Living in a community that has a homeowner's association (HOA) offers a lot of pros and cons, but it offers mostly benefits if the HOA management firm is doing its job well. If you and your neighbors begin to notice that the community is not being cared for as it should be or as it used to be, you might want to pursue replacing the management company. If you would like to do this, here are several things you should know.

You Should Begin by Reading the HOA CC&Rs and Other Documents

Before you can replace the HOA management firm, you will need to gather evidence and facts that prove that there is a valid reason for doing this. Every HOA has covenants, conditions, and requirements (CC&Rs), and they all have other types of documents too that contain information about the rules in the community, as well as the responsibilities of the residents and the HOA. By reading through these documents and by analyzing the financial statements, you can begin to gather evidence that proves the HOA is not doing their job.

You Should Talk to All the Residents

The second step is talking to the residents. If you discover that most of the residents are unhappy with the services of the HOA management firm, you will have a good reason to begin pursuing a replacement for the firm. As you talk to the residents, ask each one if they would be willing to meet with the board of the HOA with you to discuss replacing the firm.

You Should Talk to the Board

After you have enough evidence and enough support from the community, you can talk to the board that controls decisions for the HOA. This is often called a board of directors, but it may have other names. You should present your concern to them and give them the evidence you have to back up why you feel the way you do.

You Should Research Other Companies

The other step you could do is to research other companies that offer HOA management services. This is a great way to find a different company to hire, and it would be a good idea to present this information to the board when you meet with them.

These are the best steps you can take if your HOA management firm is not doing as well as they should be. Contacting another HOA management firm is a great way to learn more about the costs, services, and reputation of another company.