Welcome Kits: The 9 Things Every Co-op and Condo Board Should Include

"I think it's a terrific idea," says Dennis J. Eisinger, a partner at the law firm Eisinger, Brown, Lewis & Frankel in Hollywood, Fla., who currently represents more than 500 condo and homeowners associations, "For several reasons it can only be beneficial to the community. Possibly the forefront is for getting volunteers. Also, [it helps] educate people up front who haven't lived in a community association before — many of whom come in and think they can do whatever they want and don't understand the concept…. Finally, it promotes a neighborly feeling."

Shouldn't new homeowners have received a copy of the association's governing documents before their purchase? Sure, but, explains Drewes, "[M]any in fact may have received an incomplete or outdated set, or they haven't read them. Those who have read them don't always fully realize the effects of the things they've read."

What Should Be in Your Kit?

Where to start in compiling your new-owner welcome kit? Here are things to consider including:

1.  Governing documents, including a complete set of your rules and regulations. "If they're posted online, provide a reference to where owners can find them online," says Eisinger. "Also include any rules that haven't been recorded and might not have been provided with the disclosure package."

2.  Forms. Include the forms owners need to comply with your association's registration requirements. "For example, under most bylaws, there's a requirement that people register to vote, to register their pet or their car and to provide license information," says Drewes. "They can do all those things, and you can make it easier for them to do that."

3.  Recent copies of newsletters and board meeting minutes. "It's a good idea to review the newsletters before you include them," says Drewes. "You hope your newsletters and statutory resale disclosures don't conflict or that there's nothing in the newsletters that you were supposed to give in the resale packages."

4.  Management company information. "We provide an introduction letter explaining who we are, the name and contact information of any onsite manager, who the onsite staff is, and a customer survey about the community and where new owners think improvement can be made," explains Robert White, managing director of KW Property Management & Consulting in Miami, which oversees about 135 associations totaling 30,000-35,000 units.

5.  Information regarding cable and Internet hookup. Provide contact information along with any rules regarding those services.

6.  Board and committee information. Provide a list of board members, along with the appropriate way to contact them. Do the same by listing committees and their chairs, says Eisinger, and encourage owners to volunteer to join a committee.

7.  A form asking for owners' contact information. "We also ask for all their contact information, where they want mail sent, their email address, and their phone numbers in the event of an emergency," says White. "Those things are also important because in a lot of secure buildings or gated communities, we need an ability to get hold of the person to say, 'Can we allow this visitor in?'"

8.  Monthly maintenance or common-charges payment information. Provide the basics, and educate shareholders / unit-owners on the ramifications of not paying. "Education on the penalties, late fees and attorneys' fees that will be imposed if owners don't pay [these fees] by a certain day of the month is important to impart," says Eisinger.

9.  Information on amenities. If you have a laundry room, gym, community room, theater or other amenity, provide information on its hours of operation and relevant rules.

How to Present the Kit

Don't miss an opportunity to present your new-owner kit in person. "We suggest boards present it in a way that's meant to be helpful for new owners," says Drewes. "The welcome packet is generally going to be well received, but you'll have better success if there's a person or people who provide it. Choose friendly people who are really good at relating to and meeting new people and who can give the appropriate sense of community and a friendly greeting. It takes a certain kind of personality."

Presenting it in person also allows your representative to ask in a non-threatening way for new owners' contact information, which they may be reluctant to provide on a form. "We like the idea of having people welcome new residents because it can be very useful down the road in collection activities if you can gather as much contact information as possible," says Drewes. "Get as much information as you can casually get." Couch those questions in terms of needing emergency contact information, such as Where can we reach you during the day if something happens? 'Is there a family member we can contact if something happens to you?

"You don't want to seem prying, or you'll have the opposite effect that you want," adds Drewes.
 

Matt Humphrey is president of the Alameda, California-based HOAleader.com, from which this article was adapted. A journalist and entrepreneur, he is a graduate of the Wharton School.