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But if told you that how could I maintain the mystery? Condo fee is monthly. Condo management company does it.
It is a risk but it also could be a mandate to stop spending. And for instance, if they came out and said our roofs don't need replacement for 8 years we should save money as we are planning on doing them now in 4 years.
I think any audit would be fruitless. They would simply claim all they have is what they got from the last management company and if I have questions I should talk to them. If I talked to them they would say.. we gave the other company all we had.
I don't know where these people are that can get three quotes... and oh btw the quotes come from the management company. Every single time we ask for quotes we have a hard time getting them. No only because the condo is small and not worth it to them, but they are simply slow and unprofessional with the quotes... lacking specifics or never getting them to us. I do suspect the PM puts some of them into the circular file but how do you prove that?
The last time we looked for a PM company we called the references for several companies that were glowing but we had numerous bad reviews on line and we asked other condos they weren't putting up as references and it was NOT good.
Boy that would save us a TON of money. But I think everyone would move. That is the big draw of a condo around here.
New Jersey, as already stated. We are the most densely populated state, so naturally there are more businesses to solicit from here, too.
Our PM provides us copies of the quotes and tells us if she couldn't get them, as was the case of insurance after Sandy.
When we put the RFP out, we stated the number of times per week the garbage needed to be emptied and toilets and sinks cleaned, how often the windows were washed and carpets vacuumed etc. A boilerplate contract had things missing and things we did not feel necessary, so we were able to not only control costs but also it enabled us to only pay for what we wanted. In some cases the mgmt company had suggestion in others we did a combination of companies known to them and suggestions from the board.
I do wonder sometimes if I am on another planet. What is an RFP? We tell the property manger we need a quote for X. He goes... ok. Month one.. we nag. Month two... we really nag. Month three he produces a quote. One. We say, that is all? He says -- that is the only one that bid. We say... get some more.. another year passes... he says no one else bid... we go with the quote we have because there aren't any other options.
In 2015 we literally spend a year trying to get quotes for work -- we were told that contractors were too busy with the work from the harsh winter.
I do wonder sometimes if I am on another planet. What is an RFP? We tell the property manger we need a quote for X. He goes... ok. Month one.. we nag. Month two... we really nag. Month three he produces a quote. One. We say, that is all? He says -- that is the only one that bid. We say... get some more.. another year passes... he says no one else bid... we go with the quote we have because there aren't any other options.
In 2015 we literally spend a year trying to get quotes for work -- we were told that contractors were too busy with the work from the harsh winter.
Request for Proposal. Your board is allowing and apparently expecting the management company to do it all. If you need your carpet cleaned knowing what you have indicated about management company, I would suggest you prepare the RFP and you (board) tell them who you want it to go to.
Now, again, if in fact the said company is as bad as you indicate, then I suggest you follow my prior suggestions and contact the AG because based upon your reported experience you are being mismanaged.
You got on the board because you sensed wrong doing, you now have the supporting evidence of same and now you need to take it a step further and do something about it. To complain and hand wring and do nothing when you "know" there is wrongdoing including the hoarding of money and repeated spending on the same things is just continuing the same thing.
I do wonder sometimes if I am on another planet. What is an RFP? We tell the property manger we need a quote for X. He goes... ok. Month one.. we nag. Month two... we really nag. Month three he produces a quote. One. We say, that is all? He says -- that is the only one that bid. We say... get some more.. another year passes... he says no one else bid... we go with the quote we have because there aren't any other options.
In 2015 we literally spend a year trying to get quotes for work -- we were told that contractors were too busy with the work from the harsh winter.
RFP = Request for Proposal. Another poster explained it up thread.
The first RFP you need is for a new property management firm. I know you tried before and claim there were bad reviews online on all of them. That's how you pick a vacuum, not how you pick the entity that is tasked with partnering with the Board to best run your community.
You and/or the other Board members should seek out and submit RFPs to 3-5 management companies and see what services they will provide you and for what price. Then select the one that will focus on managing not just the property, but working with the Board on learning appropriate practices, transparency and will provide excellent communication to both the Board and the owners.
A good property management firm doesn't work like the one you have. Clean that up and LOTS of things you're upset about will also get cleaned up.
I do wonder sometimes if I am on another planet. What is an RFP? We tell the property manger we need a quote for X. He goes... ok. Month one.. we nag. Month two... we really nag. Month three he produces a quote. One. We say, that is all? He says -- that is the only one that bid. We say... get some more.. another year passes... he says no one else bid... we go with the quote we have because there aren't any other options.
In 2015 we literally spend a year trying to get quotes for work -- we were told that contractors were too busy with the work from the harsh winter.
If you do not know what an RFP is, I begin to wonder what real world business experience you have?
Well than what is it (fully funded reserves) and state your back up. I constantly get people telling me that
(1) I need a reserve study because they know no one will get that and or (2) just suggesting that whatever figure I have researched is somehow.. wrong.
So state how much it should be with your authority.
It might help to look at your state and local laws regarding things like Open Meetings and responsibility of each BOD. In CA, members are required to review the financial statements and docs but most of them have no clue what they are looking at. But, they do understand how to spend and raise the dues disregarding their legal obligations to the homeowners.
By living in an HOA you are accepting responsibility for all who live there so if they are sued, for example, the legal action could prevent you from selling until it is resolved. For seniors in particular, it could be a very bad deal as often finances and ability to relocate are limited. As prior posters have said, other BOD members with specific interests can demand that all homeowners fund them.
When a Request for Proposal is issued, it was often given to the friends or relatives of the HOA/Mgt who over charged the association since no one would question them. It keeps the homeowner's money in their pockets only.
I live in a well maintained complex that includes 3 story town homes, condo buildings, and single family homes. The town home fee is $91.00 per month, and is the highest fee. For this amount we get trash removal and sewer, landscaping and flowers in common areas, snow removal, leaf removal, a nice pool complex of 3 pools, and 5 well maintained playgrounds with newer equipment. In the townhouses, we do our own yard maintenance and major home repairs. I am more than happy with this arrangement.
This complex is considered one of the nicer developments in the area. HOs here take a dim view if the fees are raised. I've been here 10 years and when the fee has gone up its only been a few dollars at a time. One thing the HOA has to pay is legal fees if they have to go after a HO for not paying their fees or some other issue. Of note is that they have changed management associations at least 3 times because they felt they were not getting good service.
It might help to look at your state and local laws regarding things like Open Meetings and responsibility of each BOD. In CA, members are required to review the financial statements and docs but most of them have no clue what they are looking at. But, they do understand how to spend and raise the dues disregarding their legal obligations to the homeowners.
By living in an HOA you are accepting responsibility for all who live there so if they are sued, for example, the legal action could prevent you from selling until it is resolved. For seniors in particular, it could be a very bad deal as often finances and ability to relocate are limited. As prior posters have said, other BOD members with specific interests can demand that all homeowners fund them.
When a Request for Proposal is issued, it was often given to the friends or relatives of the HOA/Mgt who over charged the association since no one would question them. It keeps the homeowner's money in their pockets only.
Why didn't anyone question them? Were you on the Board when this was going on or just knew what was happening as a resident? Either way, if you felt things weren't being done correctly, you should have spoken up.
Why people buy in HOA communities and then abdicate their rights and responsibilities as HOA members is beyond me. If residents bothered to be informed and really cared about how the HOA is run, they CAN change things. Of course, that takes more effort than just complaining to each other at the mailboxes.
Yes, we did put up a huge fight and finally got rid of the MGT as they threatened physical violence for our opposition to them. They had been there for more than 20 years and would make a deal with BOD members to keep things going, they do free work for the member and then nothing is said about the over charges and missing money. Finally, CA began to crack down with a few new laws but much more is needed.
Most of the homeowners did not understand the person coming to fix the sprinkler system was related to the Mgt. company's owners and charged double the going rate. This was hidden as homeowners were not allowed to see the individual billing statements and those who did were discounted when they protested. Mgt. companies have more and more sneaky charges to add on so if they claim they only charge $500/mo to manage, you had better look much deeper as they filling their pockets with lots of hidden charges. That is our experience. Glad we stood up and made a big difference in our community but it would have been easier to simply move and let others fight the battle.
So very glad to be away from there so we can decided when and where to spend our repair dollars.
Yes, we did put up a huge fight and finally got rid of the MGT as they threatened physical violence for our opposition to them. They had been there for more than 20 years and would make a deal with BOD members to keep things going, they do free work for the member and then nothing is said about the over charges and missing money. Finally, CA began to crack down with a few new laws but much more is needed.
Most of the homeowners did not understand the person coming to fix the sprinkler system was related to the Mgt. company's owners and charged double the going rate. This was hidden as homeowners were not allowed to see the individual billing statements and those who did were discounted when they protested. Mgt. companies have more and more sneaky charges to add on so if they claim they only charge $500/mo to manage, you had better look much deeper as they filling their pockets with lots of hidden charges. That is our experience. Glad we stood up and made a big difference in our community but it would have been easier to simply move and let others fight the battle.
So very glad to be away from there so we can decided when and where to spend our repair dollars.
Glad you kicked them to the curb. Our mgmt company is great. Any homeowner can simply go online (or as one did go to their offices) and see every invoice ever approved or paid. Transparency and owners oversight are the ways to ensure everything is above board.
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Condo fee is monthly. Condo management company does it. 
