COVID-19 Manager Interview

How did you hold required Board Meetings when group sizes were limited?

We began researching our options and speaking to association attorneys shortly before the restrictions were put into place and immediately had access to conference call services. Most Boards met as a group, while the manager and owners were encouraged to call in. While few owners participated in the conference calls, giving them the ability to do so met the requirements as we understood them from the guidance offered by the association’s attorney.

We explored video conferencing with products such as Zoom, however they were not preferred over the old-fashioned conference call. We do have concerns as the meetings become more common that more owners will elect to participate, making them more difficult to manage.

Did you make any recommendations (or receive any from attorneys) regarding common area/ amenity use?

We received plenty of information from attorneys offering guidance. Sometimes there were slight inconsistencies, so we had to be cautious to offer guidance consistent with the association’s specific attorney. This was more difficult as the Boards had opinions on what they wanted to happen, and the attorneys needed to reply to specifics. It was interesting to see some Boards question the guidance as “only an opinion” and offer information found elsewhere. Any guidance offered by managers was based on the “err on the side of caution” philosophy.

How did you, as a manager, adjust to these restrictions (i.e. working remotely, vendor meetings, community inspections etc.)?

We were fortunate enough to have a plan and systems in place that allowed the entire management team to work remotely. Initial concerns of administrative support and the ability to work as a team were addressed by daily check in calls with individual teams and working spreadsheets of administrative activities to document progress. Managers were given the latitude to make solitary site visits and if necessary one on one meetings with vendors; however, the majority of these took place by phone. While some communities requested inspections continue, many performed their own and reported the findings to the managers by email or phone or have simply postponed.

How did your Boards adjust to the technology?

Boards were surprisingly unpredictable when it came to adjusting and accepting technology. Some over 55 communities embraced the opportunity to deploy new technology and were eager, while many other communities simply wanted to postpone meetings. Having to remotely deploy the technology was challenging. For example, explaining how to go to the Zoom website, download the installer, find and run the installer is easier said than done. This would have been much easier had the system been set up in advance, something that should become a part of new board member orientation moving forward.

What requests were the Boards making to respond to the situation?

The most common requests were for extra cleaning or to have amenities closed. Several communities wanted to waive assessments. We explained to the Boards that their expenses are likely to rise and income likely to reduce due to delinquent accounts caused by the suffering economy. While well intended, that step would likely prove very damaging to the association. We directed these questions to the association attorneys who advised that the association is obligated to collect the assessments. While the budget could be amended to reduce the assessment amount, the process would be long and likely not produce the desired result. At this point, no associations have taken that step although the majority have elected to waive late fees.

Interviewee: Joe Jordan, CMCA, AMS, Baltimore Metro Regional Director, Tidewater Property Management