Common Issues That Derail HOA Meetings

Are you wondering what common issues that derail HOA Meetings in your community? Why do so many HOA members cringe at the thought of attending an HOA meeting? After all, these meetings help decide things that impact the whole community. You would think that community members would want to hear what’s going on, and to make their voices heard—yet often, this isn’t the case.

The reason, in a nutshell, is that HOA meetings have a reputation for being unbearably long and boring. And as much as we hate to say it, that’s probably true of a lot of HOA meetings. It doesn’t have to be, though, and in fact there are steps you can take to keep your meetings efficient and on-point.

What Causes Your HOA Meetings to Veer Off Track?

It largely boils down to isolating the things that so frequently cause HOA meetings to go off course. There are plenty of reasons why meetings get bogged-down and burdensome, but some of the most common reasons are these:

  • People who bring up items that aren’t on the agenda. When participants are allowed to speak discursively about anything and everything that springs to mind, it’s obvious to see why meetings can become unwieldy. The best way to avoid this is to have a stated policy that all items have to be submitted in writing, in advance, and added to the agenda—or else, put off for the following meeting.
  • When World War III breaks out during your HOA meeting, it can really stretch out the meeting time—to say the least. That’s why HOA Board members cannot allow too much back-and-forth. Always keep meetings focused on action. Allow each side to say his or her piece, but then try to move things to a vote or some other action step, rather than getting mired in pros and cons.
  • People who talk too much. Sometimes, one person will monopolize the meeting and talk endlessly—which leaves everyone else feeling frustrated. Often, it is helpful to impose time restrictions on each speaker, and to enforce that rule strictly.
  • Having no end time. The main reason why HOA meetings run long is, truthfully, the simple fact that so many HOAs do not set specific end times. Make sure you announce at the start of each meeting when it is supposed to end, then ask everyone to help you meet that goal.

Follow these instructions and you may actually end up with meetings people aren’t afraid to attend!

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Bryan Kuester

Bryan Kuester

Bryan is the CEO of Kuester Management Group. He has over 15 years of managing community associations throughout North and South Carolina.

His specialties include Community Association Management - maintenance, budgeting for operational and reserve funding, long-range planning, covenant enforcement, amenity management, onsite management, large scale management.