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Generally, a Community Association Manager does not take more than a week off at a time, but sometimes something happens that necessitates taking more time than usual; military duty, illness, surgery and sometimes even your continuing education. When you have to be out for an extended amount of time, who do you have that you can call upon to take care of your properties? Managers are typically very dedicated to their properties and, as such, are very busy. Your first task is to be prepared for the unexpected by establishing who you would ask. Did you have an assistant who worked with you on the association that has since been promoted to manager? Was there a prior manager who was given other properties that used to manage this property (be sure that the Board did not ask to have this manager removed)? These may be good candidates to ask. Is there a manager that you particularly admire for their work ethic?
Once you have “bribed and cajoled” your friend into helping out, you need to inform your Boards. Do this as soon as possible! You do not want to let them know the day before. You also need to introduce them to the person who will be taking your place. If you have a meeting scheduled for other purposes, this is the perfect opportunity to do this. Let the Board ask any questions of this person they feel necessary. Remember, you are trying to make sure the board is comfortable with this person while you are away.
Do you need to complete any projects before you go on leave? If they cannot be completed, be sure to leave specific instructions for your replacement to review. Will your replacement do your community inspections while you are out? Is there anything special that the manager will need to know about each property? You may want to take the person to the property and let them see if there is anything that is unique to it? Does the community's board handle most issues themselves or are you expected to “just fix it”? Will the manager need to attend any meetings for you or will the Board meet without you and take minutes. The Board members may want to postpone the meeting until you return. Will you be available for any questions that arise or are you not available at all? Is the community gated? Does someone in the community maintain the gates or is it done by a gate company or even the management company?
Financial aspects – is there anything that may be a little different about this association, are there any large payments the board may need to sign off on? Who would the key person be for this? Sometimes it is the Board President and sometimes it is the Treasurer. Have you provided the budget and general ledger codes for the substitute manager to code payables?
While these are not all of the questions and issues to think about, it will give you an idea of some of the items that need to be addressed. If done properly, you may be able to return after taking leave to a well organized desk and a routine work load. What peace of mind! It just takes a little pre-planning.
Cathy Jo Williams, CMCA®, AMS®, PCAM®
ProComm Association Management
San Antonio, TX
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