Most Helpful HOA Board Committees Every Community Should Have

Best HOA Board Committees

While the HOA is responsible for running, managing, and maintaining a community, the consuming tasks and responsibilities can be a lot to handle. That’s why it’s a good idea to have committees that can share the workload instead of leaving it all on HOA board members.

Committees can fulfill various functions that make an HOA better for all its residents. We’ve outlined some of the best committees your HOA could benefit from and discussed some crucial points on putting a committee together.

1) Welcome Committee

Everyone wants to make a great first impression. An HOA Welcome Committee’s purpose is to greet new homeowners, make them feel comfortable, and help them transition into their new neighborhood with ease. Welcome Committee members can also take a meet and greet opportunity to introduce new homeowners to important community rules and regulations, features and amenities, and local stores, schools, and entertainment information.

2) Homeowner Education Committee

Similar but slightly more formal than a Welcome Committee, a Homeowner Education Committee takes on informing homeowners (new and old alike) about the importance of living in a well-structured community and the benefits that go along with that. In addition, this committee can serve to orient new residents about community living and host periodical meetings where all homeowners can interact with their neighbors and HOA leadership.

3) Social Events Committee

The Social Events Committee’s goal is to keep the community engaged and enthusiastic by organizing and hosting social events. These could be as simple as neighborhood garage sales and welcome parties to more significant events such as block parties and festivals. A committee such as this needs to be good at planning and executing events and working within a set budget.

4) Landscaping Committee

People care a lot about appearances, and one of the best ways a community can put forward its best face is with landscaping that demonstrates beauty and care. For an HOA, quality landscaping enhances a neighborhood’s aesthetic appeal and helps maintain its property values. A Landscaping Committee can be put in charge of ensuring the community grounds are in good order with well-maintained lawns, trees, flower beds, gardens, and water features. In addition, they oversee the hiring of landscape professionals and make sure that every homeowner’s yard or garden follows HOA guidelines.

5) Architectural Committee

Like the Landscaping Committee, the Architectural Committee is concerned with maintaining the community’s standards for appearance regarding homes, garages, and other structures. They enforce the community’s architectural guidelines to avoid losing any uniform aesthetic appeal and risk damaging property values.

6) Safety Committee

For any homeowner, feeling safe in one’s neighborhood is essential. A Safety Committee helps keep the community more secure through organizing a neighborhood watch, conducting nighttime patrols, and installing lights in critical areas. The Safety Committee also works with local law enforcement by sharing crime prevention information and educating residents on reacting to an emergency.

7) Budget and Finance Committee

While a budget committee includes homeowners, it should also have the HOA president and community manager and be run by the treasurer of the HOA. Together, the Budget Committee creates and implements a budget to meet the association’s goals within the set timeline. The committee also manages HOA funds and investments, oversees monthly expenses, handles finances, and schedules audits. They may also compile financial reports for review by HOA members.

8) Contract Review Committee

Handling landscapers, contractors, trash and snow removal, and others services mean dealing with outside vendors. After a while, this can get complicated as the HOA covers more services. A Contract Review Committee reviews and assesses vendor contracts, so the HOA is confident they’re getting the best value for the services they are paying for. The Contract Review Committee is also responsible for conducting annual reviews of vendors analyzing performance and costs.

How To Set Up HOA Committees

It’s always preferable to only set up committees that the community needs. This gives each committee a purpose and structure. When setting up your HOA’s committees, consider these essential points:

1. Check your HOA’s governing documents. Your governing documents probably already provide guidelines when setting up HOA committees. Make sure they are followed.
2. Create HOA committee charters. A charter clearly states the committee’s purpose, authority, decision-making responsibilities, and other operational details.
3. Determine a structure for each committee. Decide who on the committee will act as the chair who presides over meetings and sets up the committee’s agenda. A secretary should also be assigned to take and publish notes for each meeting and committee act.
4. Recruit committee members. You can’t have a committee without members. Talk to homeowners about getting involved in HOA committees to help make their community a better one.
5. Meetings—open or closed? Generally, most committees should hold open meetings in the name of transparency. However, for disciplinary committees or any committee involving confidential decisions, you may want to keep the discussions closed from all members. Check with your HOA’s legal team for their recommendations.

On Making Your Community Better

If you are looking for ways to improve managing your HOA community, give Henderson Association Management a call.

We can help you find the best answers to any questions about building a neighborhood you can be proud of. Contact us now!