Fifteen Things Every Community Association Should Know

Incorporate
- An association may have responsibilities for duties like maintenance that can cause injury or loss
- Having your HOA incorporated protects the community and you as an individual
Learn and Use Parliamentary Procedure
- Meetings can quickly become chaotic without organization
- Most associations use Roberts Rules of Order (or another method of parliamentary procedure) to run an efficient meeting
  - Allows both leaders and participants to contribute
It's all About the Politics
- Power is not acquired or kept by virtue of vote or appointment, but by our ability to communicate, negotiate, and empathize with each other
Operate like the Business You Are
- The association is a separate entity run by a board of directors who have certain duties to carry out
- The board should make all decisions for the benefit of the HOA
- The association should always run like a corporation
Maintain the Proper Types and Amounts of Insurance
- There are three main types of insurance every HOA should have:
  - Directors and Officers Insurance
    - Protects the board against lawsuits from its decisions
  - General Liability Insurance
    - Covers negligence claims
  - Property Insurance
    - Protects against potential property damage
- If you have employees, you will also want some type of workers comp. insurance, and possibly fidelity insurance to ensure against employees stealing money
- Insurance limits are subject to your association's specific needs, though a general rule is to have a million dollars worth of the three main types