Spectrum Association Management

Reducing Crime In Your Dallas HOA

Metroplex — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:42:23 +0000

Safety is every community association’s priority. Although Dallas homeowners associations were not created or designed to provide security for the neighborhood, Dallas associations typically do use lighting, security cameras, gate locks and electronic access cards to help keep their communities safe. But, there’s another overlooked aspect of a good security program: landscaping!

Since criminals usually like to take their victims by surprise, they tend to commit crimes in places that offer hiding spots. Dense hedges or bushes or trees with low hanging foliage can provide perfect cover for criminals. To eliminate these hiding spots and help reduce the potential for crime, the Board and Dallas HOA management company should assess and possibly change the community’s landscaping. Doing so could also help reduce the association’s liability for any crimes that do occur.

Making your Dallas HOA landscaping safer needn’t be expensive or involve major modifications to your existing landscaping. Here are four tips for making your Dallas homeowners association’s landscape safer:

Tip #1: Plant thorny shrub barriers. Criminals like to have multiple points of entry and exit. By limiting the number of entrances and exits at the community, criminals will be less inclined to make a stop there. Installing thorny shrub barriers at the perimeter of the parking lot and between your association and the neighboring community can limit the number of entrances and exits for criminals.

Tip #2: Trim height and width of shrubs. With the exception of thorny shrub barriers, overgrown shrubs that are easy to hide behind can actually increase crime. The way to eliminate these hiding spots for criminals is to trim the height and width of shrubs in the parking lots and other common areas.

Tip #3: Trim tree canopies. Trees with low or overgrown foliage can be a perfect place for a criminal to hide while waiting for a victim to pass by. The Board and Dallas HOA management company can work with the Dallas landscaping company or professional tree trimming company to trim the trees to a safe level. Also, make sure that the trees don’t become overgrown to the point where they obscure lighting. Improperly lit areas create another advantage for criminals.

Tip #4: Flatten berms. Many associations have berms in front of them. Often, these berms are covered by grass or flowers. But if the berms are planted in front of the parking lot, they can obstruct the view of the parking lot from the street. This reduced visibility may make the parking lot a more attractive target for criminals. If the association has berms that are obstructing the view from the street, consider flattening them.

For further information, contact your Dallas HOA Management Company or professional landscape company.

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San Antonio HOA’s Check Insurance before Sponsoring Special Events

San Antonio HOA — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:43:13 +0000

Before holding any special events such as softball games, carnivals, National Night Out Events or other festivals (especially those that might include a bounce house), be sure to check whether your community’s general liability insurance and umbrella policies cover such events. Although these events are intended to foster a sense of community, an unexpected injury that exposes the association to liability might defeat this purpose.

Insurers often exclude special events related injuries from a community’s general liability and umbrella coverage. If your community’s policies do not cover special events, ask your community’s insurance broker if you can buy and “endorsement” that adds the excluded risk to their coverage. Your San Antonio HOA management company can assist the board in asking for this special endorsement.

Also, if your community is sponsoring an event that includes the potential for extreme risk and involves contracting with an outside vendor, for example, balloon rides, carefully review the contract to make sure there is adequate language holding the community harmless from third-party claims. And verify that the outside vendor has adequate liability insurance. The San Antonio HOA management company can ask for a Certificate of Insurance or COI from the vendor and keep it on file in case of insurance claims.

In the case of balloon rides, experts recommend at least $10 million of liability coverage. The Board may also want to buy a special events policy that covers the community itself for its sponsorship of a one-day event. If the association is unable to get coverage or to transfer the liability to another party, the Board of Directors should seriously consider not holding the event.

For further information on insurance or liability issues, consult your association’s insurance broker or your San Antonio HOA management company.

Spectrum Association Management is a homeowners association, condominium association and high rise association management company serving Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston and Austin areas. To learn more about Spectrum Association Management visit us at http://www.spectrumam.com/ or to request a quote for management click here. Also be sure to “like” us on Facebook by clicking the following link: http://www.facebook.com/spectrum.association.mgmt.

HOA Management Arizona Flag Regulations

HOA Admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:16:39 +0000

Arizona has recently changed its laws regarding what HOA management clients can do as far as restrictions on flags go.

The legislature in its most recent session passed HB 2471 which sought to remove contradictions in the law and provide clarity so an Arizona HOA knows exactly what it can and can not do when it comes to placing restrictions on flags.

Here are the flags that Arizona HOAs absolutely can not prohibit displayed on member’s property:

US flag
POW/MIA flag
The Arizona state flag
An Arizona Indian nation’s flag
& the Gadsden flag (yes, that is the Tea Party flag)

An Arizona HOA is free to ban any other flag being displayed in a window that’s visible from the street or on a flag pole on the member’s property. But, those flags must be allowed.

The Arizona Legislature in HB 2471 also made it so that associations can “adopt reasonable rules and regulations regarding the placement and manner of display of” those flags. An Arizona HOA can regulate the location and size of flagpoles to not go higher than the rooftop of the member’s home. The association can also limit the number of flags flown on the flagpole to no more than two flags at once. But at least two flags must be allowed.

Arizona lawmakers told HOAs that they can not stop a homeowner from putting a flagpole in the front yard or backyard of their property. But, the association can say where in the front yard or backyard that pole can be placed.

These rules are slightly different than what was in place before. It’s important that associations review their regulations to make sure they’re in compliance with these new laws. Clients of ours can expect this to happen automatically in the month of May. All of our clients will be notified as to whether they are in compliance or not.

That’s just part of our refreshingly different customer service.

To learn more about Spectrum Association Management and the services we provide for HOA Management Arizona clients please call 480-719-4524 and speak to our Mesa office staff.

HOA Management Arizona (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Getting to Know Your Financial Statements

Spectrumblogger — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:46:21 +0000

Austin HOA Management – If you’re on the Board of Directors for your Homeowners Association (HOA), Property Owners Association, Condominium Association, High Rise Association or Civic Improvement Association in Austin, Buda, San Marcos, Round Rock or Georgetown, you need to pay close attention to the monthly financials presented to you by your Austin HOA Management Company. If you are a self-managed association, the treasurer of your Association should be providing these reports as well as recorded on a financial software program such as QuickBooks.

Generally accepted accounting principles or GAAP require the following set of financial reports for a community association on a monthly basis. Here are a few of the reports to pay close attention to each month as you review your association’s financials:

Balance Sheet

The balance sheet is the report that gives the association’s financial condition. A comparison of the assets of the association minus the liabilities gives the association the net worth. This is the report that shows how much money is actually in the association’s bank account. The Board should check the amount in the association’s operating fund with the actual Bank Statement. If your Austin HOA Management Company is not providing you with a bank statement each month, it is extremely important that you insist that you receive a copy of this each month so that you can see how much is actually in the operating fund.

Statement of Income and Expense (Revenue and Expense)

The statement of income and expense is probably the most important management tool an association and community manager have available to them. This report contains the actual amount spent for the month compared to the budgeted amount for that month. It also shows the difference between these two amounts. The year-to-date numbers are also accounted for on this report. This report gives a snapshot of where the association is money wise for the month and for the year. The Board can use this report to determine if any categories are out of whack, so to speak. This report is also an excellent tool for the Board to plan for future expenses.

General Ledger

The general ledger contains the accounting record for each transaction in numerical order (chart of accounts) and occurrence (date order). This accounting tool allows the association and community manager detailed information tracking the financial transactions for the association.

Cash Disbursements Ledger

The cash disbursements ledger (check register) informs the association of checks written. The register should contain the following:

Who the check was written to
Check number and date written
Invoice number
Chart of account number (Budget code number) and description of expense.
Accounts Payable Report
The accounts payable report (unpaid expenses) informs the association of expenditure obligations incurred in the current month.
Account Delinquency Report
The account delinquency report (accounts receivable) informs the association with a list of members not current on their assessment obligations, late fees, deed restriction fees, and legal fees, etc.

Spectrum Association Management is an Austin HOA Management Company that services Austin HOA’s and Austin Condominiums. Spectrum Association Management also services Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston and Laredo. To learn more about Spectrum Association Management and how great Austin HOA management can affect your community visit us at http://www.spectrumam.com/ or to request a quote for management click here. Also be sure to “like” us on Facebook by clicking the following link: http://www.facebook.com/spectrum.association.mgmt.

Dallas HOA Call Centers

Metroplex — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:52:09 +0000

Dallas, TX – Has your homeowners association in Dallas considered changing their Dallas HOA management company? In searching for a new Dallas HOA management company make sure you evaluate and consider which company will be able to provide the best service to your homeowners.

Do you think good service is having homeowners call in to a call center? If you are like most people then probably not. There are a growing number of Dallas HOA property management companies in Dallas and throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area that are now using call centers to interact with homeowners. Did you know that most call centers have a screen that pops up when the call comes in that provides a script for the person to read? Chances are the person on the other end of the line knows absolutely nothing about HOA management and more importantly your Dallas community.

When homeowners contact Spectrum Association Management they get connected with one of our industry professionals that has knowledge and the ability to help resolve issues. There is no call center at Spectrum. Each employee has a specific area of focus to ensure that your issues are handled efficiently. Most call centers focus only on the statistics of the call. They want to ensure that the call is short and to the point. All they are interested in is handling high call periods as quickly as possible. Spectrum takes a substantially different approach. Employees first want to clearly understand the problem before a solution is provided. Second, they want to ensure that all of the homeowners concerns were clearly expressed and that they have confidence in their abilities once they get off of the phone. To Spectrum, it is about relationship building. So if you are looking for a new Dallas HOA management company, make sure you consider the perspective of your homeowners. After all, they are the ones who need the greatest amount of support.

While our competitors may try to sell you on the benefits of a call center, we ask that you think about the answer to this one question: Do you ever like it when you have to call a call center?

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