Ease the Process of Collecting Association Dues
Associations have financial responsibilities among others, and one of the main financial responsibilities they often encounter involves the collection of association dues. This process can often be grueling- but it doesn't always have to be. From the association's point of view, collecting these dues is absolutely necessary because they must meet their obligations to provide the maintenance and services that are a part of managing a community. Residents aren't always as cooperative as associations would like them to be, but there are steps you can take to make the process less daunting.
5 Steps to Collecting Association Dues
- Get clear on necessary dues: The first step when it comes to collecting dues is to ensure that you are clear on what types of dues you are collecting and that everyone who must pay the dues is also clear. Oftentimes, problems with collecting dues comes from misunderstandings- so make sure everyone is clear on what is owed and why.
- Put a process in place: In order to effectively collect dues, you need to have a process in place for doing it. When is the deadline for dues and how will they be collected? Your procedures need to include the penalties for noncompliance and you need to make sure that you stick to them. Everything becomes easier with a process in place- including collecting association dues.
- Communicate with residents: We say this often, but communication really is necessary when it comes to running an association, especially with collecting dues. If you're not being clear with what dues are required and when they are required by, your residents may miss deadlines, which could lead to problems for your association. Every association does things differently, so you shouldn't just expect that your residents know as much as you do when it comes to collecting association fees.
- Treat residents fairly: This one may seem obvious, but it's really important to treat all your residents fairly and equally. Be understanding with residents and they are much more likely to cooperate, which makes the collection of dues a much easier process. You don't want hard feelings to arise between management and residents, so treat residents fairly and equally to encourage cooperation.
- Take legal action as a last resort: No association or resident wants the process of collecting fees to end in legal action, but sometimes it must. Before taking this step, try suspending privileges or implementing late fees. Once all other options have been exercised, then take legal action when necessary.
Collecting association dues doesn't have to be something you dread as an association. With proper processes in place and effective communication, residents are more likely to cooperate which makes your job easier. Of course, there will always be some cases which require more attention than others, and sometimes the situation may result in legal action, but by using the tips above, you can ease the association fee collection process. Click here to learn more about collecting association dues.
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