Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Looking for new reviews of property managers

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

> On Apr 23, 2023, at 7:36 AM, Melanie G <gomelaniego [at] gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Here is one issue to consider about hiring a management company that most
> don't think about.  There is no entity that governs them.  They are only
> accountable to those who hire them.  And if they mismanage, and no one
> catches it, there is zero recourse beyond going to court which no one ever
> wants to be involved with.

In terms of legal accountability there isn’t an independent certifying body 
like doctors, engineers, etc have but I’m not sure how effective those are 
either. So individual communities have to take management companies to court 
themselves. And to educate themselves about what a management company should be 
doing. 

But there are various institutes and associations that provide training in 
condominium and building management. Some programs are quite detailed and 
extensive. Consulting them is a good place to look for recommendations and 
educational activities. There are also national and local licensing exams.

The Community Associations Institute has become very active in offering 
community manager programs as well as offering programs, resources, and forums 
for “Community Leaders.” They tend to equate “leader” with “Board Member” but 
you can adjust to the language fairly quickly.

https://www.caionline.org/pages/default.aspx

They also have local chapters, many of which have monthly dinner/lecture 
meetings where you can network and ask questions over the salad.

But Melanie is right, there is no guarantee that any property manager knows 
what they are doing or even has any more experience than active cohousing 
members have. One of our consultants is a Construction Engineer and he says he 
couldn’t recommend a management company because every management company has 
good managers and bad managers. What is important is the credentials and 
experience of the specific manager assigned to your community. 

Sharon
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Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org