Wow! We have so much to share with you this month, are you ready? Aside from just the obligatory COVID-19 updates, (seen enough of those yet?), we are
celebrating new clients, staying connected, giving back, going green, employee milestones, medical breakthroughs and more!
Thank you for reading! Please feel free to share and/or give us your feedback.
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Welcome New Communities
Despite the challenges related to the pandemic, HMC is proud to announce the addition of two new communities to our Bay Area portfolio. Please join us in extending a very warm welcome to the following communities who recently made the switch to Team HMC:
Pleasant Hill - Wildflower Homeowners Association
Wisteria of Concord Homeowners Association
Thank you for selecting Homeowners Management Company as your managing agent and business partner. We look forward to working with you for many years to come.
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COVID-19 Update May 7, 2020
Homeowners Management Company is deemed an essential business during the pandemic. As such, we continue working remotely to serve our clients while doing our part to limit the spread of the Coronavirus and protect the health and safety of our team members and their families.
The latest revisions to state and local COVID-19 orders allow for some previously restricted activities like construction projects and landscape maintenance to resume. We know there are many projects that have been put on hold since mid-March and many folks are anxious to see these projects resume or get underway. Keep in mind that there may be delays in getting new projects started while businesses work to understand and implement new practices around health/safety and while our business partners work diligently to complete those projects already in progress. We appreciate your patience and understanding while we work with your service providers to prioritize and schedule the backlog of work in a responsible manner.
We'd like to say thank you to everyone, (HMC Team members, Board members, homeowners and our business partners), for embracing technology and adapting to the recent restrictions which have changed some of the ways we communicate, collaborate and deliver our collective services.
Our management team has been conducting virtual meetings with our HOA Boards of Directors and business partners. Team HMC comes together for a virtual staff meeting three times/week to stay connected, discuss how we should adapt to the evolving conditions and ensure we are continuing to provide the best possible service to our clients.
Where on-site visits to evaluate properties for compliance and maintenance issues have been paused due to SIP orders, we will work with those Boards of Directors to coordinate the resumption of those site visits as allowed, with social distancing practices and other appropriate considerations in mind.
We will continue to monitor and adapt our business practices to comply with the various public orders which continue to evolve from county, state and federal government. At this time, we anticipate returning to the office after the current local shelter in place order expires at the end of May. More than likely, we will need to adopt new workplace policies and adjust our practices around the concept of social distancing for the health and safety of our team members, clients and business partners.
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Do I Still Need to Pay My HOA Assessments?
It is important to remember that homeowners associations are small to medium-sized businesses, (corporations in most cases). Some are multi-million dollar corporations with major infrastructure and complex operations and others may have few amenities aside from a shared common area or wall. Regardless of the complexity of the association, all have some degree of daily operating expenses and certain legal obligations related to the care and maintenance of the "corporate assets" which are jointly owned by the members. Like any other business, the association must budget for expenses and then collect the necessary revenue (assessments) from its members to meet its ongoing financial obligations.
Thus, each homeowners association has a legal obligation to its membership to continue to collect the necessary revenue to support the ongoing operations and long term repair/replacement needs forecast by the association. If the revenue isn't collected, the expenses cannot be paid and the association is then forced to choose between borrowing funds or cutting costs. Cost cutting often comes in the form of eliminating non-essential services and deferring scheduled maintenance. Reducing or eliminating services will often impact quality of living, while deferring maintenance can ultimately lead to higher repair/replacement costs down the road.
What if I'm going to be late?
If you are at risk of falling behind on your HOA assessments it is imperative that you communicate with management as early as possible to understand your options and the association's process for handling delinquent accounts. For questions about billing or payment, please email
billing@hmcpm.com or call (925) 937-1011, and press 3.
Where to send payments:
Please send all HOA assessment payments to the P.O. Box found on your coupon or statement. Do not send or drop off payments to HMC's office. Payments received at HMC's office will be forwarded to the association's bank P.O. Box, which may result in your payment being posted late.
Other Resources:
HMC Connect association websites. If your association doesn't have one yet, let your Board or Manager know you're interested.
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Sanitary Laundry Practices
Whether it be any normal day or during this Shelter In Place while handling COVID-19, Team HMC would like to share some helpful information to help keep you and your community healthy when it comes to shared Laundry Room practices. Below you will find some of our healthy practice tips for doing laundry in a shared space, as well as the CDC's guidelines for handling and cleaning laundry that has come into contact with those infected by COVID-19.
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Be Sanitary & Thorough: Before & After -
Before touching anything make sure that you are sanitized and wearing a clean pair of gloves. Wipe down any surfaces, handles, knobs and any other commonly touched items before you use them. Repeat this process
Afteryou are all done using the appliances and surfaces. Dispose of your gloves and wash your hands with warm water and soup or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
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Separate Loads: If you or anyone else in your household is sick, be sure to keep those clothes in a separate collection of laundry. To aid in the sanitation of any infected clothing, try adding a bleaching agent (chlorine or oxygen-based) to your load of laundry.
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Use Heat: The CDC Guidelines recommend drying the fabric on the highest heat setting, if applicable, as well as washing with warm water, as to further aid in the sanitation of your clothing.
Thank you for taking these steps towards keeping yourself and your community healthy. We appreciate everyone's ability to come together during this stressful time.
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Please join us in celebrating Laura Ravazza's 5 Year Anniversary with Homeowners Management Company!!!
Laura has also recently been promoted to Director of Education & Marketing as she continues to show her dedication to the industry and her team.
Thank you, Laura, for all you do here at HMC!
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HMC Recognizes NF Awareness Month
Bring out your
BLUE
and
GREEN
because the month of May is NF Awareness Month! What is NF? "
Neurofibromatosis
(NF) causes tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body. The term NF represents three distinct disorders (NF1, NF2, & Schwannomatosis)" To learn more about the the three distinctions visit the
Children's Tumor Foundation
webpage
HERE
.
Until this past month, there has been no FDA approved treatment for NF. Great news came on April 10, 2020, with the announcement of the approval of Koselugo (selumetinib) for use in treatment for certain NF patients. Read more about the recent approval
HERE.
YOU can help Team HMC raise awareness for Neurofibromatosis (NF) in the month of May by posting this blog article to any of your social media pages. You can also educate yourself and others by sharing useful information found on Fact Sheets and Brochures
HERE.
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Helping Others Is A Great Way To Boost Your Own Spirits!
We know the pandemic is having a tremendous impact on the lives of so many and we are grateful to be able to continue to work with our dedicated and reliable business partners to serve the best interests of our HOA communities during these unprecedented times. Please continue to be kind to one another, practice social distancing to stay healthy, and use technology to keep connected to family and friends. Stay positive and we'll all get through this together.
Everyone here at Homeowners Management Company recognizes the support and dedication that our communities and business partners put forth in our combined effort to make a positive impact in so many lives on a day to day basis.
Thank you!
If you've been finding ways to give back to the community and/or help others in need during this difficult time, we'd love to hear your story! Please send us a note and help us share the positive things others are doing to keep our communities and connections strong.
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How To Stay Green With Team HMC
Although Earth Day is only once a year, you can still practice being
GREEN!
Wednesday, April 22, 2020 celebrated the 50th anniversary of
Earth Day! Earth Day is an important ecological and environmental awareness day that occurs every year on the 22nd of April and HMC is always proud to celebrate. We'd like to share some helpful tips that you can utilize from your own home in order to help grow towards a healthier world.
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Thermostat: In cooler months, you can save about 2% of your heating bill for each degree that you lower the thermostat. For example, lowering your thermostat's setting from 70 to 65 degrees, would save about 10%.
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The Importance of HMC Connect & COVID-19
HMC Connect is a personalized website/app for your specific association. During a state of emergency such as this one, HMC Connect allows your community to continue to work together, stay connected, and remain strong. We highly recommend you reach out to your manager about getting your association connected if you do not already have an HMC Connect website set up for your community.
Homeowners Management Company continues the successful roll-out of our latest service offering,
HMC Connect. HMC Connect is a customized website, private homeowner portal and mobile app solution all-in-one, which allows HOA members to keep informed and connected with their HOA community.
With a mobile app available for Android or iOS, HMC Connect allows homeowners to
access their account, make a payment online, find important community information, download forms online, place a service request with management and receive email, text and/or mobile app notifications when new information is posted to the site.
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Homeowners Management Company, LLC (HMC) provides full-service community association management services including
financial,
administrative, and
operational management solutions to homeowners associations (HOA's), mixed-use and commercial condo common interest developments (CID's) in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since 1989, our experienced Certified Community Association Managers have used a combination of industry
expertise and personal attention to enable residential and commercial property owners and their associations' Boards of Directors to confidently make the right decisions for their communities.
Visit our
website
to learn more about why HMC is the right choice for your homeowners association or common interest development.
Can't make it to our educational workshop? Do you have questions?
Contact us today (925) 937-1011 x101 | info@hmcpm.com
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