Your Community Association Manager Has a Job. How Can You Help Them Succeed?

Managing a community association isn’t simple. Between balancing budgets, coordinating vendors, and responding to homeowner questions, a professional Community Association Manager (CAM) handles a wide range of responsibilities that keep your neighborhood running smoothly.

But even the most experienced property managers rely on collaboration from the Board of Directors and homeowners to truly succeed. Understanding what your manager does—and doesn’t do—can make all the difference in how effectively your community operates.

This is especially important if your association has recently switched to a new Community Association Manager or Community Association Management company.

Common Responsibilities of a Professional Community Association Manager

Your community manager’s primary role is to support the Board and protect the association’s long-term health. While every association is unique, these are the most common and essential responsibilities a professional manager performs:

• Coordinates Vendors and Maintenance Work
  Your manager schedules and oversees vendors for landscaping, pool service, maintenance repairs, and other community needs. They also coordinate bids and proposals, ensuring your association receives competitive pricing and quality service.
  

• Tracks Work Orders and Project Progress
  A good manager maintains a record of all work orders—tracking progress, confirming completion, and verifying vendor payments. This ensures accountability and consistency in maintaining your community’s standards.
  

• Executes the Annual Management Plan
  Professional managers develop and follow an annual management plan, aligning with the Board’s priorities for the year. This roadmap helps maintain structure, efficiency, and proactive oversight throughout the year.
  

• Advises the Board When Legal Assistance Is Needed
  While managers aren’t attorneys, they are often the first to recognize when legal input may be necessary. They act as a liaison between the Board and legal counsel, ensuring clear communication and documentation.
  

• Acts as a Bridge Between the Board and Key Partners
  In addition to legal professionals, your manager communicates with CPAs, insurance providers, and other professional partners on behalf of the Board. This coordination keeps financials accurate, coverage adequate, and operations compliant.
  

• Facilitates Communication Between Homeowners and the Board
  Perhaps one of the most visible roles of a CAM is managing communication. From homeowner questions and concerns to community-wide notices, the manager ensures messages are timely, professional, and aligned with Board direction.
  

• Oversees Financial Management
  Professional managers support the association’s financial stability through:

• Budgeting for upcoming expenses

• Collecting assessments and pursuing delinquencies when needed

• Processing vendor payments

• Preparing monthly financial reports for Board review

By staying on top of these financial details, managers help maintain the association’s fiscal health and transparency.

• Carries Out Delegated Duties
  Your manager operates within the authority granted by the Board, carrying out delegated tasks efficiently and professionally. Their goal is to make the Board’s vision for the community a reality—within the boundaries of policy, budget, and law.

What a Community Association Manager Should Not Be Expected to Do

While your manager wears many hats, there are clear limits to their role. Expecting too much—or assigning duties outside their professional scope—can lead to confusion, liability, or burnout.

Here’s what a CAM should not be expected or required to do:

• Perform duties assigned to the Board or officers by the governing documents. The Board retains authority over certain decisions that cannot be delegated.

• Waive or negotiate community rules without documented, Board-approved reasons.

• Oversee or perform annual audits, which must be handled by a qualified CPA.

• Hire or fire contractors without written Board direction.

• File liens or initiate legal action against homeowners without explicit Board authorization.

• Provide legal, accounting, or insurance advice outside their professional expertise.

• Serve as a full project manager for capital improvement projects unless contracted separately.

• Tolerate disrespectful or aggressive behavior from homeowners or Board members. Civility and professionalism are essential for effective collaboration.

How You Can Help Your Manager Succeed

The most successful communities are built on mutual respect and teamwork between the Board, homeowners, and management company. Here’s how you can support your manager’s work:

• Communicate clearly and courteously. Direct questions or concerns through the appropriate channels rather than bypassing procedures.

• Follow established rules and processes. Managers enforce community standards fairly and consistently—they don’t make the rules, but they help ensure they’re followed.

• Empower your manager with direction and feedback. When the Board provides clear priorities and supports decisions, the manager can execute efficiently.

• Respect professional boundaries. Trust your manager to handle operations while the Board focuses on governance and long-term strategy.
  

The Bottom Line

Your community manager is your association’s front line of professionalism, organization, and problem-solving. By understanding their responsibilities—and the limits of their authority—you can help create a partnership that benefits everyone in your community.

When Boards and homeowners work with their property manager instead of around them, the result is a stronger, more cohesive, and better-run association.