Keeping Your HOA Meetings Quick and Easy

Regular condo association meetings are important, but getting all of the condo owners to attend can be a challenge, especially if the meetings tend to be long and, let’s face it, dull.

But there’s no reason they should be. HOA meetings can be less of a chore if the members of the board take steps to make sure things move along at a brink pace and everyone feels engaged.

The first thing the board should do is make sure they’re prepared. Nothing bogs a meeting down worse than a board fumbling through paperwork, losing the thread of the conversation or, worst of all, showing up without an agenda. Preparation is key.

As part of that preparation, if there are any topics the board members need to discuss among themselves, time should be set aside beforehand to do that.

It’s also not a bad idea to keep the agenda short and focused only on the critical issues. If there are too many far-reaching topics, not only will the homeowners get bored, they’ll likely not want to attend at all when they see what a slog the meeting is likely to be.

Meetings should always begin on time. If the board waits for everyone to arrive and be seated, the meeting can run long past its cutoff time. Reminding homeowners to be prompt is always a good plan.

As most meetings have a scheduled time for homeowners to speak, the notion of quick and easy can go right out the window. Board members shouldn’t be afraid to enforce time limits on speeches and/or to table agenda items until the next meeting.

And finally, there’s no reason that HOA meetings can’t be fun. Important business needs to be discussed, yes, but there’s nothing wrong with keeping things lighthearted. That might be the single biggest reason for a good turnout next time!