s 1


Learn and execute on your governing documents inside and out. As a board member you don’t have to


be an expert in community management, but you should familiarize yourself with what goes into the governance of your community. Work with trusted professionals so you can


22 Community Associations Journal | January-February 2022


better understand your governing documents and the city, county, state, and federal laws that affect your community, this will help ensure that you are holding each other and all homeowners accountable. Acting otherwise is not only unfair to the community, it could result in liability. Ignorance of these laws will not protect you or the board.


2


Manage the affairs of the community legally, correctly, professionally and with integrity so that your


community will have trust and confidence in your work. » Understand the roles and responsibilities of the Directors and Officers.


» Model professional, appropriate behavior. » Hold yourselves as or more accountable than others.


3 4


5 6


Seek professional legal counsel and professional trade input on decisions that affect the community.


Act in the best interest of the community as a whole, use good judgement and put the association interest above any personal interest.


Disclose any conflicts of interest and recuse yourself from any discussions and decisions on


that topic or where there is a decision in which you are personally involved.


Enforce all of the rules equally. Everyone must be treated the same. Unequal enforcement can


cause many legal disputes. Violations must be addressed swiftly and fairly. Time lags cause different memories of the situation. Inconsistent rule enforcement causes the expectation that rules don’t matter. Consistent enforcement holds everyone to higher standards.


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