Rent Real EstateHOA Traffic Directors & Privacy Protectors
Well meaning boards often lay out the welcome mat so the other owners can easily present "requests" and "issues". Instead, that open door policy may be a revolving door for angry phone calls and abuse that invariably happens late at night. Serving on the board is not intended to make someone a target for Happy Hour tirades or non-emergency complaints. There are ways to route communications so it can both protect board members" privacy and increase efficiency and responsiveness. Try these traffic directors and privacy protectors:
Association Mailbox. Instead of using the President"s or Treasurer"s address which could change any time, install a lockable mailbox with its own address centrally on the property so that association mail can be collected easily by a designated person. Check with your area Postmaster for requirements.
Association Pager. Instead of handing out the President"s home phone number, which also can change any time, lease a pager with Voice Mail and Message Notification service for about $15/month. It"s easy to carry and transfer from person to person.
Association Phone. A permanent business phone number with Voice Mail and Message Notification service is even better than a pager. The association gets a listing in Directory Assistance, Yellow Pages and Business White Pages, all of which is handy for real estate agents, prospective buyers and others looking for information. For smaller associations, cell phones work well since they can be carried by whoever is "on call" or the Voice Mail can be easily forwarded to a designated phone number. Cell service can be cheaper than business phone service when used prudently. Some cell services offer free long distance.
Get It In Writing. This is a real work saver and privacy protector. Rather than accept phone complaints or service requests, insist that the details be submitted in writing or email in the outgoing voicemail message. Not only will the issue arrive in the sender"s own words, it will reduce the total number of communications. Since writing is more difficult than speaking, most emotion-fueled issues will go away. Voilñ, less work and more privacy.
Association Website. The beauty of the internet is that an enormous amount of information can be stored there cheaply and made accessible 24/7 for those that need it. Since every HOA has (or should have) governing documents, rules, regulations, financial information, reserve studies, meeting minutes and newsletters, this information can be loaded into an association website. There are many companies that offer easy to maintain website template services for no more than the average phone bill. See Regenesis.net "Service Directory-USA National".
Many of the information requests that disrupt privacy can be routed there. The association"s voicemail message can direct traffic there: "For governing documents, financial information, minutes, newsletters and other important information, go to our website at NottacareCondos.org."
Association Email Address. If you don"t have an association website, email is available free through websites like Hotmail.com and Yahoo.com. It is password protected and can be accessed by whoever is designated to monitor it. If the designee resigns, a new password can be invoked to preserve email security. Email is the ideal method of communication since it"s secure, fast, free, can be forwarded and is written in the sender"s own words (very important).
Loss of privacy is one big reason that board members resign or worthy volunteers fail to step forward. Setting up traffic directors and privacy protectors will encourage folks to step forward without fear of being targets. Rather than YIELD! to the temptation, STOP! doing things the old way and GO! for these innovative HOA communication methods.
For more information on this subject, see www.Regenesis.net.