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The Broward Coalition Connection
south florida’s community
association lifestyle publication
serving broward, miami-dade
and palm beach counties
~ Board of directors ~
ExcEcutivE Board
PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT
TREASURER
SECRETARY
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
John Perrini
Mary Macfie
Catherine Evanoff
Toby Feuer
Joel Leshinsky
officErs
ASSISTANT TO THE TREASURER
MEMBERSHIP
EVENT COORDINATOR
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
Carol Eskew
James Franko
Theresa Sortino
Dennis Dunn
LEGISLATIVE LIAISON
Michael S. Bender, Esq.
Kaye Bender Rembaum P.A.
CORPORATE COUNSEL
Steven J. Weinberg
Frank, Weinberg and Black
BoostErs
ASSOCIATES
Beverly Hills Condominium
Boulevard Landmark Assoc.
Hillsboro Island House
Holiday Springs Village Condo
Lombardy Neighborhood at Kings Point
Malvern Neighborhood at Kings Point
Margate Alliance of Condo & HOA Assocs.
CORPORATE
American Protection Bureau, (APB)
AMR on Guard
Atrium Painting, Inc.
Elite Management Associates
Guy Strum
Regional Land Care, LLC
Sunstate Management
resident’s
pm
essage
the
FEBRUARY 2016
Dear Broward Coalition Members,
HB 667-Representative John Cortes of the Florida House of Representatives filed three bills affecting all Florida community associations and
managers. In scope it will begin with repealing Chapter 719, regulating
Florida cooperative and Chapter 720 regulating Florida homeowners
association, and then amends Chapter 718 to include many of the provisions of the repealed Florida Statues, with many significant differences.
A new term is created, “common interest community” which refers to all
types of residential communities and makes them subject to the provisions
of the significantly overhauled Chapter 718. As of this writing the bill does
not have a Senate sponsor.
Mr. Cortes has also filed HB 653, which attempts to bring the statutes
regarding homeowner’ association closer to those which govern condominiums and cooperatives. As was attempted during last year’s legislative
session, House Bill 653 also seeks to make homeowners’ associations
subject to the oversight (and fees) of the, to be renamed, “Division of
Florida Condominiums, Homeowners’ Associations, Timeshares, and
Mobile Homes.”
With regard to community association managers, Representative
Cortes’ House Bill 665 creates liability on the part of a community
association manager for damages incurred from offering incorrect advice.
The Regulatory Council of Community Association Managers name is
changed to the “Board of Community Association Managers” and
additional new regulations regarding the membership and authority
of the “Board of Community Association Managers” have also been
amended and added in this Bill.
House Bill 665 also requires community association manager
pre-licensure education consisting of not more than 40 hours of
in-person instruction by a department-approved provider which must
cover all areas of the examination including a new list of 22 fundamental
management skills and knowledge. This is 18 hours more than what is
presently required.
On the insurance front state run Citizens Property Insurance Corporation approved that it would reduce coverage to repair homes damaged
by broken plumbing which will result in higher out of pocket expenses
for homeowners, Citizens’ proposed changes must be approved by the
State office of Insurance Regulation.
Once again I thank the many advocacy groups who keeps us
updated on the above issues.
Please consider being either a board member of the coalition or a
volunteer. We are accepting application for both.
Please join us for our Februay12, 2016, 11:00AM meeting at Sunrise
Lakes Phase IV.
INDIVIDUALS
Al Arnold
Hon. Howard Berger
Ruth M. Bettini
Hon. John Bowman
Mike Desiato
Carol Eskew
Catherine Evanoff
Ron Fernandez
Barbara J. Lotz
Patti Lynn
Lori Parrish
Hon. Giselle Pollack
George Resnick
Sen. Jeremy Ring
Neal Rosensweig
Steve Sax
Kathleen Stevenson
Joanne Willoughby
Rob Wolk
Diana Zayas-Bazan
For advertising rates and schedule or if you have an idea for a story contact:
outofthebox5557@gmail.com or
marymacfie333@gmail.com 954-336-3335
3
4
A CALL TO ACTION
THE 2015 ESTOPPEL BILL IS BACK
Ready to Hurt Florida’s Community Associations
By Jeffery Rembaum Esq.
But for the abrupt ending of the 2015 legislative session, Florida’s legislature would
already have caused another wrinkle in
our free market economy by passing a law
regulating the cost of goods in the stream of
commerce. The worst bill to affect Florida’s
community associations is back and could
become law unless you tell your legislators to
“VOTE NO”. Florida’s House of Representatives
and Senate seek to regulate both the cost and
process of the issuance of the “association
estoppel”. There are two bills at play: House
Bill 203 and its companion, Senate Bill 722.
The “association estoppel” is a legally binding
document that sets out the assessment monies that remain due and owing. There exists
tremendous liability for its issuance. The buyer is
only responsible for the monies set out as due in the
estoppel letter. If completed incorrectly and a lesser
amount due is stated, well, too bad. Apparently,
lobbyists, title companies and other real estate
professionals have just about convinced Florida’s legislators, albeit falsely, about the great
harm being caused by Florida’s community
associations, a state wide epidemic of disastrous
consequence stemming from an association’s
otherwise lawful right to create a process of
issuance and to charge reasonable fee for
providing its estoppel.
This atrocious legislation, that is expected to
become law (unless you do something about
it), dictates that the estoppel is due within ten
business days of the request, no matter what.
And, if it is issued after ten business days,
no matter what the reason – good cause or
otherwise – no fee may be charged! To make
matters worse, the request for an estoppel
can arrive via email. Based on a plain reading
of these bills, rather than having to comply
with standard procedures to ensure proper
delivery of the request, the person requesting
the estoppel can email a board member or
manager at their personal email address to
start the ten day clock.
According to the House version of the bill, the
fee for the estoppel certificate may not exceed
$200.00 if, on the date the certificate is
issued, no delinquent amounts are owed to
the association. If an estoppel certificate is requested on an expedited basis and delivered
within three business days after the request,
the association may charge an additional fee
of $100.00. If delinquent amounts are owed
to the association for the applicable unit, an
additional fee for the estoppel certificate may
not exceed $200.00. The Senate’s companion
bill only mentions a reasonable fee.
In the past, an estoppel certificate only inured
to the benefit of the party requesting it. Now,
according to these bills, after issuance of the
estoppel it is binding on every Tom, Dick or
Harry who can be considered a successor or
assign of the person who requested it. That
means that Tom, Dick and Harry gets the
benefit of the previously issued estoppel, and
they do not even have to pay for it!
Pursuant to these bills, an association cannot
require the payment of any fees as a condition
for the preparation or delivery of an estoppel.
Imagine going to the grocery store, loading
up your friend’s car with your groceries to get
them home and not having to pay the store
until you eat the food. If you don’t eat the food,
then you don’t have to pay for the groceries. But,
your friend, whose car delivered the groceries
for you must pay in your stead. This is exactly
how the new estoppel legislation works.
No one who requests the estoppel has to pay
for it when they receive it. In other words, the
person or company who does the work for
the association by preparing the estoppel has
no lawful right to get paid at the time of per5
forming their service. Rather, this decade’s
worst association related legislative initiative
provides that the fee can only be paid from
the proceeds of the closing. If the closing
does not occur, the person who requested the
estoppel has no liability whatsoever. But, the
burden for payment then shifts to the seller.
How many months will that take?
It is expected that the estoppel legislation will
become the law of the land with an effective
date of July 1, 2016. This situation is the perfect example of a series of laws being adopted
to fix a problem that only exists in the minds
of a select few and even then for an extremely
short period of time. Back during the uptick
of the prior real estate crisis, there were a
few bad apples who charged way too much
for the issuance of the estoppel. Rather than
going after these bad apples, the bad acts of
the very few are being used to create hysteria
and to hurt Florida’s community associations
to the very real benefit of Florida’s realtors
and title companies. It is shameful how easy
our legislators are being deceived to believe
that they are fixing a problem that, in reality,
doesn’t even exist. Once again, our legislature
to the rescue. Ugh!
To learn more, visit smashthehometax.com,
where myths regarding estoppel certificates
are debunked
Jeffrey Rembaum, Esq. is a community
association lawyer with the law firm Kaye Bender
Rembaum, in its Palm Beach Gardens office.
His law practice consists of representing
condominium, homeowners, and cooperative
associations, developers and unit owners
throughout Florida.
He can be reached by email at
JRembaum@KBRLegal.com or by calling
561-241-4462.
HOA OF THE FUTURE
You’ve heard them before—HOA horror stories that scare the living daylights out of you. From unheard of special assessment fees to paid parking
spaces for compact cars only to common facilities being foreclosed on, HOA living isn’t always what homeowners expect it to be. The most common complaint of HOA living in North America? Communication. Harmonious co-existence is important in any community, but especially within
an HOA-managed one. How an HOA decides to communicate with their residents is crucial in today’s real estate market. Here are four ways to
revamp an HOA with minimal effort.
Be willing to listen
Hold everyone to the same standards
You may have had a valid reason to change vendors for
your community’s landscaping needs, but if you receive
an uproar of complaints from residents that the weeds
are neglected or the trees aren’t trimmed, it’s a good idea
to listen. HOAs have a reputation for being endlessly
frustrating, so prove everyone wrong! Even if you have
the authority to make the final decision, staying open to
hearing the residents’ concerns will help develop trust,
understanding and good vibes. An HOA should never
have communication just from the top down.
Rules need to be enforced in an HOA to keep it running
smoothly, and they should always be enforced to the
same degree for identical infractions. When a resident
gets a letter from the HOA telling them their flowerboxes
aren’t an approved addition to the architectural design,
it’s easy for them to feel like they’re being singled out.
Keep rules transparent and hold everyone to the same
standards. Never be selective with enforcement or give a
resident special treatment.
Appoint a point person
Get online
Most HOAs are formed because community members want to better
their surroundings. Many board members are simply neighborhood
volunteers who dedicate their extra time to the HOA. For this reason,
all HOAs need a community association manager who can manage the
day-to-day happenings. If your HOA does not have a dedicated leader,
it’s time to make a change. Appoint a manager and let them know their
responsibility as a liaison. Have them claim their community’s profile
on GetAssist and become the page’s moderator. Having a point person
residents can easily contact will make all the difference in satisfaction.
Speaking of infringement letters, how you communicate with your
residents is just as important as what you say. Snail mail letters and
hand-written meeting minutes can be hard to disseminate. It’s time
your HOA gets online and join the modern world! Create a private
community your entire HOA can join on GetAssist, and post any relevant
information there. Another benefit of going digital? The residents will
have a chance to comment and post in your online community as well,
enabling them to join the discussion and strengthen their bonds with one
another.
6
7
HOW THE BROWARD COALITION
CONTINUES TO BUILD AN
EXTRAORDINARILY INNOVATIVE
ORGANIZATION
The members of the Broward Coalition are our most important
asset. These words are the clear expression of a value, and values
that have been visible through the actions of our board of
directors and members for over 37 years.
Values form the foundation for everything that happens
at the Broward Coaltion. They’re values permeate the organization.
Strategic Framework
Every organization has a vision or picture of what it desires for its future, whether foggy or crystal clear. The mission
of this organization or the purpose for its existence is also
understood.
Mission and Purpose
Every organization has a choice. They can allow these
fundamental foundations of the organization to develop on
their own with each individual acting in a vacuum. Or, (and
this is the Broward Coalition choice) we invest the time to proactively
define our goals and direction to best serve members of this
organization.
Our success over the years, have articulated the original
vision, mission, purpose and values, so our Broward Coalition
members can be a very intricate part of our achievement.
We continue our improvement programs and strive to better
our members and gain an edge. The topic list is long and varied,
and that’s why we offer a program a month just to keep up.
Continuous improvement requires a commitment to learning.
The success and stability of the Broward Coalition is to
bring together a group of people and form them into a highperformance team. This is the most important single quality this
organization possess.
8
Enjoying Life in the Slow Lane
Anonymous
“There is more to life than increasing its speed.”
— Mohandas K. Gandhi
78.4 years isn’t much time.
Even at my age, I can feel the pressure to pack my life full of
activity and maximize my time by doing all I can.
In school, we’re encouraged to join as many clubs as possible to
make the most of our educational experience. At work, it’s expected that we’ll be uber productive and take on more and more
responsibility. Even at home, there’s a never ending to-do list of
things that need maintained, fixed or upgraded.
And we go on living as if there’s nothing wrong with this system.
As if the natural progression of humankind is to become the most
efficient life form on earth.
If there’s nothing wrong with this system, then why are so many
people unhappy? Why are so many on medication to control
anxiety, stress, and depression?
W Choose 3 things to accomplish each day. I know, you could
probably come up with a list of 100 things, but don’t. Keeping
the list this size will force you to decide what’s really important.
When you finish the list, the rest of the day is yours to relax.
With this approach you’ll be completing 21 important tasks
a week. If you have more than that, seriously reevaluate your
commitments.
W Learn to say “no.” Stop taking on more responsibility.
That’s what got you reading this article in the first place. Sure,
volunteering is a noble way to spend your time, but stretching
yourself too thin can rob you of joy. And the world needs joy
more than anything.
W Be unproductive. Even if you can only manage 20 minutes a
day at first. Don’t read anything to further your career or impress
your friends. Do something useless like skipping rocks across a
pond. Or making mud pies with your kids. Or climbing a tree.
Dig back into your memory bank, because most of this stuff is
stuff you probably did as a kid.
W Only check your email twice a day. That includes twitter,
Facebook, stocks, sports scores, blog stats – anything. Checking
these sites can become an addictive habit which steals time you
could spend doing stuff that actually makes you happy.
W Embrace quality over quantity. Instead of joining every
organization, subscribing to every blog, or taking every opportunity you get – try doing fewer things, but choosing the ones
that really add value to your life. Pick 3 or 4 blogs and follow
them closely. Choose one organization making a difference, and
support them. Embracing quality over quantity will make your
life less stressful and your experiences more satisfying.
W Find a hobby. Try something new, you don’t have to be good
at it. As long as it excites you and taps into your creativity. Try
these: yoga, rock climbing, running, wood work, surfing, reading,
blogging, gardening, chess, painting, making music.
W Spend time with people you love. This is it, the one piece of
advice I’d give you if I could only give you one. Relationships
form the backbone of a purposeful life. Sharing secrets, fears,
and hopes with another human is the surest way to slow down
and enjoy life. Without close contact with other people, we grow
into cold, lonely beings. Make time every single day to spend
with loved ones, and you won’t end up with a single regret.
Isn’t this a more telling sign of our “progression” as a species?
All this busyness has overloaded our minds. And we walk
around with this nagging sense that there’s something we forgot
to do. Or we feel guilty when we actually do take time to do
nothing, be lazy with some friends, or watch a worm inch its
way across the sidewalk.
There’s just no rest; no sense of completion. Ever.
And it’s eating away at us from the inside. Making it impossible
to find a reason to smile, or be joyful, or just be.
But life doesn’t have to be so crazy. The craziness ends when
people embrace the alternative: slowing down.
Slowing down is radical in this day and age. An age where…
…we burn with frustration if a website doesn’t load instantly.
…we think taking a nap is a sign of laziness.
…we check our email, Facebook, Twitter 15 times a day.
…we eat instant oatmeal for breakfast, frozen meals for lunch,
and order takeout for dinner.
…we lose sleep over an upcoming deadline.
…we even take our own lives because the pressure to perform
is too much to handle.
Breaking these habits can be difficult.
But why is that?
We fear that something bad will happen if things don’t get done.
To calm that fear we work harder, and longer, and harder, and
longer only to realize that there’s more to do.
It never ends.
If you’re tired of the grind, let me suggest you step back and
take an honest assessment of what needs to be done. Letting go
of the compulsion to do all things can be an awesomely liberating
high. Simply choose what’s most important, and do that. Even
simpler, choose to do the things you are passionate about, and
drop the rest.
If life in the slow lane appeals to you, here are some easy steps
to escape the rat race and enjoy a slower, simpler, happier life:
9
Top Five Ways You Can Make Your Community Better
5. Take Care Of Your Community
3. Invest in Your Community
2. Get to Know Your Neighbours
If everyone took a moment while
they were out walking to pick up a few
pieces of garbage, could you imagine
how clean our neighbourhoods would
be? Taking care of our community by
cleaning up garbage, removing graffiti
and more helps to instill a sense of pride
in the community for everyone.
It’s not just a trend, spending your
dollars locally is something that used
to be done on a regular basis by my
grandparents generation. Start looking
around now at the little independent
shops and make a conscious decision
to frequent them. Start looking around
at the smaller clothing boutiques that
carry better quality than huge stores
do. Choose non-chain, locally owned
restaurants every time you eat out.
Give up the brand name coffees and
support your smaller local shop. You’re
going to not only get a great coffee
still, but you’ll get to know the person
who’s actually giving you a real smile
from across the counter. They also
most likely live in your neighborhood,
so you know exactly where your dollars
are going to, a local family.
This is probably the number one thing
we can do to better our communities,
by supporting our local businesses.
There are a few neighbourhoods
in my city that I would love to live in
simply because everyone knows each
other. I find that older neighbourhoods tend to be a closer knit community than the newer ones, perhaps
because they now have the years of
knowledge behind them. Community
events, impromptu street parties, some
of these neighbourhoods have multiple
yearly events that encourage getting
to know your neighbour. On a small
scale, getting to know the people on
your street is something we all should
attempt to do. Not only does it make
for a happier neighbourhood, but it
also makes for a safer one as well. My
neighbours watch my house for anything out of the ordinary when we are
on vacation and we return the favor
as well! Knowing who belongs where
is one of the simplest ways to keep
your street safe, making it easier to see
when something is wrong or out of the
ordinary.
4. Volunteer
Volunteer, somehow, anyhow, just try
to volunteer for something in your community. Manpower hours are the single
most important resource for bettering
our communities, whether it’s by helping
organizing events, building a community playground or becoming an active
member of your community league.
1. Take Care
Of Each Other
Within the ideal of getting
to know your neighbours
is the responsibility we all
have to take care of each
other. Do you have elderly
people on the street who
can’t shovel the walks easily? Shovel their walks when you have
a moment. Better yet, start teaching your children to help out
others on the street. We will all get out with shovels in the morning after a snowfall and clear the sidewalks for a few neighbours when we
can.Teaching the next generation to take care of others makes
for a better community in the present and for the future. This
isn’t only for winter, fall leaves need raking, lawns need tending,
Helping others in your community betters your community in so
many ways!
10
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12
Why Should I Attend My Condo Association Meetings?
you want to get involved more with the board itself or simply want
to know the upcoming schedule of events, attending the meetings is
the surest way to do so.
As an owner of a condominium or HOA home, you’ll want to
attend your association meetings. But why you ask? We all have
very busy schedules, and finding time to attend your meetings
is usually not top priority. While this may not seem like the
most exciting way to spend your Wednesday evening, attending these meetings can be extremely beneficial. The help decide
social and financial futures of associations, address issues dealing
with common areas, and promote an overall sense of community
within your association. And, very simply, if you do not attend,
you will not have much say in what happens.
un for Office - If you’re passionate about your home, consider
a more permanent and influential role in the association. Running
for a position on the board of directors may be an option that can
further your involvement. If you have great ideas but are concerned
about how to get more people involved, consult the following list to
increase engagement:
Voice Concerns - An association will sometimes have areas
H Welcome Home-When a new tenant moves in, prepare a
R
in need of attention, and those who show up at the meetings are
likely to help decide what gets repaired. The old adage “half of
winning is showing up” applies well, as the meetings are your
best option for voicing your opinion as to what needs to be
improved. Enhance your living experience by contributing your
ideas on how to improve your home. Whether the suggestions
affect individual or communal areas, spreading awareness will
most certainly evoke more interest than not saying anything at
all.
Welcome Packet that introduces the area and amenities, offers
an opportunity to meet fellow tenants, and promotes ways to
get involved.
Get Involved - Events are decided upon by the board at
H Send Out Surveys- Let tenants know you’re interested in
H Make Meetings More Appealing- The last thing people
want to do when they get home from work is to sit in another
boring meeting. Spice things up by using visuals to present
different agenda points, offering snacks and refreshments, and
sponsoring contests for participants to win gift certificates and
other prizes.
their opinions. Send out surveys that allow people to anonymously comment on different aspects of their condo experience.
Some tenants may be hesitant to share their views at a condo
meeting, especially if they’ve never attended one. Gather the
results, pick popular topics, and let people know which issues
you’ll be addressing in the next meeting.
association meetings, and the only way to be truly involved is to
offer your ideas and opinions. If you’re getting sick of ice cream
socials and would rather mix it up with a community cooking
class, attend a meeting and share your ideas. Enhance the condo
environment by offering events that will engage more tenants.
From running clubs to Super Bowl parties, inspire your association
to build a strong community.
Dedicating an hour of your time every month to attend an
association meeting is a small sacrifice compared to all the benefits
of participating in one. So get involved and start making decisions
to make a enhansed community and neighborhood.
S
tay Informed - If nothing else, association meetings are a
great way to stay informed of the happenings around the building. If
H
H
consider this...
H
The Broward Coalition nominating committee is now accepting applications
to serve on the Board of Directors for 2016-2018.
Applicants are asked to visit our website: Broward Coalition.org for the online application
All submissions must be received by January 14, 2016 and mailed to:
TOBY FEUER
213 Lakeview Drive #101 • Weston, FL 33326
13
H
14
In Search of...
The first step to finding a great contractor or handyman is to start
by searching in the right places. Even if you do own a phone book,
resist the urge to start flipping through it. This isn’t the kind of decision you want to leave to chance, or to the person with the biggest ad.
Here are a couple of places to start your search:
Yelp: You’d be surprised at the things people review on Yelp, and
you can easily find contractors, maintenance companies, and handymen all listed with detailed contact information, photos of their work,
and plenty of customer reviews to help you decide how the person’s
work really is. While you should always take Yelp reviews with a grain
of salt, I’ve seen a number of contractors with great reviews, written
by customers who actually shared their photos to back up their assertions.
There’s a little “people only come here to rant when they’re angry” aspect
to it, like there is with any Yelp review of any business, but on the
whole, Yelp can be a great starting point to find well-regarded and
capable hands in your neighborhood.
Angie’s List: Angie’s List may be paid members-only, but
it’s one of the web’s most trustworthy resources for real reviews of
hundreds of different services, from home contractors to babysitters.
Membership fees vary depending on where you live, but you can
expect to pay something like $30/yr (they do have monthly plans if
you just need access for a short time) to get access and poke around.
You can check how much a membership in your area would be here.
The service’s membership-only approach to reviews and ratings
is generally regarded by both customers and contractors as a good
deal—contractors can’t pay to be featured or listed and they can’t buy
reviews—they can, however, post discounts for other users if they’re
highly rated. There are no anonymous reviews, and reviewers are
(usually) verified by the service. Reviewed services actually respond
to their reviewers, and the service even has an arbitration team to help
resolve any disputes between a reviewer and the company they found
through Angie’s List. It’s hard to suggest Angie’s List if you’re only
hiring someone once in a blue moon, but if you hire frequently or are
getting a lot of work done, it can be a huge help.
Word of Mouth: Word of mouth is the way most great repairmen and handymen get business. Ask any good one and they’ll tell
you that customer referrals are their livelihoods. Ask your friends and
neighbors if they’ve had any work done, and if they have, who did their
work (and of course, whether they would recommend them to someone else). Don’t stop with just your friends or neighbors though—if
you’ve recently purchased your home, give your real estate agent a
call and see if they have any suggestions—odds are they will. Get the
word out that you’re looking for someone good, and you’ll probably
get a few referrals from people you can trust. That doesn’t automatically mean they’re a good handyman, and it doesn’t mean you should
hire them right out of the gate, but it’s a good start.
Community Bulletin Boards/Message Boards: Continuing
on the word of mouth theme, if you live in a condo building or an organized
community, see if there’s a local message board or building website
that lists some of your neighbors’ picks, or where you can ask for suggestions. For example, my building has a site just for residents, and
more than a few of my neighbors have posted their favorite contractors
for different types of work—all of whom are familiar with the building,
the floorplans, the appliances and equipment standard in each unit, and
so on. It can be a big help to hire someone who’s already familiar with
your facilities. Similarly, if there are no recommendations for the type
of work I want to do, I can always post to the bulletin board and ask
the whole building for their suggestions, which is almost always sure
to turn up some great options (and a little debate).
Interview First, Before Anything Else
By now you should have a short list of contractors you want to
interview to see if they can handle the work you need done. Whether
it’s hanging drapes or building an addition, you want to interview them
first before agreeing to let them do any work in your home. Don’t let
them just give you a raw estimate for the work you’re asking for —
especially if they’ve never seen your home, or have no idea of the
scope of the work involved.
Call them up or meet with them and ask them about the kinds of
work they’ve done in the past. Ask what their expertise is, and whether
they’ve done this kind of work before. If you’re in a state or region
where a contractor has to be licensed, ask for their license number so
you can verify it. If they want to give you an estimate on the spot, let
them, but make it clear that this isn’t binding and you’re not hiring
them for any work.
Most importantly, get some references. Every decent handyman
or contractor will be happy to give you a list of people they’ve worked
for in the past, what they’ve done (and if they’re good, they’ll give
you references for similar work to what you’re asking), and even show
you pictures of the before and after job, tell you how much it cost, and
show you the kinds of plans they’ll draw up for the job, how long it’ll
take, and walk you through the details of those previous gigs.
References are of the utmost importance when you’re hiring someone to work on your home—don’t just take the handyman’s references
for granted either, go see the work they’ve done, and call up the people
they worked for. That’s the point of references, after all—you should
be comfortable calling the person they’re using as a reference, asking
to see the work yourself (so you can make sure it hasn’t deteriorated
or the photos hid a larger issue), or that the handyman isn’t just using
the person’s name because they were happy a week after the work was
complete, but had to get it torn out and redone a month later. Call their
references. Go see their work. Talk to their prior customers. We can’t
stress it enough.
(Continued on page 17)
15
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16
(Continued from page 15)
Get Your Estimates—and a Plan
that come up on the job. Remember, your homeowner’s or renter’s
insurance doesn’t cover work done by a contractor (if you hire them),
so if they accidentally cause major damage to your home, they should
have a way to pay for it.
Ideally before you even really hire someone, you’ll have written
estimates, and written plan for the work you’ll want done (to be
fleshed out and detailed upon hiring), and more than a few contractors
willing to take your job, all of whom you’ve interviewed and you feel
comfortable with (remember, this person will be in your home
— you should feel comfortable with them too). Now you can
go about picking the right one for you and your home with
confidence.
Once you have your candidates and you’re pleased - with their
referrals, it’s time to get your estimates (if you don’t have them
already) and get a firm plan for the work you’d like done. Most contractors won’t put too much into a plan before you’ve actually hired
them, but the good ones will at least rough out what they expect the
job will take. They should even help you understand what the cost will
be in time and materials, even before you hire them for the job.
We have some great tips to help find good contractors and
weed them out from the bad ones. Some of the tips are ones
we’ve mentioned—like checking with your city inspector or
building office, and checking with the BBB. However, here
are some other good things to remember when getting
your estimates and reviewing project plans:
Hire wisely and Stay Involved in the
Project. Hire them on the contingency that they
stick to their plan, timeline, and estimate and don’t
make any changes without your authorization. For
example, if they open up a wall only to discover
a major problem, their first instinct should be to
call you—not just go forward and work around
it. Any budget overruns or new materials required
should be cleared by you first. You should have
a written agreement, and that agreement should
include all those details and contingencies in case
you and the contractor disagree (contingencies
that should give you a favorable out if the work
isn’t done to your satisfaction).
How to Weed Out a
Good Contractor from the Bad
As we’ve gone over before, there are some jobs that
you probably should not DIY
Never choose the lowest bidder. Even if all
of your bids seem like they’re in the same ballpark, the
lowest bidder is usually skimping on something, or assumes that something will be easier than it actually will
be. Beware.
Never choose the contractor that promises
you the world. If you start hearing things that sound too good to
Never, ever, pay anything up front. If your contractor starts moaning that they need the money to go get the materials
for the job, call up your second choice (unless you’re getting custom
supplies that need to be ordered). Your contractor should be able to
pay their own way so you can pay for special materials and upon
completion of the work—or at least after you’ve seen some results.
It’s not strange to pay a portion after some of the work has been done,
or to pay for special equipment, and then pay the rest when everything’s finished. It is uncommon however to do a “half now, half when
I’m finished” arrangement unless you’re hiring someone’s brother or
best friend. If that’s the direction you want to go, be very careful—
paying half of the overall budget before they lift a finger (essentially,
for nothing), is a great way to lose half of the money you budgeted for
your new addition or garage makeover.
Finally, make sure you stick to your contractor like glue. Make
sure you’re actively engaged in the work — don’t just give your contractor the keys and walk away. This isn’t a reality TV show: Pay
attention to what they’re doing, ask questions, and while you don’t
want to slow down the process, you do want it clear that you’re
involved, interested, and want to make sure the work is done right.
Hopefully these tips will help you find a good contractor. It can
be a tricky process, but whether your job is large or small, with some
research and the right questions, you can be sure you’ll find one of the
good guys eager to work with you to improve your home. Good luck!
be true, like the work will only take a few days, when everyone else is
estimating a week or two, or someone who says that work you know
will be complicated will be no problem at all for them, be careful. It
doesn’t necessarily mean bad things, but you should never choose a
contractor who offers you more than you know your budget will allow,
or promises to be finished sooner than everyone else you’re comparing
to—especially if it’s unusually soon.
Make sure they present you with a detailed plan.
Even the most minor contracting jobs or minor fixes around the house
should have a plan. It doesn’t have to be a full-on project plan, but it
should be in writing, and it should detail what the handyman is planning to do to fix the problem, what materials and equipment they plan
to use, and of course, how much it’ll all cost. Again—this should all
be in writing. They can stand in front of the wall you want knocked
down and tell you how they’re going to do it and how long it’ll take,
but “you told me X” is useless if they’re running over time and over
budget.
Make sure they have insurance. Even if a handyman or
contractor doesn’t have to be licensed or bonded where you work,
they should at least have insurance to cover any issues or problems
17
SIX STEPS to Change the Attitude of Apathy in Your Community
Sandra Vela-Mora
This is the question I’m asked most by our boards and I think we can
all agree, if you’re on a community association board apathy is an
issue that can affect even the most well-functioning communities.
they will enhance the community and provide guidelines for submitting
requests to the board and what they can expect from the board in
return. Remember: in order for any group of volunteers to be successful,
they must fully understand their purpose, limitations and goals because
when they don’t, you lose them just as quickly as they sign up.
Before diving into how to change the attitude of apathy, I think it’s
important to acknowledge that the majority of people in your community do inherently care about the issues, but it’s up to the board
to discover the best opportunities and leaders to properly motivate
community members out of the rut of apathy.
4
Follow Up. Now it’s time to follow up with your membership.
Be sure to do this within a reasonable time frame of 2-3 weeks of
receiving the survey results so as not to lose momentum. Use the same
mediums to communicate and possibly even a printed mailer from the
board thanking each person for their participation, explaining the
time and effort the board has put into reviewing all the responses,
analyzing the requests for feasibility purposes, etc. Yes, community
members do need to know the efforts the board has put into this project, so that they understand the role the board plays and it will also
help the board gain volunteers. Provide a brief description of each
committee, a list of the pre-approved projects currently under each
one, and a call for volunteers.
Almost, but you’re not done yet…
Another important thing to acknowledge is that it’s worth it for
boards to make an effort to overcome community apathy, because
if the issue remains unchecked, it will ultimately fall on the shoulders
of the board and that’s a recipe for burnout.
Here are six steps your board can take to lead your community
through the stagnant fog of apathy:
1
Talk to Your Members. Whether you’re a new community just
getting started or an established community trying to revive itself, it all
starts with engaging membership. Now, we all know getting quorum for
an annual meeting is hard enough, so think outside the box and utilize
the other mediums at your fingertips. Do you have a community website where a survey can be posted or email blast capability? Do
a large group of your neighbors participate in a social media site
such as NextDoor or Facebook where a survey can be done? When
people see that you are interested in their input about their community, they will respond, especially when you make it convenient.
*Important note, be sure to explain clearly the Board’s plan once
the data is collected and communicate a reasonable timeframe of
when the owners can expect follow up.
5
Dig In. Now it’s time to help your committees set up their first
meeting. Select a chairperson(s) and explain this will be the point of
contact (POC) for the board and find out if they have any questions before sending them forth to prosper. If, on the other hand, you
still don’t have enough volunteers, now is the time to put on your
PR and Marketing hats. As leaders, your job isn’t over yet and you
need to give this one last try by pulling out the names of those
people that shared the suggestions that are being focused on and
communicate with them directly. Ask them to be on, or even chair,
the committee explaining to them how wonderful their idea was and
how the community needs passionate and creative individuals like
them. Make them feel important, everyone wants that. As a leader
one of your jobs is to encourage and now is the time.
2
Record Your Responses. The worst thing you can do is ask
for input and have members think you did nothing with it, so record
your response. Not all responses will be helpful or even positive, as
we all know every community has at least one of “those” neighbors,
but take note of the suggestions that are reasonable. Be sure to thank
people for taking the time to respond, which may sound simple, but
this one gesture can go a long way in reinforcing to a person that
they have been heard.
6
Appreciate and Recognize. This is the last step, but it’s
arguably the most important step to creating a positive community.
Whether it’s a simple certificate of thanks at your annual meeting
or an annual committee member dinner you host, appreciate and
recognize all of your volunteers as they are just like the rest of us
who need that validation to keep going.
3
Decision Time. Here’s where your role as a community leader is
really important. The board now must decide what suggestions/project/
events they are going to focus on for the community and what type of
committee should handle it. Once the committees are decided upon,
the board should write a brief committee charter that explains how
For those looking for a quick fix, these six steps may be a lot to
digest, but when it comes to off-setting apathy in your community, there
is no magic bullet. Apathy didn’t appear overnight, so it won’t disappear
overnight either. These steps are necessary if a community wants to resuscitate its volunteer base and keep it going for a long time to come.
Do YOU have Something to Say??
The Broward Coalition welcomes contributions from all of our members.
Although we cannot guarantee that your article will be published, all submissions will be considered.
Those that address common problems, and their solutions, are of special interest.
If your association managed to solve a problem, without great expense, our members could use your
help. All articles should be submitted to: jleshinsky55@comcast.net
Deadline for publication is the 3rd Friday of every month.
18
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Eighth Annual Community Association FREE Q&A Series
A must-attend for community association board members and CAMs
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