The community is growing, and there’s no excuse for not welcoming a new member of the community with joy and enthusiasm. While there’s no need to throw a welcome party, it will be great to have a complete and detailed condo welcome package you can give to the new members. Not only will this make them feel more welcome, but it will also be more convenient for them as they’ll have all the information they need in one welcome packet.
Complete Your Condo Welcome Package
Condo welcome packages help new residents get acquainted with their new place of living. It consists of everything they need to seamlessly integrate into the community. If you don’t have a condo welcome packet yet or want to update your current one, here are the most important things it should include:
1. Welcome Letter
Start with a letter from the condo association manager that welcomes the new member into your community. The content of the letter doesn’t have to change from resident to resident, though addressing the new member by their first name does add a personal touch to it.
Welcome letters help give new residents a sense of warmth and hospitality. It doesn’t have to be a long letter; a simple but positive one will suffice. You can also further explain what they can find in the condo association welcome package.
2. Governing Documents
New condo members should have a full set of your association’s governing documents. This includes the articles of incorporation, bylaws, CC&Rs, and rules and regulations. While condo associations typically go through these documents when new members first purchase their units, it’s a good idea to provide them copies once they move in. This is to make sure they’re well-aware of all the important rules they must follow.
You’ll want to have this information always available online (provide the link to the condo website and links where they can download the files). This way, members can check back on these documents anytime they feel the need to. However, it’s also helpful to give residents a hard copy. Not all residents are tech-savvy, and some won’t even bother going online to look through them.
3. Association Forms
There are necessary forms the condo association needs to collect, like for basic contact information, parking permits, architectural review forms, to name a few. Include these forms in the condo welcome package. In addition to these forms, you must also indicate when and where they can submit them. It’s also a good idea to briefly include a description of why these forms are needed so new residents understand what they’re signing.
4. Fee Information
Full financial transparency is paramount in developing trust between the management and members. Show the new members of the community a complete breakdown of the monthly fees they will be paying for.
Going through these is already standard practice before new members move in. However, they might have forgotten the details or confused the amounts in some way. This can give rise to misunderstandings or future issues concerning additional costs outside of the monthly rent. To make sure everything is clear and out in the open, the condo association must provide them all necessary fee information.
5. Critical Contact Information
Your condo welcome package must also include helpful phone numbers for anything your new resident might need. This can range from emergency numbers like your local poison control center, police, and hospitals, to the nearest transit centers. While such information already exists online, a hard copy can make a world of difference, especially in the event of a crisis.
Don’t forget to include the contact numbers of the condo association office and your property management company. It will also be wise to give a quick rundown of who the board members are as well as the security and maintenance personnel.
6. Utilities and Service Provider Assistance
Setting up utilities can be bothersome when you have to start from scratch, especially if you’re moving in from a different city or state. See to it your HOA welcome package includes the contact information of local service providers for electric, Internet, cable TV, and even trash collection. You can throw in other contact information you think new residents might need, too.
7. Amenities and Events List
Having just moved in, new members normally have to explore the community to familiarize themselves with both the layout and the facilities. To avoid feelings of being lost or overwhelmed, give new residents an overview of the community. This way, they know where all the amenities are located.
Moreover, if you have monthly social events in your condo association, include a calendar in the HOA welcome packet. This ensures new members are kept up-to-date with everything that’s happening. After all, nobody wants to feel left out.
8. Community Resource
People who are new to a neighborhood usually have to get used to the lay of the land. While they can easily look at online maps to get a sense of where everything is, associations must be considerate enough to include community resources in their condo welcome package. Provide new members with information on nearby establishments like restaurants, malls, groceries, banks, entertainment venues, daycares, schools, libraries, parks, and other areas.
9. Frequently Asked Questions Summary
Every new resident is likely to have a lot of questions when they first move into the community. Complete your condo welcome package with a summary of common FAQs that new members are expected to ask. Answering some of their questions right off the bat will make them feel more assured and secured rather than waiting for them to call.
How Condo Welcome Packages Can Help
When you’re the new kid on the block, you usually have difficulty adjusting to new surroundings. It can be the same for new members in a condo association. A condo welcome packet helps new residents settle into their new homes with little trouble. It serves to arm your new members with useful and valuable information.
Condo welcome packages also show your preparation in welcoming them into the community. Adding a token or gift isn’t a bad idea, either. On top of it all, it will be better if the condo association manager delivers the welcome packages personally to the new members. This makes the new members feel extra special and sets a positive tone for harmonious community living.
HOA management companies typically have extensive experience in managing HOAs. They can help integrate a viable strategy to manage your communities more efficiently with the optimum fiscal organization. By doing so, these companies can promise each community to have satisfied residents who trust their condo association management.
In the long-term, this increases property values because the community has up-to-date repairs, looks attractive, and the HOA has a high approval rating amongst residents. If you ever need this kind of assistance, keep us in mind.
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