What is the right board size for your HOA?

Q: We are a small HOA with about 60 units. Our bylaws call for a five-person board. We are having trouble getting residents to run for the board. Since we have about 30 active residents, what are the pros and cons of reducing the size of our board to three? This still represents 5 percent of our residents. We are a pretty simple HOA with no common areas or amenities.—R.E., San Diego

A: As you know, your HOA bylaws specify the size of your board, so any change in board size would require a membership vote. In choosing board size, there are several considerations. Does the HOA have a lot of things going on? A very busy or complicated HOA with multiple active committees might need more directors to share the workload. Larger HOAs often have larger boards, but there is a point at which boards can become too large for an association, even ones of the largest size. There are some very large HOAs with boards as large as 11, and those often struggle with over-deliberation and unproductive volunteers filling seats. I think more than nine directors is too large. Boards should be sized for the unique aspects of each community but also with an eye toward the difficulty in obtaining volunteers.

A board of three or five could be just right for your HOA of around 60 members, but it depends upon what best suits your HOA.

Q: Please shine some light on the different education options out there for board members and owners alike. The Community Associations Institute offers courses, the Executive Council of Home Owners offers educational seminars. Which of these courses bring the most benefit to owners and board members?—G.H., San Diego

A: The Community Associations Institute —CAI — is an international organization that educates managers, homeowner leaders and service providers. California’s eight CAI chapters have many courses ranging from a three-hour basic board education course to multiple evening or all-day programs such as leadership training. CAI’s headquarters also have many online courses, which can be accessed at www.caionline.org.  They also have a news and resources page at www.hoaresources.com. An excellent introductory course from the headquarters is the Board Leader Development Workshop.

The Executive Council of Home Owners, or ECHO, is primarily active in Northern California and periodically offers live and online education. For information visit www.echo-ca.org. Their “ECHO HOA University” is a series of about 11 one-hour HOA board education classes and is reasonably priced.

HOA governance in California is increasingly complicated and HOA directors and board candidates should become educated to reduce learning by trial and error. CAI’s Nevada and Illinois chapters created a designation called the Dedicated Community Association Leader, involving over 30 hours of coursework and other activities and is growing particularly in Nevada. I hope that California chapters follow suit and offer the same type of program, providing homeowners with confidence in board candidates or incumbents who have expended the time and energy to attain such credentials.

Maybe one day California will require some minimum education to govern an HOA, but right now it’s strictly optional.

Richardson, Esq. is a fellow of the College of Community Association Lawyers and partner of Richardson Ober LLP, a California law firm known for community association advice. Submit column questions to kelly@roattorneys.com. Past columns at www.HOAHomefront.com.