Skip to main content

At HOAs, even prayers can stir controversy


Almost anything about a homeowners association can stir controversy. Even opening HOA meetings with a prayer, if homeowners who are not religious complain about being subjected to prayers.

A new booklet about HOA communication and PR features prepared statements -- measured words -- for responding to questions about hypothetical issues, including starting meetings with a prayer.

Some of the prepared statements in the booklet, At Least Some PR, are very general, even innocuous, for several reasons. Because often a general response to questions is all that can be said -- at least initially, particularly in response to questions involving complex, emotional issues.

Prepared statements can sometimes buy time when volunteers on the board need to figure out what to do. When they need to touch base with a property manager, legal counsel or someone else who might be able to help. Measured words may be preferable to an unfortunate choice of words said in the heat of the moment.

Prepared statements in the booklet focus on a number of hypothetical, potentially dicey situations, including:

  • Homeowners having excessive holiday decorations on homes
  • The unauthorized display of flags
  • Altering the design -- the architectural footprint -- of homes
  • Raising association dues
  • Vehicle charging stations
  • Drones
  • Guest parking restrictions
  • Favoritism
  • Disputes and altercations gone wild

The booklet boils down HOA communication and PR in a few pages that can be read quickly. The booklet's author retired from a career in corporate PR and crisis communication. He's served a number of years on a homeowners association board. His articles about public opinion and communication have been published in American Banker, Business Insider, PR media and regional newspapers.



At Least Some PR is available through Amazon Books.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Houston!! We have an issue!

Two dinosaur sculptures in the front yard of a home located in an HOA in the Houston area just made ABC 13 Eyewitness News. The homeowner said "she's been contacted (by the HOA) and asked what her plans were" for the dinosaurs, a T-Rex and a Velociraptor. The homeowner's "plans are directly tied to their plans," according to the TV-news story. "She says she is prepared to contest any request that they be removed. It's about creativity, not conformity." Here's the thing about media coverage of just about anything...of organizations like HOAs, business firms and all the rest. It's the question of whether or not -- to what extent -- media coverage might influence situations and outcomes. When organizations -- and their policies -- are in the news, will media coverage influence policy decisions? Keeping in mind, of course, the key role of governing documents in policies and procedures.

What Homeowner Associations Can Teach Governments About Spending

by Harvey Radin People in government should take field trips to well-run homeowner associations. To experience fiscal responsibility first hand. To see how elected leaders in some homeowner associations -- HOAs -- are actually spending public money prudently and efficiently. Like governments, homeowner associations collect money to fund a host of community needs. Homeowners residing in HOAs pay dues to their association. This is similar in a way to government taxation. So, if there are roads in an HOA property that are not city-maintained streets, a portion of the money homeowners pay in dues may be set aside for the upkeep of these roads. Governments use tax dollars for public parks maintenance. Homeowner associations have what's known as common areas, landscaped parcels of HOA property that are often maintained by the homeowner association. Some HOAs assume responsibility for roof maintenance on homes, and painting maintenance. Some have recreational facilities that are mai

Heaven or Hell?

( Editor's note: There's an article in a North Carolina newspaper, "My descent into HOA hell in North Carolina." And there's this article with a distinctly different message about HOAs.) Here's Why HOAs Are a Big Deal by Harvey Radin Would you believe that homeowner associations outnumber U.S. cities by a huge margin? There are more than 300,000 homeowner associations and only 35,000 U.S. cities and towns. HOAs also outnumber the giant retail store locations, fast food restaurants, megabank branches and coffee chain locations. The biggest fast food chains have 7,000-14,000 restaurant locations. Megabanks have 4,000-6,000 branches. The biggest coffee chains have up to 24,000 locations in the U.S. and other countries. Homeowner associations are a big deal. Not only because of the surprisingly large number of them, but also because many of them are multimillion-dollar properties. And many are managed and governed by volunteers, by homeowners who are e