Quick Start Guide for Unit Owners

In September, 2011 I began work on a "Quick Start Guide" for use by residents in our community. This task  came out of a series of board meetings and discussions with various board members. It began of my own initiative. After board review, discussion and input this was originally published in December 2011.

Our Welcome Director and I recently updated this guide and it will be provided as part of the revised "Welcome Packet." It will also be updated on the official BLMH.org website.

The 14 page "Guide" came out of several years of observations at association meetings and discussions with board members and owners. Owners and other residents will approach management or the board and ask questions about day to day living here at BLMH. Many of the questions are similar.

I strive for consistency in all tasks in the organizations in which I participate, and this is also true for this association. The board is comprised of owners who have stepped up to the challenge. As a group we do read all of the formal documents for this association, and that includes the Rules & Regulations, Bylaws, Declarations, the Illinois Condominium Act, and several monthly periodicals geared toward board members in HOAs. Members of the board have received specialized training. As a group, the board has decades of experience in this association.

For these reasons, the board does have significant knowledge that is useful for owners. Management, as the professionals, has even more knowledge of HOA operation, etc.

It became apparent to me that a written "guide" could provide some of this information to all owners and other residents. It could be a tool for use by our residents in support of a harmonious community. It could achieve the desired consistency of information, providing every owner with the identical information, thereby supporting one class of ownership, and it would be an aid to both new owners and long time residents. Remote owners could provide a copy to their tenants. In fact, I am sure the board encourages owners and tenants to use the guide.

I won't print the entire guide here, but I will provide some information about it. I will also quote the "Purpose of the Guide." There is also a link at the end of this post which will permit viewing the version of the guide that is published at BLMH.org.

The guide does not replace the Rules, or the Bylaws, etc. It is a summary containing knowledge and information. That is made clear in the following paragraph from the guide, and I quote:

"This Quick Start is an overview and does not supersede the governing documents, nor does it provide all the information contained in them. It may not include the latest information, and the current governing documents will take precedence. In the event of differences, the ICA [Illinois Condominium Act] is the highest level, followed the association Bylaws, Declarations and the Rules and Regulations."

What is The Purpose of the Guide?
The guide contains this statement:

"This guide is intended to provide important information in brief, for new as well as long time owners. Numerous sources were used to prepare the guide. Some of this information is in the governing documents and has been published over the years in newsletters. Some of it is also in other sections of the Welcome packet. Some is from former board members and those who have been here since 1978. The goal is to get this “knowledge” on paper and to answer common questions. This “Quick Start” combines information from all of these sources and is intended as an aid for new owners as well as to established owners.

If you are a new owner, it is assumed you may never have been an “owner” of a condominium, townhouse or single residence.  If you are new to ownership, in particular a HOA, there are a number of things to be aware of. There is no “superintendent.” There is a management company, and management directs maintenance efforts of common elements at BLMH via a “work order” system. So be aware of their phone number and email; it’s in every newsletter. As an “owner,” some things are your responsibility, some are your neighbor’s in the building in which you reside, and yet other things are the association’s responsibility.

 This document will help you to sort it out."

List of the Contents of the Guide
I. About Briarcliffe Lakes Manor Homes
II. Management and Maintenance of the Association
III. Association Communications – Newsletter, US Mail, Email
IV. Census and Insurance Forms – An Association Rule
V. Rules, Regulations, Violations and Fines
VI. The Board of Directors
VII. Association Meetings
VIII. Things to Do After Your Closing
IX. Equal Ownership and Rules Apply to All, including Tenants
X. Governing Documents
XI. Utilities and Fees
XII. The Meaning of “Elements” at BLMH
XIII. Permitted Modifications and Remodeling by Owners
XIV. Current Restrictions (December 1, 2011)
XV. Garages
XVI. Utility (Laundry) Rooms, Electrical Power and Appliances.
XVII. Kitchen.
XVIII. Bathrooms
XIX. Windows
XX. Patios and Decks
XXI. Front Hall
XXII. Unit Entry and Storage Keys
XXIII. Exterior, Garage and Hallway Lighting
XXIV. Personal Maintenance Recommendations.

To provide further information here, this is Section I of the guide:

  I. About Briarcliffe Lakes Manor Homes.
"BLMH is a condominium home owners association (HOA); it is a Private Urban Development (PUD) and the association owns everything within the property, both above and under the ground, with the exception of buried natural gas lines, ComEd electrical power feeders, transformers and meters, and cable TV feeds or owner satellite dish antennas.

 BLMH is a not-for-profit corporation which is professionally managed, professionally maintained and has a volunteer Board of Directors.  There is an annual election held in September for the board.

You are a shareholder in the association.

The association is comprised of 42 buildings on approximately 40 acres. There are 336 units arranged four units per building entrance. Most buildings contain eight (8) units. Each owner is a shareholder in the HOA with an approximate 1/336th share in the association. You “own” your unit and are responsible for it. The actual percentage of ownership for each unit was established in the governing documents by the original developer. That percentage also determines your monthly fees.

So what do you get with your share in the association? You own a small share of every building on the property! You also own a small share of the lakes, streams, walks, streets, curbs, underground piping, about 800 trees, 15 acres of grass and 84 driveways! Your fees are combined with that provided by your fellow owners and those funds are used to maintain this entire association.

You “own” your unit. In addition to the interior of your unit, you have exclusive use of the storage units on the patio and one in the garage. You own doors, windows, patio door, garage door and garage door opener, water heater, furnace, fireplace and flue, HVAC compressor, water and waste plumbing and natural gas piping, and unit electrical wiring from the meter. You don’t own “your building” nor do you own “your grass, “your tree,” or driveway.

With only a few exceptions, everything outside your unit is owned by the association as a “common element,” the use of which is shared by all owners. Or it is a “limited common element.” These terms are described later in this Quick Start."

Link to the Published Guide:
Please note that this is the version on the official website. At the time of this post, it had not yet been updated with the revisions dated March, 2013:

Clicking will open a New Window> View Current Quickstart Guide