Fifteen questions for a focused agreement review
Use this checklist to gather written answers before the board decides whether to enter a management agreement. For each answer, note the contract section or incorporated schedule that supports it. Mark an answer “unresolved” when the documents do not address it clearly. The checklist organizes review; it does not replace advice on the association's authority or the legal effect of the agreement.
People, scope, and authority
- Who is assigned? Identify the intended day-to-day contact, the role of specialist staff, and how personnel changes will be communicated to the board.
- Who covers absences? Ask which contact accepts requests when the regular manager is unavailable and how that person receives current open-item information.
- What work is included? Tie recurring services to identifiable outputs rather than relying on a broad description such as full service or comprehensive support.
- What remains with the board? List retained decisions and tasks so volunteer work is not overlooked when evaluating the proposed service arrangement.
- What may management authorize? Locate the documented approval boundaries and explain the process for changed scope, exceptions, and matters requiring professional advice.
Service delivery and charges
- What field work is provided? Distinguish scheduled visits, vendor coordination, specialist inspections, and dedicated onsite staffing; ask which of these the agreement actually includes.
- How are owner requests handled? Identify intake channels, responsibility for follow-up, escalation procedures, and the information used to determine that a request is complete.
- What reports will directors receive? Ask for the intended contents and timing, plus the procedure for correcting missing information or explaining delayed reports.
- Which activities cost extra? Identify the charge triggers, applicable schedule, authorization process, and distinction between management fees and expenses charged by outside providers.
- How is unusual work addressed? Ask how special projects, substantial service interruptions, or work outside ordinary scope will be proposed and approved before commitments are made.
Records, continuity, and the end of service
- How are records accessed? Identify the authorized users, available records, export formats, and process for keeping association information accessible when personnel change.
- How are unresolved matters tracked? Ask how disputed invoices, incomplete repairs, and pending board decisions remain visible rather than disappearing from routine reporting.
- How does renewal work? Locate the relevant dates, notice process, and any stated changes to charges or terms; obtain advice on unfamiliar provisions.
- What governs termination? Have the board and appropriate advisers review the actual conditions, notice requirements, and consequential charges rather than relying on a sales explanation.
- What does handover include? Identify the records, balances, open matters, access changes, and assistance addressed by the agreement, together with any stated timing and charges.
Use the answers to close gaps
Assign an owner to each unresolved question and collect responses in one review copy. Compare the final agreement with the negotiated service scope before authorizing execution. Keep supporting schedules together so a future director can understand what was approved. Check applicability to the community's state and association type instead of treating another property's agreement as a ready-made answer.