Skip to main content

Is this why HOAs make headline news?

News media love controversy, when people are at odds with one another. That's why HOA residents battling their association generates headline news.

Outside sources often influence the content and tone of stories, where particularly compelling -- often critical -- commentary about an HOA by managers and residents of other associations is featured in TV and newspaper stories. Officials representing the HOA that's in the news may be quoted, but more often than not, the tone is set by outside sources.

This isn't unusual, it happens all the time in business. In news about a particular business firm, outside sources -- executives with competing firms, industry analysts or activists -- often play a major role in stories. They're quoted more extensively and their observations can significantly influence public opinion and brand image of the company that's at the heart of the story.

If businesses are having a tough time, what can HOAs do?

Anticipating potential issues can be helpful. This isn't always easy, but if you can see ahead to issues that might boil over, you'll know what you could be facing at some point. Evaluating possible issues may take a team effort involving board members, your property manager and perhaps an HOA attorney.

Looking ahead may help your HOA avoid problems, especially when you see things that might be addressed before they boil over.

And keep prepared statements in mind. Those general -- even innocuous -- statements described elsewhere in this site that say a little something in response to questions without saying more than can be said.

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.

Better than blurting??

In several posts, we've been talking about prepared statements...how they might sometimes help HOA boards deal with tough questions from homeowners and even -- heaven forbid! -- tough questions from the news media. We're often asked if prepared statements are nothing but PR spin. People sometimes cringe at the mention of spin. Actually, a prepared statement is measured words in a measured response. What's preferable? Measured words or words blurted out in the heat of the moment?

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...