The three most important factors when managing any residential property are communication , communication, communication. When ever we find major conflict between residents, Board members and property managers, after emergency meetings, secret meetings, petitions, tears and threats, a communication break down will be the concluded as a major part of the problem.

Listening is more than just waiting for your turn to speak. Often an irate home owner will instantly put a board or manager on the defense. The urge to strike back is natural. What must be remembered is the person yelling at you is extremely upset with something in the community, or the home in which they live, which has caused the anger. This person deserves to be heard, and not to be categorized and dealt with by a pre-rehearsed script, or sent to some holding tank to be dealt with at a less passionate time. As a Board member or property manager you must show that you care about their problem, and discover the key to their conflict before you commit to any action. Not understanding the actual problem and just reacting to the moment will only amplify frustrations and gossip throughout the community if it appears your approach to the problem is just a series of trials and errors until you get it right.

Community leaders are not expected to have all the answers. Many problems and conflicts are much more involved or simpler than conveyed. Actions, if needed , and the ramifications of the actions, must be thought out before promises and procedures are explained. Changing of minds and not understand the actual problem will only create conflicting information throughout the community with an impression of inadequacies with the management team.

Which leads us to the conclusion three months later, if communications would have been better from the start, the magnitude of the problem would be much smaller.