A good way to make sure all homeowners within your Association are “in the know” is to send out newsletters. These should be monthly or quarterly – depending on the depth, and are sent out in two ways: mail or e-mail. There are downsides to each of these choices because using the post office typically makes you think of snail mail, and then messages can get quickly outdated if they are lost in the barrage of e-mails our inboxes and spam filters are flooded with on a daily basis.
When a festive occasion is approaching, it may be helpful for the homeowners to be reminded of:
- Rules regarding seasonal decorations and celebration:
- Flag displays
- Lawn ornaments
- Fireworks
- Safety Concerns:
- Pool/swimming guidelines
- BBQ with caution
- Trick-or-Treating
- Cooking a turkey
- Christmas lights
- Proper distance for and type of fireworks
Is it a particular weather season? Try talking about one of these helpful topics to help prepare the homeowners as well as their homes:
- Wildfires
- Blizzards
- Tornadoes
- Droughts
- Heat waves
- Floods
Important rules and management information or changes should be noted:
- Board meeting dates
- Annual meeting date
- Proxy reminders
- Changes to Association bylaws
- Community website/Social network site
- Contact information for the Community Manager
- Office hours
- Pool hours
- When assessments are due and where to submit payment
- Legal matters (if permitted)
- If mailing address/contact information should change for a homeowners, who they should inform
- Rental caps
Are homeowners voicing interest in volunteering within the community? Help them become more involved with these notices:
- Board of Directors positions available
- Committee positions available
- Social gatherings that may require extra helpers
- Community watch program and schedule
Covenants, Conditions, & Restrictions (CC&R) reminders:
- Removing trash cans from street view
- Noise ordinances/compliance
- Acceptable sprinkler/irrigation hours
- Deck/patio maintenance and clutter
- Discarding of debris
- Leash laws/pet waste clean-up and location of stations
- Political signage
- If a businesses is able to operate from within the home (e.g. daycare centers)
- Renting a unit
- Vehicles
- Acceptable parking zones
- Acceptable vehicles within the Association boundaries
- Abandoned vehicles
- Vehicle upkeep – oil drips/expired tags
Connect homeowners with homeowners:
- Birth, marriage, anniversary announcements
- Stories of homeowners who have been there longest
- Letters from the President, or any other “talkative” Board member
- Social gathering reminders
- Police reports within the community – prowlers, break-ins, theft, assaults
Get homeowners thinking:
- How to prevent mold/mildew
- “How To” fixes for inside and outside the home
- Where to find meeting minutes
- Pest/Insect control
- Pet safety
- Lawn care advice
All of these topics will get your community talking, but it’s important to keep everything relevant and interesting within the newsletters. As an extra tip, encourage all the homeowners to read what is being written for them by providing incentives such as a quarterly prize drawing or fun trivia questions. Regardless, everyone who reads the newsletters will feel educated and up-to-date on the Association happenings, which is the core purpose.
This article is provided by The Management Trust.