WELCOME HOMEOWNERS!

Condo / HOA Management FAQ's

• HOW CAN I PAY MY DUES?

  Through https://propertypay.firstcitizens.com/ with e-check, which is free of charge for setting up a payment schedule or costs a $2.25 bank fee for one-time payments, and done.

  Through https://propertypay.firstcitizens.com/ with a credit card. There is a 2.95% fee charged by the bank for this service.*

  Send your payment and coupon to our lockbox:

  (Your Association) c/o Bell-Anderson
  PO Box 65584
  Phoenix, AZ, 85082

  ACH (automatic deduction from your bank account): Please contact our office for a form or download one from the Association Forms page.

  *You will need the management ID number 5504, your association ID number, and your account number to sign up. These can be found on your payment coupons or by contacting our office.

• HOW CAN I DISPUTE LATE CHARGES AND FEES?

  Send a written request to your property manager at Bell-Anderson, PO Box 5640, Kent, WA, 98064 or email info@bell-anderson.net and it will be given to the Board to discuss at their next board meeting. Bell-Anderson does not have authority to remove fees. Bell-Anderson can only remove fees when instructed to do so by the board of directors.

• WHAT DO MY DUES PAY FOR?

  This is relative to the condominium/homeowners association that you live in. Dues go to the general maintenance of the common areas, i.e. landscaping, common streets, capital expenditures (i.e. roofs, siding, painting, etc.), management fees, preparation for tax returns, utilities (depending on your HOA), master policy insurance, and many other services depending on the association.

• WHY DO WE MAIL OUR COUPONS TO AN OUT-OF-STATE LOCKBOX?

  Bell Anderson manages more than 50 associations and does not have the capacity at our office to hand process payments every day. It is much more efficient to have a lockbox company receive payments. Since the coupons and payments are all processed by computers there is much less room for human error. There is a more timely deposit of the assessment into the homeowner’s account as there is a swift computer download from the lockbox into the homeowner’s accounting ledger. Also, it reduces the cost of having extra personnel at the management office which in turn means a lower cost of management fees. If the coupon is included with the payment, errors are rare.

Board Members

• I AM NEWLY ELECTED TO THE BOARD...WHAT NOW?

  Here is a great article from the WA State Community Association's Institute that can provide you with more information about your responsibilities as a board member: http://blog.wscai.org/2011/04/28/and-you-are-now-on-the-board…

• WHAT ARE THE MAIN DUTIES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS?

  The main objective for the Board is to protect, maintain, and enhance the property and property values of your homes. In order to do this, the Board of Directors need to understand the governing documents, have good business judgment, and be reasonable in conflict resolution. They must also have a maintenance schedule and be aware of legal requirements. They need to communicate with management and homeowners and effectively enforce rules.

General

• WHEN I HAVE AN ISSUE WITH A NEIGHBOR, WHO DO I CONTACT?

  If you cannot resolve it directly with your neighbor, you may address your issue directly to the board of directors via a written notice. This can be accomplished by writing a letter or sending an email to the Property Manager at Bell-Anderson. They can assist you. The issue will be put on the agenda for the next board meeting for the board to address. This is the most efficient way to get an issue addressed. Please do not contact the board directly.

• WHERE CAN I GET A COPY OF MY ASSOCIATION'S CC&R’S AND BYLAWS?

  You can order a copy of the documents from HomeWise Docs or you can log in to your free HOA/Condo Owner Portal on the Bell-Anderson website if your Board has authorized posting them there. If you are having problems with either of these, you can also contact your property manager.

• HOW DO I GET PAPERWORK FOR SELLING OR REFINANCING MY HOME?

  Your agent should guide you on what specific paperwork to request. We provide Lender Questionnaires, Escrow Demands, and Resale Disclosures through Homewise at www.homewisedocs.com where they can be ordered either by the homeowner or an agent. These forms are not included in the association document requests that are covered in our management contracts, as they are for the benefit of an individual and not the association as a whole.

• WHY DO WE PAY FOR A MANAGEMENT COMPANY? CAN’T WE DO IT OURSELVES?

  Most homeowners do not realize that the Board of Directors positions are on a volunteer basis, meaning they have their own jobs on top of their Board of Director responsibilities. Part of our job, as a management company, is to make the Board of Directors jobs as stress-free as possible. We are the liaison between the BOD and the homeowners and take phone calls and emails from both parties. Some of the other major tasks we do are that we mail out and collect all homeowner’s assessments making sure to follow the collection policies established by the association, we pay all association bills, we provide monthly financial statements, we make sure associations have all the proper paperwork filled out for federal, state and local issues, we work closely with an auditor on filing taxes and conducting annual audits, we assist in the preparation of the budget, we assist reserve study specialists in their preparation of the association’s reserve study, we perform property and compliance inspections, and we have a 24-hour emergency line.