It’s not uncommon for people to change email addresses frequently, so what is your responsibility as a CAM for maintaining unit owner email addresses?

Question:  I’m a community association manager for a cooperative.  I know that I am required to keep our records, but what exactly am I required to maintain regarding our unit owners.  Do I have to keep up with all of their email addresses?  I’m wondering because people seem to change their email address a lot more frequently than you’d imagine.

Answer: Under section 718.104(2)(a), associations must maintain a current roster of all unit owners and their mailing addresses, unit identifications, voting certifications, and, if known, telephone numbers. If your unit owners may receive notice electronically, then you must also maintain the electronic mailing addresses and the numbers designated by unit owners for receiving notice sent by electronic transmission for any unit owners who have consented to receive notice by electronic transmission.  That means that you do not have to keep up with email address for any unit owner who has not consented to receive notices electronically, but you may want to develop a system for updating email addresses for any unit owners who have consented to receive notices electronically.  That may mean following up with unit owners whose email was rejected after you’ve sent it out.  Check with owners periodically to ensur you ha a good email for them.

Thanks for asking, Fred Gray
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Maintaining Association WrittenRecords

A 2015 amendment to sections 718.111(12)15 and 719.104(2)(a)(13 ), F.S. requires associations to maintain certain items that constitute the official records of the association.  The amendments to the sections clarify that all other written records of an association not specifically included in the statute must be included if they are related to the operation of the association.

The importance of the clarification is that written records do not have to be specifically named within the statute for the maintenance requirement to apply.  The test for inclusion is whether or not the written records are related to the operation of the association.  The clarification eliminates many questions about what written records must be maintained and takes much of the guess work out of record keeping.

Note: Gray Systems, Inc is not a law firm and this article does not constitute, nor is it intended to be, legal advice or an interpretation of law. All sources are cited, and a matter of public record.

I Can't Take It Any More!
Tips for De-stressing!

De-stressing your work day begins with you. Keeping up with vendors, board members and numerous unit owners could cause any community association manager to feel overwhelmed, but there are ways to make your day a little less stressful.  Try a few of these tips!

1. Get to work 30 minutes early.  Most highly successful people relate that they begin their work day with some quiet, private time.  That means getting to work early and setting up the day ahead.  It may include reading the newspaper, checking email, listening to voicemails or just going through the mound of paperwork on your desk to determine what you’ll tackle during the day.  Having about 30 minutes of alone time at work before the phone begins to ring or other employees enter the office may go a long way to making your day less stressful and more enjoyable.

2. Use a calendar.  Another skill that highly successful people swear by is using a calendar and sticking with it as much as possible.  Things pop up that you can’t necessarily control, but some things are easily managed using a calendar, like scheduling days for maintenance, board or unit owner meeting or paying bills.  Calendars have become so much easier to use with technology.  You probably have a great app on your phone that will not only allow you to schedule your day, but set up alerts to notify you of appointments or events.

3. Keep a “to-do” list. Closely related to maintaining a calendar is creating a daily, weekly or monthly “to-do” list.  Need to send out notices to unit owners, or schedule maintenance in the laundry facility?  Or perhaps you’re a little behind on filing away paperwork that you’re required to maintain.  To-do lists are a great way to accomplish that laundry list of things you need to get accomplished.  Update the list frequently and you’ll find your stress level decreases as you get some of those pesky jobs done that you’ve been dreading.

4. Keep records organized.  An ever-growing pile of paperwork that needs to be filed away could cause anyone stress, so nip it in the bud by filing things away quickly.  Doing so will allow you to know where everything is and you’ll be able to access those records just as quickly.  The job may seem overwhelming at first, but filing things away weekly, or even daily, will soon make your day much less stressful, and you’ll find it’s much easier to keep up with a small amount of filing rather than a heap.

5. Require venders be on time.  Your time is valuable so make every effort not to allow others to interrupt your time and force you onto their schedule.  One way is to require venders to be on time and show up as scheduled.  Whether the roof is getting replaced or office supplies are being delivered, demanding timeliness by others will keep your day on track, just like you had planned...  Click here to read the entire article.

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