Self-Managed HOA Help
Running Your HOA Yourself?
Let's Sort It Out.
A self-managed association calls because something broke: a roof, an election, a tax notice, an insurance non-renewal, a balcony inspector knocking. We are a CACM-trained community management professional and California real estate broker. We do not collect dues. We match boards with the right professionals and help you read the proposals.
A trained community management professional who knows the Davis-Stirling Act and the deadlines that actually carry liability for volunteer directors.
A licensed California real estate broker, not a lawyer and not a CPA. We say that early and we stay in our lane.
We do not collect dues or run your books. We match boards with the right professionals and help you read the proposals you get back.
Where We Start
Five Questions That Map Your Risk
Most self-run boards are volunteers who inherited the job. These five questions map directly to the most common compliance gaps. No lecture, just a fast read on where you stand.
When was your last board election, and who ran it?
If you appointed someone or never actually voted, the decisions of a board elected outside the rules can be challenged later by any owner.
Inspector of elections, Civ 5110. Secret double-envelope ballots, Civ 5115. Written election rules with a comment period, Civ 5105.
Have you had your balcony or elevated-element inspection done?
If the answer is what inspection, the association is out of compliance and your carrier is unlikely to defend a related claim. The 2026 date in SB 721 and AB 2579 applies to apartments, not HOAs.
SB 326, Civ 5551. First inspection deadline was January 1, 2025, then every nine years.
When was your last reserve study, and is it funded?
A study from years ago means you are running on guesses and are probably under-funded. The plan needs to live in the annual budget, not just on paper.
Civ 5550. Full study every three years with an annual update and a disclosed funding plan.
Who files your taxes, and what form?
We are a nonprofit, we do not file is wrong. If nobody knows, assume nothing has been filed and the penalties are accruing.
Federal 1120-H, California Form 100, biennial SI-100, and SI-CID, Civ 5405.
Do you carry a fidelity bond, and what does it cover?
If the board does not know what a fidelity bond is, the answer is no. Self-insurance does not satisfy the statute.
Civ 5806. Coverage equal to reserves plus three months of assessments, plus computer and funds-transfer fraud.
How We Sort It
Green, Yellow, Red
After the five questions, your situation lands in one of three places. That tells us whether this is a quick referral, a paid consult, or a legal call before anything else.
Green
Cleanup projectMissing one or two items. Knows what a reserve study is, has a CPA, wants to fix it. We refer a CACM-certified manager and offer to vet the finalists.
Yellow
Consulting engagementMissing several items, no inspector of elections on file, no SB 326 done, last tax filing unclear. One paid consult to map the gaps, then we refer counsel and a manager.
Red
Legal firstLawsuit pending, an owner claiming the election was invalid, a special assessment fight, an insurance non-renewal, a balcony failure. Counsel first, then management.
Next Steps Menu
Pick What Fits
We offer these in order. You take only what you need.
01
15-Minute Referral Call
We give you two or three names that fit the problem: manager, counsel, CPA, reserve study, or balcony inspector. Free, and often enough to get unstuck.
02
Paid One-Hour Gap Assessment
We walk the board through the five triage items in writing and hand you a prioritized list of what is urgent and what can wait.
03
RFP and Vetting Engagement
If you decide to evaluate management, we help you write the RFP and run the search. We sit in as a consultant, never as a candidate.
04
Legal or Insurance Referral
When it is clear you need counsel or a new policy before anything else, we hand you off to the right professional and stay out of the room.
Try It Yourself
Self-Managed HOA Compliance Self-Assessment
Run through these and count your yeses. If you can answer yes to all ten, you are in better shape than most managed communities. Six or fewer and you have a real cleanup ahead, none of it novel.
- 1We held an election in the last 12 to 18 months using written rules, an inspector of elections, and secret ballots.
- 2If we have wood balconies or decks over six feet, our SB 326 inspection is complete and filed.
- 3Our reserve study is current within three years and is reflected in this year's budget.
- 4We distributed the Annual Budget Report and Annual Policy Statement to owners in the last 12 months.
- 5We have filed both federal and California tax returns for the most recent year.
- 6Our SI-100 and SI-CID filings are current with the Secretary of State.
- 7We carry a fidelity bond that meets Civ 5806.
- 8Our gross income is under $75,000 or we have a completed CPA review.
- 9Our board decisions are made in open meetings with proper agendas, not by email.
- 10Our fine schedule is consistent with the AB 130 cap.
HOA FAQ
Grounded in the Civil Code
Do you manage HOAs and collect dues?
No. We do not collect dues or run your books, and we are not a traditional management company. We run a referral and consulting practice. We match self-managed boards with the right professionals, a reserve preparer, CPA, counsel, inspector, insurance broker, or manager, and we help you read the proposals you get back. The first conversation is usually short and free.
How do I know if our reserves are healthy?
A reserve study reports a percent-funded figure. Above 70 percent is a strong position. Between 30 and 70 percent is a watch zone where you should be funding the plan every year. Below 30 percent a special assessment is likely if a major component fails. The study should be current within three years under Civ 5550, with an annual update and a funding plan disclosed in the Annual Budget Report.
What is SB 326 and does it apply to our community?
SB 326, codified at Civil Code 5551, requires condominium associations with three or more units that have wood-framed exterior elevated elements more than six feet above grade, balconies, decks, walkways, stairs, and railings, to inspect them. The first inspection deadline was January 1, 2025, then every nine years. The 2026 extension some boards have heard about is in SB 721 and AB 2579, which apply to apartments and explicitly exclude HOAs.
Do we really need a fidelity bond?
Yes. Civil Code 5806 requires a fidelity bond, crime policy, or employee dishonesty coverage equal to or greater than reserves plus three months of assessments, including computer fraud and funds-transfer protection, and covering the manager if you use one. Self-insurance does not satisfy the statute. A broker can usually place it in an afternoon.
Can our board decide things by email?
Generally no. The Open Meeting Act, Civil Code 4900 through 4955, requires board decisions to be made in noticed open meetings with an agenda posted at least four days in advance. Action by email, text, or phone tree outside a meeting is voidable and is the most common procedural defect cited in owner challenges. Self-run boards drift into email decisions because it is convenient, and that is exactly where the risk is.
Get Started
Start With a Short, Free Call
Tell us what triggered the call. We sort what is urgent from what can wait, then connect the right vendors in the right order. We are not the lawyer, and we will say so when counsel needs to come first.
This page is informational and is not legal advice. Citations are to the California Civil Code in effect as of 2026. For decisions affecting your specific association, consult counsel.