Emerging from the colder months into spring and summer is typically a positive shift for most people. For HOA board members and homeowners, warmer months come with an extensive checklist of errands before the community is all set to enjoy the long, warm summer nights. From condominiums to large communities, here’s everything to do for your HOA in summer and spring to make the transition from colder to warmer months.
1. Checkups and Major Maintenance
Your regular HOA maintenance schedule aside, it’s necessary to plan out checkups for seasonal maintenance just as winter clears out. After the checkups, the specific types of maintenance required and the scale of it will be evident.
What kind of maintenance does that include? Any damages to:
- Roofs and gutters
- Decks and patios
- Fences and driveways
- Interior and exterior walls
- Chimneys
- Sprinklers and security systems
- Garages, basements, and parking lots
These are the features most likely to undergo damage throughout colder months but it’s best to do a general checkup of anything else that may require the attention of a professional. Opt for HOA maintenance management from an HOA property management company if you have difficulties tackling this list of checkups and maintenance on your own.
2. Evaluate Landscaping
Assessing landscaping needs and their execution is another valuable consideration for HOA’s maintenance schedules in warmer months. How do homeowners associations work on landscaping in colder months? Nature typically takes matters into its own hands during the winter once the leaves fall from the trees. Landscaping isn’t much of a necessity in winter months as it is in warmer months. The grass needs to be mowed and watered, along with any other greenery that falls in common areas of the community. All of those operations need to be overseen and managed by the board to ensure the community shines with their landscaping once springtime comes around.
3. Prepare Amenities
Common areas and public amenities are important to oversee year-round, but seasonal amenities like outdoor grounds may require additional attention by the HOA in summer. That includes but isn’t limited to homeowner association common areas such as the children’s playground or outdoor BBQ area, if these amenities are present in your community. The grills need to be cleaned and set back up if they were taken into storage. The same goes for sandboxes and playground equipment. All of this needs to be up and ready to be used by the members of the HOA in summer.
4. HOA Pool Management
If your HOA has a pool within a common area, then board members will want to gradually start dealing with HOA pool management and maintenance. While this could easily be found under the previous categories, a public pool requires significant attention and consideration compared to other amenities. Thus, we can’t emphasize just how important HOA pool management is during warmer months. This entails the opening of the pool, cleaning, filter checkups, assessing safety concerns within the vicinity of the pool (cracked tiles, etc), hiring lifeguards, refilling the pool, and so on.
5. Financial Considerations
How much is all the maintenance going to cost this summer? What about expected renovations in anticipation of the next winter? Maybe there’s been financial fraud in your HOA and the board isn’t in the know about it yet. It’s the perfect time to get the financial management in order of your HOA in summer. Especially since tax season ends in April and it’s an optimal time to implement better financial management efforts.
6. Central HVAC Checkup
Checkup and maintenance of the central HVAC systems are a must in between season changes. That involves your HOA’s air conditioner, heating system, and ventilation. The components of each need to be checked for any issues, cleaned, filters changed, and general maintenance are some of the things that need to be handled by your HOA in summer to be ready for the seasonal shift. It is recommended that individual homeowners do their own checkups of their personal HVAC systems if the system is not centralized.
7. HOA Summer Notices
Has your community pet policy changed or want to send out a reminder as more people will be taking their pets out on walks? Is there an event coming soon that homeowners should be looking forward to? When will the swimming pool be open for public access? All of these and more are considered as important HOA summer notices that the board should want passed down to community members.
How can homeowners be notified of their HOA’s summer notices? HOA summer notices can be sent to homeowners in the format that your HOA typically prefers, whether that is via an online platform, email, social media, physical bulletin boards and so on. The format is flexible as long as homeowners have an outlet to receive the notices and stay informed about community matters.
We hope your homeowners association is all set for warmer months after following our checklist! Get in touch with us with any of your HOA management questions and needs.