"The Association"

When I served on the board a few years back, most homeowners invariably referred to the management company, or occasionally the board of directors, when they spoke of "The Association". "The Association sent me a violation letter", "The Association needs to fix my leak", "The Association just raised our dues".

What many homeowners don't understand is that WE are "The Association". That's right - the Seabridge Homeowners Association is a non-profit California Corporation with 132 members corresponding to the 132 units in our Common Interest Development (CID). We elect a Board of Directors to direct the affairs of the association, and the Board of Directorshires a Management Company to manage the day-to-day operations that the association is responsible for.

I like to think of these three entities as forming a triangle, and life in our Seabridge Community works well when all 3 are in balance. If the management company is weak, we don't get good advice or prompt attention to maintenance issues. If the board is weak, we don't get sound decisions that take the current and future needs of our whole community into account.

But lately, it seems that the homeowners are the weak leg of our triangle. We need to provide input to the board of directors in making decisions, observe the decision-making process, and respect the authority they were entrusted with. We also need to have a better understanding of what's going on in meetings, and what our rights and responsibilities are. I hope this blog can help in both regards. Whether you knew what you were getting into or not, you chose to live in a common interest development, and now have some responsibilities if you care about how your home is maintained and your assessments are spent.

As a start, I suggest the following:

• Get a basic understanding of how Common Interest Developments work in California
• Request meeting agendas in advance; then attend regular board meetings
• Request homeowner association minutes
• READ the information sent to you. There's usually a time window wherein your input can make a difference
• Make sure you have a copy of our CC&Rs (Covenants, Codes and Restrictions). It documents the responsibilities of the Seabridge HOA - and the Association isn't responsible for everything.

It's not as bad as it looks. And you're not in it alone. Post comments to this blog, for example, if you have questions.

Don't wait until a decision is made to complain! It is the responsibility of every homeowner with concerns to know what will be discussed in a board meeting and to let the directors know your thoughts before a decision is made. You'd be surprised - they might listen to a compelling argument. The squeaky wheel may occasionally get some grease, but it's not going to contribute to the overall health and well-being of our association. And after all, WE homeowners are the association.