Our Clients Ask Us: Owner Input On Hiring Contractors

Q: We would like to hire a new property manager for our Association. We informed the owners of our intention at our last membership meeting, and several members insisted that the candidates to be the property manager make presentations to the membership. Later, an owner insisted that the owners vote on whom to hire. Are we required to allow all owners to vote?

ANSWER: Probably Not. The decision to hire a property manager is a board decision, and a board decision only. One might imagine the difficulty of day-to-day business if every single member of the Association had a say in which contractors to hire. Allowing the members to vote on which property manager to hire would likely open “Pandora’s Box.” Keep in mind that the membership elected you, as a Board member, to make decisions on behalf of the Association. And this is a Board Decision. The best method might be to interview a handful of property managers, and have either the top 2 choices or the top choice be available to the membership one evening for a question and answer session. This way, the Board can weigh the specific concerns of the owners against the manner in which the hired property manager might address said concerns, and use it as a factor in the Board decision. But beforehand, make it clear that the owners do NOT get a vote, and that the final decision to hire a certain property manager will be made by the Board alone.

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