Template for Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

TEMPLATE FOR
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES

ASSOCIATION NAME:
DATE AND LOCATION:
CALLED TO ORDER AT:
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT:
    [LIST]
BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT:
   [LIST]

APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES
Motion to approve either as written or as amended.
Motion made by:
Seconded by:
Brief background, if necessary
This is where you would fill in the blanks as approved unanimously or 4-1 in favor etc.

TREASURER’S REPORT
Motion to approve as submitted or as amended
Motion made by:
Seconded by:
Brief background, if necessary
This is where you would fill in the blanks as approved unanimously or 4-1 in favor etc.

OLD BUSINESS:

1. MOTION TO___________________________

Motion made by:
Seconded by:
Brief background, if necessary
This is where you would fill in the blanks as approved unanimously or 4-1 in favor etc.

2. MOTION TO___________________________

Motion made by: Seconded by:
Brief background, if necessary
This is where you would fill in the blanks as approved unanimously or 4-1 in favor etc.

NEW BUSINESS:

1. MOTION TO___________________________

Motion made by: Seconded by:
Brief background, if necessary
This is where you would fill in the blanks as approved unanimously or 4-1 in favor etc.

2. MOTION TO___________________________

Motion made by: Seconded by:
Brief background, if necessary
This is where you would fill in the blanks as approved unanimously or 4-1 in favor etc.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

NEXT MEETING:

Motion to adjourn at _______
Motion made by:
Seconded by:
This is where you would fill in the blanks as approved unanimously or 4-1 in favor etc.


Respectfully submitted,


[Name], Secretary

A Guide to Taking Perfectly Proper Minutes

Author: Gurdon H. Buck
Publish Date: November/December 1987
Origin: Common Ground

Most attorneys who specialize in community association law find themselves being asked about the procedure and rules for taking minutes at meetings of the board or members of a community association. The following guide to minute taking addresses this issue.

To begin with, the worst basis for a set of good minutes is a bad meeting. If the president or chair does not follow parliamentary procedure, or understand the fundamentals of running a meeting, the resulting minutes will reflect the inevitable chaos. Minutes are the record of the official action of the assembly. Thus there must be a vote of the assembly to have any official action. If a meeting goes by without a vote being taken, that isn’t a meeting, but rather a random collection of people, “a fortuitous gathering of citizens.” It is also a waste of time. Such a gathering should generate no minutes, except to reflect the opening of the meeting and its adjournment.

As their name implies, minutes should be brief. Brevity, however, often requires more effort and thoughtfulness than does long-windedness.

As a minimum, the minutes should contain the following elements:

1. The exact corporate name of the association and the words “Minutes of the meeting of (name of body)”.  
2. The date and place of the meeting.
3. The location and time of the meeting.
4. The names of the persons present in an official capacity. If there is an open meeting, the non-voting audience need not be included. However, if the meeting is a membership meeting, a roll should be taken, and the number of persons or votes present should be announced, or at least a quorum announced, and entered into the minutes.
5. The resolutions, exactly as finally made, seconded, and passed. There is no reason to include the summary of the debate, the discussion, the side remarks, the various drafts, and revisions of the motions, who said what, or any discussion on any item. None of these is the official action of the assembly. The resolution appearing in the minutes should be as voted upon and passed. If there are reports, they should be accepted by resolution without adoption of recommendations, if in fact they are not adopted, and their text appended to the minutes.

• The resolution should have in it such background and introduction as the assembly has before it for discussion, and approval. Again, the remarks of individual members of the assembly need not be included in the minutes. Those remarks are not the action of the assembly, and can be used in a misleading manner in later interpretations of action of the assembly.
• In a well run meeting, the text of the motion will have been presented in writing before it is brought to action. If it is placed on the agenda for the meeting, or as a conclusion in a committee report, or as a written recommendation by the manager, it is more likely that the assembly will not stray from the issues at hand, and thus make a more reasoned decision, based on revisions and narrowly discussed amendments.
• In light of the above reasoning, the motion should be made before any discussion of the topic. No motion, no discussion. A discussion without a motion is not only officially “out of order,” but also creates chaos. A committee report can be made, ending in a motion, if action is required. If no action is required, there must still be a motion to accept the report without action.
• Minutes need to reflect correct parliamentary procedure. The group should not be discussing anything that is not properly “on the floor,” that is, presented in the form of a motion that the group can act upon.
• The worst examples of minute taking contain extraneous material.  Taking minutes is not the same thing as taking dictation.  The secretary’s notes are for the purpose of getting the wording of the motions exactly as passed.  If the secretary, or any member of the assembly, is uncertain about the wording of the motion, it should be re-read to the assembly before final passage.
• In a fast moving meeting, it may be worth your while to make a recording of the actions to assist the secretary in reproducing the wording of the various motions. The recording, ever, is not the recording of the action of the group. Neither are the secretary in notes. The action is only what the group actually approved.
• It is not necessary for the secretary to be a member of the board. Often a professional secretary, or assistant secretary is hired to take the minutes, or a clerk might be employed to take the minutes and submit them to the secretary for approval and execution. This frees the secretary to participate in the debate. If a secretary is also a director and expected to take part in the debate, it is doing a great disservice to the elected position of the officer to saddle him or her with the job of taking minutes. In a community association, it is sometimes the manager or other employee who records the minutes of the meeting.
• A motion is the agreed upon solution to a problem. The actual direction for action by an assembly should start with the word resolved, which is the resolution of the problem stated in the background statement and discussed in the debate. Thus, a motion that has passed is properly described as a “resolution.”

6. The vote. If the vote is “without objection,” the fastest method of passing routine motions, it should be so stated in the minutes. If the vote is by voice, only the ruling of the chair need be noted, that is “the motion passed.” If a member of the assembly successfully moves to divide the assembly by standing, a show of hands, or a paper ballot, the count should be recorded. In a small assembly, it is proper to show the names of those voting in favor, abstaining and in opposition to a resolution.  Because of the fiduciary status of the board of a community association, it is advisable to list those voting with respect to all action motion. It is especially important to list those dissenting, so that they are not responsible for the consequences of an action with which they disagree.

7. The signature of the secretary, preceded by the word submitted. The minutes are not official until they are approved by the assembly at a subsequent meeting. Once approved, they are the official action of the assembly, no matter what actually occurred. Thus, by approving the minutes with a differing statement of a resolution, an assembly can effectively change its mind.

8. Inclusion in the corporate record book. The maintenance of the official records of the corporation is the principal function of the secretary. The minute book is the principal record of the corporation. The records should be on good paper, in an official notebook, which should be turned over to the succeeding secretary upon appointment or election to office.

• Minutes are the sole, official reflection of the acts of the association.  Without them, an association cannot, and has not acted.  Sloppy minutes, that merely reflect the voices and words of the assembly, without putting down its actions, do not support any action.

Gurdon H. Buck is secretary to the Connecticut Chapter of CAI, and is secretary to the CAI Research Foundation. He is a former CAI National Trustee, and was organizer of the Connecticut Chapter of CAI.  Buck is an author of many books and articles on community associations, is a newspaper columnist, and has appeared in many panels.  He is an attorney, practicing community associations law in Hartford, Connecticut and was the winner of CAI’s Byron Hanke Award in 1987.

© COPYRIGHT COMMUNITY ASSOCIATIONS INSTITUTE

The Role of the Secretary

Our first meeting in 2012 was heavily attended with more than 40 people interested to learn more about The Role of the Secretary.

In associations -- which are usually some type of corporation (or may be unincorporated) -- a secretary is a board position with separate responsibilities, different from other board members' responsibilities, but just what are they?

The Washington State law for associations isn't clear, nor are many governing documents clear about what these duties and responsibilities are. As a result, we can look to the state corporate laws to define the secretary's role.

Essentially the role of board secretaries covers paperwork, based on recording and keeping minutes, corresponding the board's communications among board members and to the membership, and finally filing, storing and retrieving the association's documents and records. Often association managers support secretaries in many of these duties, and each association must determine the efficacy of delegating these tasks or performing them in-house.

(A regular review of this checklist can help spot duplicate efforts and holes in these processes.)

BOARD MEETING MINUTES

Since this may be the most visible role, it's up to each secretary to fully understand what's required to be documented in meeting minutes, and who can read them, and when. Board meeting minutes document the actions of the board taken in their position of power, based on being elected by people (owners) who trust the board members. (This is a different scenario from publishing a newsletter about the goings and comings within the community.)

Board meeting minutes begin with an agenda. The secretary works with the president to formalize the agenda, which the secretary publishes to the board and to the membership within the proscribed time period, based on the type of board meeting being called. Your governing documents are specific about the length of time and type of notice required for each kind of board meeting.

Finalizing the drafts, sending them for review and suggested edits by board members, and publishing them in draft or unapproved form all take place soon after the board meeting. When board meeting minutes are finally approved -- usually at the next board meeting -- they are published as 'approved' or final minutes and become the permanent, legal record of the actions taken by the board on behalf of the corporation and its members.

You can read more in this booklet, published by Communications Association Institute, The Board Secretary: Roles and Responsibilities in Community Associations.

A few caveats about board meeting minutes:

• Less is more: beware of too much detail
• Recording meetings is not a good idea, since these recordings can be subpoenaed, and transcription can be expensive
• Minutes document board actions: they are not written to educate members (newsletters can educate)
• Minutes are used by courts, because they are legal documents -- a history of the association's business
• When directors descent, it's a good idea to note vocal disagreements.

A few tips for board meeting minutes:

• Include minimal financial details in minutes
• Document all withdrawals from reserves and include the repayment plan
• Require that committees prepare written reports for the board packets, and attach the reports to the minutes when archived -- don't publish committee reports to members.

FIDUCIARY DUTIES OF ALL DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

Board members operate with the trust of owners. Board members hold the power to act on behalf of owners. Honouring this trust is key for any director or officer in board work.

There are several phrases that define ways in which board members can regard this fiduciary duty, and they are written within Washington State Law.

• The Condominium Act (RCW 64.34.308) defines 'ordinary and reasonable care' as a guideline for officers.
• The Non-profit Corporation Act (RCW 24.03.127) defines that officer's work be for the 'benefit of the corporation'.
• The Miscellaneous Corporation Act (RCW 24.06) uses the 'business judgement rule' as a guideline for officer's efforts.

It is imperative that all officers wear the 'hat of the association' when doing board work, and remove their 'personal interest hat' so as to benefit all the owners who have invested their trust in board members.

DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS INSURANCE
Include this coverage in your master policy -- it provides automatic indemnity for board members.


See other posts on this blog for A Guide to Taking Perfectly Proper Minutes and a Template for Board of Directors Meeting Minutes.

Whatcom County Condominium Owners Forum

The Whatcom County Condominium Owners Forum meets monthly, on the first Tuesday evening. We cover topics that are useful to discuss among owners, and in fact, during November and December 2011, realized that we are essentially a 'self-help' group for owners in associations with shared ownership of real estate assets.

Amazing. Real estate owners in need of self-help. True.

With rogue developers/ rogue owners/ rogue board members -- all who apparently operate according to their own guidelines regardless of Washington State law or the 'rules' written for the community's democracy in governing documents -- owners need ways to use their combined ownership power to bring communities back to true.

Beginning in January 2012, we're inviting professionals to join our discussions so we can focus on topics of interest. In the first quarter of 2012, we'll focus on the roles of each board member, beginning with the secretary.

Watch this space for updates covering our discussions.

Empowered Owners: The Barking Dog Story

This is a short story about an owner whose neighbor rents out the unit next door, barking dogs, pro-active and appropriate action to minimize noise and a happy ending for all.

--- 0 ---

The owners M&M, work from their unit, and enjoy the convenience of this work/ live arrangement.

Their neighbor, RM, owns the condominium only as an investment. It is the most expensive unit in the building, and the rent tops US$5,000 per month. The unit is never empty long.

Two tenants ago, M&M were distressed to discover a consistently barking dog, who called for its owners about every 30 seconds or so when the dog was alone, and who had taken up occupancy of the elegant unit next door. M&M spoke to the tenant-neighbor, who promised to 'get a bark' collar for the dog. The peace lasted about a week, then started up again.

In a chance encounter, the tenant-neighbor explained to M that 'the dog became so depressed, we had to take the collar off.'

M&M worked with their board to devise an appropriate and civil process to eliminate the unwanted and disruptive noise. They developed a personal note for M&M to use, that advised the tenant-neighbor about the barking dog and how the noise disrupted both their work and their lives. (Personal attempts to remedy the differences.)

After the first day of slipping the note under the neighbor's door with no response, they slipped another note under the door, labeling it '#2'. Again, no response and continued barking. Thereafter and daily, M&M slipped notes #3 and #4 under the door, again with no response.

The next step was for M&M to document their personal efforts to mitigate the noise with their neighbor, with no resolution, and to request that the board notify the owner in writing, and include the fine schedule in place for noise violations. (Official board action taken after personal attempts fail.)

The letter to the owner produced zero results in barking reduction, but it did serve to begin building the fine amounts for the noise violation. After a period, the owner contacted the tenants and attempted to extract payment from them for the fines, which had accumulated. The tenants refused and moved out.

Before long, another small-barking-dog-loving tenant moved in, and on the first day as the barking began, M&M greeted the new tenants and spoke up about their concerns regarding the barking noise. The tenant agreed that it was unacceptable, and that their dog would calm down soon.

The next day, after the new tenant-neighbors left the dog alone, it began to bark. M&M went to work immediately, and notified the neighbor using note #1. Daily for the next three days -- with no reduction in the noise or response from them -- notes #2, ... and so forth were slipped under the neighbor's door.

A board letter went out again to the owner, who contacted the tenants immediately and asked them to pay the fine and silence the dog.

Wind-up: The second dog has been adopted by the owner; the new tenant-neighbors have visitation rights with the dog; M&M enjoy the peace and quiet of their unit.

Empowered owners who understand their governing documents and work pro-actively and cooperatively with the board to guard their private enjoyment, provide us a great example for how to maintain civility and quiet harmony in a condominium community.

Changing/ Starting Out With Condominium Association Managers

Once Upon a Time...

"All your condominium documents are in a box -- somewhere. Someone passes the box to another person. The box ends up somewhere else.

"Everything gets taken care of. Everybody lives happily ever after."

The End.

__________________________________________________

Funny you should ask. Too many condominium owners and board members believe that story of what happens to the business of condominiums; that the association managers fix/ repair/ adjust/ moderate/ mediate/ pay/ collect and so forth, and pay themselves out of your assessments. All based on the contents of a box of documents.

Start With The Board

Finding or changing a condominium association manager takes several steps and the board takes the first step.

A board must decide exactly what requires managing. This means that in line with its legal duties to maintain, preserve and protect the real estate assets owned in common, the board must lead, plan, and execute its tasks according to the work that needs to be done.

Board members are most valuable to the association when they are knowledgeable, involved and know how to take action. Business expertise is especially valuable, since that experience offers patterns that boards can follow when establishing process, procedures and policies. Condominium board experience is also valuable, because service on a board helps members understand how to balance the business issues with the community issues. This balance, often, is our greatest challenge.

The age of the association is also a consideration. A twenty-five year old association where the same six or seven people serve as board members faces a different set of requirements for an association manager from an association still within or fresh out of the declarant control period. Most associations exist with ages in between.

No two condominium associations are exactly the same. Every association is unique in its locale, construction, amenities, community make-up, and governing documents.

It can be a challenge to 'get the right people on the bus' and 'get the right people off the bus'. Volunteer boards are made up of owners, some with agendas, some with no experience, agenda or investment in the work.

Before choosing a condominium association manager, it is imperative that a board understand its unique set of skills, tasks and budget. Once these resources are identified, the board can begin a search for a condominium association manager.

Seek Candidates with Condominium Expertise, Experience and Competency

In Whatcom County, a board can find many property managers with experience managing real estate. This means they know how to order services -- municipal and aesthetic -- and pay bills. They might understand that the source of condominium funds is owners who pay 'dues', 'fees', and occasionally, they use the proper term: 'assessments'. They can send you a monthly balance sheet showing how they spent your assessments against your budget. They can add a line item that includes reserves and reserves contributions. In my experience, none understand condominium finances. Or preventative maintenance. Or construction defects. Or community affairs. Or condominium law. Or governing documents. Or especially the business of managing an association which is a corporation.

Real estate property managers make money managing apartments, homes, and commercial properties. Unless these managers have educated themselves about condominiums and condominium association management, they cannot effectively partner with you as a condominium board.

My thirteen-year condominium experience lessons -- nine in Washington State -- include the mandate that a condominium association manager must be affiliated, certified and educated by the nation's industry-standard organization, Community Association Institute (CAI), with headquarters in Virginia and a chapter in Washington State.

CAI establishes best practices which effectively set the bar in several function-specific areas. For example, you can find (free) best practice reports on community harmony and spirit, community security, energy efficiency, financial operations, governance, green communities, reserve studies/management, strategic planning and transition on their Web site.

http://www.cairf.org/research/best_practices.aspx

When a board reads best practice reports in order to educate themselves, then finds condominium association managers who can support these practices, the board has a high chance of success in their volunteer efforts, because you're both working on the same page.

Check References

From Better Business Bureau listings to other condominium boards with experience dealing with candidates, complete this step and share the results with the whole board. Be exhaustive.

Request a Proposal

Craft your informal RFP in such a way so that you cover your board's weaknesses and support your strengths. Give candidates a thumbnail sketch of the association, including such details as age and phase and number of units -- retail and residential, and type of corporation. At least categorize your requirements and cover business, governance, community and online services that you require.

Interview Candidates

When you choose a candidate, review the proposed contract. In fact, read it carefully, and compare your list of tasks to the terms of the agreement. This exercise affords you two benefits. You can:

Set expectations, so you can avoid surprises during the contract term.

Use the comparison as a basis for the interview you conduct with the candidate.

Tip: If you want to cherry-pick services, find a candidate that offers cherry-picking options. There is a wide chasm between full service and limited service.

Starting Out With a (New) Condominium Association Manager

A board's initial step here is to sit down with the departing management agent who knows the most about its association, and conduct an exit interview. During this session the board must understand:

• Any incomplete or pending projects and their status
• All footnote-level explanations of extraordinary entries in the financial statements
• Any outstanding community issues or pending resolutions
• All issues involving reserve studies, maintenance situations, insurance issues and so forth

Armed with this level of detail, then the board is ready to open a dialog with a new condominium association manager.

Sit Down with a (New) Condominium Association Manager

The first order of business is to agree on whatever process is necessary for both the board and the condominium association manager to set expectations for each other's participation and performance in this new partnership.

Caveat to the board: Throughout this process, listen to the ideas and suggestions of a new condominium association manager, because there could be tips, tricks and processes that can support, eliminate or reduce board work.

Based on the services you agree will be performed by the new association manager, you'll want to discuss at least these issues with them. Make a list and pass the list along to them, so there is no question about what you require.

Business

Verify, if it has not been verified before, that the copies of governing documents the board uses to manage the business of the association are valid, filed, current, and complete. Pass along a copy of this set to the new condominium association manager.

Understand what parts of the (non-profit) corporation law are currently employed by your board, and what aspects are available that might be useful.

Review financial details, including the finance chart of accounts, to insure that categories for your budget fit within the bookkeeping paradigm of the new manager. If you separate water use from sewer rates, and require special accounting attention otherwise, review these details with the new bookkeeping staff.

Establish expectations for the frequency and timing of all financial reporting, the by-when date each month when the previous month's financials will be delivered. Discuss the treasurer's review process and clarify any correction process, so errors can be correctly in a timely manner.

Establish banking venues, so that they mesh with expectations of the association.

Remove ex-managers' signatures from bank accounts and organize obtaining appropriate signature cards for the new association manager's authorized signatures on your operating accounts. (You may even be forced to close accounts and open new ones.)

Establish dates for the association's license renewal with the Secretary of State, the due date for your tax returns, business license renewals, if any, audit, reserve study update, budget planning cycle, and so forth.

Understand what the condominium management's administrative expenses will be that cover document storage, banking fees, copier and scanner fees, envelopes, postage, and so forth. Require detailed invoices for every penny charged to the association under the category of administrative expenses.

Craft letters to the membership announcing the management change, indicating processes required to alter auto-assessment deductions, new mailing addresses for assessment payments, adjustments in handy-man maintenance coverage/ processes/ forms, and other operational adjustments necessary based on the new management arrangement.

Inform the new manager of the strategic plan for the coming year, so as to enroll the manager in supporting the planned efforts of the board.

Share contracts that bind the association including landscape, preventative maintenance and so forth.

Discuss the informal 'RFP' process for gathering bids for services in the next year, and how the process is completed before the draft budget during the fourth quarter.

Review the insurance coverage for the association's assets and the current status of HO-6 policies carried by owners. Establish guidelines for proof of insurance, sharing master policy details and so forth.

Review preventative maintenance schedules, tasks, staff and so forth.

Governance

Engage the services of an independent attorney to serve the operational needs of the association, such as drafting or modifying collection resolutions, fine schedules and enforcement procedures. Always use an attorney to file liens, handle owner's bankruptcy issues, craft amendments and so forth.

Gain agreement that the agent assigned to your condominium has read or will read all your governing documents. These include CC&Rs, By-Laws, Resolutions, Amendments, Minutes and for new developments, the developer's Public Offering Statement.

Verify that the agent assigned to your condominium knows how to remain current on changes to Washington State law governing condominiums -- and understands its basics, and if appropriate, state construction defect law, and state non-profit law.

Review any special resolutions and amendments, so the new manager understands and can aid and guide the board in enforcing governing documents.

Review the look, feel and usefulness of the assessment coupon book that will be sent to owners.

Craft the auto-deduction letter to owners, so they can follow instructions and pay assessments automatically, if desired.

Review the due date for assessments, and establish the date upon which late fees are chargeable.

Draft a collection letter to collect unpaid assessments, and follow the governing documents where this process is outlined. Draft subsequent letters that the collection process might require.

Craft a violations letter for notifying owners of violations, and follow the governing documents where this process is outlined.

Establish a hearing process, so owners can petition the board for a hearing based on a violation.

Establish a hearing board, made up of owners and at least one board member.

Document the recusal process where a board member can avoid a conflict of interest in a hearing by appointing a substitute board member when necessary.

Verify that the management company can produce resale certificates, which are required when units change ownership. These certificates must be accurate, complete and include whatever new requirements are imposed by state law in a timely fashion.

Verify that the management company can authenticate current ownership records, so the board and the management company understands the authenticity of every unit owner.

Gain agreement about how to establish and keep current, a list of tenants and residents in the community.

Share the schedule for the annual meeting, the budget process, the budget approval process, note-taking at board meetings, board minutes' publishing schedule, owner notification standards and so forth.

Community

Educate the managing agent about contact parameters for owners, tenants and the developer, if appropriate. A community telephone book or online contact sheet is ideal.

Discuss any community newsletters, online broadcast communications and so forth, in order to maintain the branded tone of board communications.

Review operational procedures including recycle guidelines, sprinkler schedules, landscape standards, window washing, snow removal requirements and so forth.

Share the contents of welcome packets, including additional or separate materials to be made available to either tenants or new owners.

Discuss town hall meetings where occupants -- strong suggestion that you include tenants -- can express their concerns, ideas, thoughts, considerations and so forth. Include the frequency, action methods, agendas, etc.

Review updates and upgrades to community communication that the new association manager may offer.

Online

Understand the online options offered by the new association manager, including items in all three areas above.

At a minimum, look for opportunities to save member assessment dollars, management fees, and everybody's time.

Preventative Maintenance

Behind fiscal responsibility, this is the task wise condominium boards want most from management companies.

RCW 64.34.328 Upkeep of Condominium states:

"...the association is responsible for maintenance, repair, and replacement of the common elements, including the limited common elements,..."

Regardless of the size of your community, there are basic documents you'll want in order to determine the tasks involved in a comprehensive preventative maintenance (PM) program.

This is a partial list -- yours might be longer:

• Site plans
• Site specifications
• Architectural drawings and specifications
• Building plans and specifications
• Envelope studies (or other checklists) required and filed with local government permits
• Certificate of Occupancy and attendant documents
• Public Offering Statement (from the developer), which should include a preliminary list

This is the time to develop a comprehensive glossary, so that anyone who uses the lists or the logs knows exactly what's being referenced. In addition, a glossary can aid a poster in constructing accurate logs.

Completing the task of understanding these documents is not for the faint of heart or the impatient. However, when complete, a significant institutional knowledge base can be passed along to the association which will become a truly valuable asset.

(Most property management companies inherit existing lists when they take over managing existing condominiums. An excellent management company will complete homework, as above, and bring experience to a new property and thereby be able to fine tune, update and otherwise adjust the preventative maintenance list.)

Newly constructed communities must develop these lists. Ideally, as part of the developer's responsibility, the developer will assist in crafting the PM list, making all construction details available to the new board. (Note: We don't live in an ideal world, so ask and keep asking for the data you need.)

Once you've constructed a list, it's a good idea to request that owners take note of items in need of repair that are observable by occupants of a unit. For example, the top-floor owners may experience roof leaks first. First floor owners may detect water intrusion from inefficient rain gutters first.

When you hire a PM vendor, walk the property with the regular maintenance person. That person may have additional experience that can help a community repair and maintain its assets, by paying attention to elements that are not listed, but of which this person is knowledgeable.

Once the PM tasks are complete, log them in a calendar. Using a calendar to document work helps future vendors and boards schedule and perform regular work. These records are useful during budget periods.

You may also want to keep a detailed list of PM tasks completed by unit. For example, if/when you check/ replace hoses and plumbing connections, clean dryer vents, check hot water heaters, fire/ smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, you can list these tasks -- whether completed or not completed, by unit number.

You can keep the detailed list in a spreadsheet-type log, listing the tasks as row labels and the dates as the column labels. (We keep a master list for all common elements and page lists for each building address, where we list unit numbers as row labels and events or months as column labels.)

Key to keeping logs will be how people might want to access the log data in future. A board member must be involved in PM at the detail level, as a matter of responsibility.

Preventative maintenance is a moving target, so expect to tune and update your tasks and logs over time.