HOA management can be hard without professional help. For this reason, many homeowners associations choose to hire an HOA manager. Which type of manager is better: an on-site HOA manager or a remote one? Let’s find out which one is best for your community.
What is an On-Site HOA Manager?
An HOA onsite manager is a full-time community manager who is physically present in the neighborhood. Unlike remote managers, they can play an active role in community governance. On-site HOA managers can immediately address maintenance issues, answer resident questions, and handle the HOA’s operations.
On-site community management involves at least two people: an executive director (or a general manager) and an administrative assistant. However, larger or more complex communities may require an entire team of HOA managers.
What is a Remote HOA Manager?
A remote HOA manager, an off-site manager, oversees the community from afar. They are not always in the neighborhood, so they usually support the board through back-office services. Remote managers are often in charge of scheduling board meetings, financial management, overseeing projects, invoicing residents, and coordinating with vendors.
In some cases, remote managers may visit the community to attend board meetings and conduct inspections. However, their on-site duties will vary depending on the management company that employs them.
On-Site HOA Management Services
HOA managers who remain on-site provide several services that provide value to communities.
Board Meeting Management
On-site managers can schedule board meetings, help the secretary prepare the agenda, and send notices to community residents. They may even attend and facilitate those meetings if necessary, allowing board members to free up their time and focus on more important matters.
Amenity Management
Many HOAs offer exclusive amenities such as clubhouses and parks. However, some require more active involvement than others. This is where an on-site HOA manager comes in handy. For example, a 24-hour pool may require on-site staff to supervise when and how many people can enter. Likewise, an HOA gym may need managers who can regulate foot traffic.
Recreational Program Management
On-site managers can oversee a community’s high-end services and recreational programs. They can help manage transportation services, security patrols, community sports teams, and event planning.
Neighborhood Inspections
An on-site manager can perform regular inspections to ensure all common areas are operational and well-maintained. They can check the landscaping conditions, buildings, amenities, and shared roads, as well as check for any violations of community rules.
Financial Management
An on-site HOA manager will often have experience in financial management. They can review the association’s transactions, income, and reserve accounts. Furthermore, they can give the board regular reports so they can make better financial decisions.
Resident Concerns
On-site managers are always available to answer questions and concerns from residents. Whether it’s a complaint about the HOA’s decisions or a maintenance job that needs attention, they can handle all of these for the board.
Community Liaison
The HOA manager can liaise between the board members and the residents. They can handle all announcements and send notices to the members. This informs the community of all board actions, decisions, and events.
Moreover, they can even handle feedback forms. This way, the residents can get their questions answered without bothering the HOA board. The board can simply focus on their duties and let the manager assist the residents with minor issues.
Back-Office Support
Back-office support is not something remote managers can do alone. On-site managers can also support your back-office operations. They can handle payroll, oversee human resources, organize documents, and manage finances.
Board Advice
On-site HOA managers often have years of experience working with various communities. This allows them to offer advice to HOA boards in specific scenarios. For example, they can inform the board of all the ins and outs of obtaining an HOA loan when necessary. They can also help HOAs handle lawsuits should any arise.
Professional Network
On-site HOA managers are well-connected and have relationships with professionals who have experience working with HOAs. These include HOA attorneys, financial managers, accountants, vendors, and insurance agents. While they might not be experts in these fields, you can rely on them to ask for advice from their wide network.
On-Site vs Remote HOA Management
Remote HOA managers offer many of the same services as on-site managers, except for a select few. How are on-site and remote HOA management different? Here are some key factors that distinguish these services.
1. Community Size
While both large and small communities can benefit from on-site HOA management, the former has more to gain. A community with dozens or hundreds of units can only become unmanageable with on-site staff. Even without fancy amenities, conducting regular inspections or handling operations without a readily available manager is impossible.
Condominium associations with many complicated facilities find it much more cumbersome. Recreational areas aside, managing industrial HVAC units, valets, and in-unit washer-dryers will be too much for the board to handle.
2. Management Focus
Off-site HOA management allows managers to oversee communities from afar. Often, this physical distance grants them the ability to manage multiple neighborhoods at once. While this setup allows them to multitask, it also fragments their focus between several HOAs.
In contrast, onsite HOA management allows the manager to remain dedicated to a single community. They can get to know the residents and understand the HOA’s culture, priorities, and needs.
3. Scope
Both on-site and off-site managers have similar responsibilities, but the former typically has a broader scope. On-site managers are often more deeply involved in the community’s strategic planning and vision casting. As a result, they can focus on long-term goals and help the board promote the community’s reputation in the market.
On the other hand, off-site managers will be limited in that they can only offer operational assistance. They can manage work orders, meeting schedules, financial reports, violations, and vendor relationships. However, their perspective is limited, so they may need help to offer fine-tuned insights.
4. Availability
On-site managers have an edge in terms of availability. They may reside in the community or visit it every day to address issues, making them easily accessible in case there are any urgent problems or emergencies in the neighborhood.
You may be able to reach off-site managers quickly by phone or text. However, they won’t be physically present in a crisis. The HOA board has to take a more hands-on approach, as it cannot rely solely on the community manager.
5. Communication
You run the risk of miscommunication when dealing with off-site managers. After all, even if you clearly explain a situation or perspective, it can still be misinterpreted if you don’t communicate in person. An on-site HOA manager can significantly reduce the number of misunderstandings that may occur.
6. Community Integration
On-site managers can build more personal relationships with the community residents and board members. This allows them to integrate into the neighborhood more smoothly and gain people’s trust. As a result, the homeowners may be more inclined to trust them to resolve community issues.
In contrast, off-site managers only visit the community from time to time. They won’t be as familiar with the residents, so they might not understand the nuances of the HOA’s culture. While they can still provide management assistance, they will not have as much rapport as on-site managers.
7. Better Rule Enforcement
Residents can be sneaky regarding certain rules like pet and parking restrictions. They might sneak a small and quiet pet into the home or park in an area they’re not supposed to. If the HOA manager works remotely, they’ll be more likely to get away with these offenses. On the other hand, an on-site manager can more easily spot these violations and even deter them from happening in the first place.
Which is Right for Your Community?
On-site managers are typically more expensive than remote managers. Nonetheless, they are ideal if you want someone readily available to assist, answer questions, and address emergencies. They can integrate into communities better and provide more service to their HOAs.
Large communities also have an advantage because they can divide the cost among a larger number of units. Thus, residents can reap all the benefits of on-site management at a fraction of the cost compared to smaller neighborhoods.
The Bottom Line
Homeowners associations have a choice between a remote and an on-site HOA manager. While the former is more affordable and offers some management support, their services might not be as robust. An on-site HOA manager is your best bet if your community needs someone physically available to handle issues and emergencies.
Does your community need on-site HOA management? Personalized Property Management has a team of experts who can serve communities around Southern California. Call us at 760-325-9500 or email us at info@ppminternet.com for more information!
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