I am speaking as a recent member of our Homeowners' Association (a new Owner as of 2023) who had…read morebeen renting previously for 30 years at the same address. I am also speaking as a serving member of the Board of Directors (joined in 2023). As an Owner and Board Member, I take credit for working to replace our previous management company with our current management company, Bayview Property Management.
Here is what we had before:
1. Hands-off management style, meaning they never came to our Property, preferring to handle issues from their offices using HOA Board members as free onsite superintendents.
2. Mostly indifferent, untrained property managers and office staff (reflecting the attitude of the management company's owner towards her clients, seen during 15 years with this company).
3. Poor service response to routine maintenance calls (see Items 1 and 2.)
4. Artificially low monthly maintenance assessments, leading to insufficient Reserve Funds to cover lifetime maintenance costs called out year after year in the annual Reserve Study. (see Item 5.)
5. Failure to maintain the property in compliance with the depreciations called out in the Reserve Study, resulting in decaying Common Areas and buildings, which created a large and costly amount of deferred maintenance. This included annually recurring damage from flooding of Unit garages during heavy winter rains that required the Association to empty its Reserve Fund and then replace those funds with an Emergency Maintenance Assessment. The problem emerged during their management but was not resolved by them. The problem was only resolved after they were removed and replaced.
The hands-off, minimalistic, low-budget management that we received only served to obscure the long, slow decline that occurred, and when difficulty eventually did emerge, we were not adequately funded to address it.
Here is what we have with Bayview Property Management:
1. Professional, communicative, and proactive Property Manager and Management team that accepted the challenges associated with our "distressed property"; and pledged to restore our Owner value through timely maintenance of the Property and proper funding the Association's reserve account. They succeeded brilliantly in securing contractor bids for rain gutters and fascia repairs that allowed the Board to approve timely repairs that have prevented any further flooding episodes. With that completed, Bayview is continuing to facilitate the restorations we still need.
2. Complete knowledge of legal statutes and regulations that govern the operation of Common Investment Development properties (CIDs).
3. Diligent adherence to regulations and codes for CIDs to ensure the Board of Directors can make informed, statutorily compliant decisions regarding the management of our Property.
4. Active, responsive, hands-on management approach, from ordinary Owner requests for maintenance, to gathering comprehensive vendor bids for long-neglected, major restorative projects that have become necessary for our Property's ongoing maintenance.
5. A continuing, enthusiastic commitment to restore our community to its full potential, returning it to its best possible condition, in aesthetic appearance and in market value.
I have seen the fantastic results that have been accomplished so far, and am thoroughly delighted by the promise of living in a fully renovated, properly funded, well-managed, and thriving community. With Bayview's help, I know we will achieve these goals. Thank you so much, Ninder, Linda, David, and everyone at Bayview!
