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What Insurance Carriers See That Perhaps Your Funding Plan Doesn’t Take Into Consideration

By Charlotte Allen, CIRMS

This article first appeared in the Communicator Magazine, Summer 2026 Issue.

The reserve study is something well- intentioned community associations take seriously. It gets updated every three years, disclosed to homeowners annually, drives budgets, shapes special assessment conversations and gives boards and community members a sense of security. And, I’m here to tell you it often has a blind spot, one that is unexpectedly impacting communities.

The Reserve Study Does What It’s Supposed to Do

Let me be clear, I am not here to criticize reserve studies. They are legally required under our Civil Code for very good reasons. A well-prepared reserve study identifies major components of your association’s common areas and estimates their remaining useful life, develops replacement and repair cost estimates and lays out a plan so that the association isn’t blindsided by a...

By Andrea O’Toole, ESQ., & Mary Macias

This article first appeared in the Communicator Magazine, Summer 2026 Issue.

Introduction

Homeowners associations across California increasingly turn to bank financing to address critical infrastructure needs, fund large-scale capital improvements, bridge unexpected funding gaps and fund construction defect litigation. Whether the project involves repaving roads, replacing aging roofing systems or upgrading common-area amenities, the financial demands of maintaining a well-functioning community often exceed what current reserves and regular assessments can cover. In these situations, a bank loan can be a prudent and strategic tool that allows boards to act decisively without imposing sudden, burdensome special assessments on homeowners or, where special assessments cannot be avoided, allow owners flexible and long-term payment options.

Obtaining a bank loan is not as simple as filling out an application. Lenders evaluating association borrower...

By Paul Reeves

This article first appeared in the Communicator Magazine, Summer 2026 Issue.

The Bid Is Not the Starting Line

Every week, I talk to boards and property managers who are in a hurry to get bids out. I get it. There’s real pressure. The owners are asking questions, the reserve study is flagging things and it feels like the clock is running. So, the natural instinct is: Let’s get it priced and move on.

The problem is that the RFP is downstream. By the time you send it out, the important decisions have already been made, whether you made them deliberately or not. If the scope isn’t right going in, you don’t get clean bids. You get guessing. Every contractor fills in the blanks differently, and then you’re trying to compare apples to oranges and wondering why the bids are $200,000 apart.

The real work happens earlier. It starts with understanding what your property has actually been through.

Pull Out the Reserve Study. Then Ask What It Actually Assumed.

Most boards trea...

By Wendy Miller, President, CAI Bay Area & Central CA Chapter

This article first appeared in the Communicator Magazine, Summer 2026 Issue.

As we step into the summer season, I continue to be inspired by the strength, energy and connection within our chapter. The CAI Bay/Cen community continues to show up and support one another in ways that both impress and inspire. This year has already brought so many meaningful moments, and it is a true reflection of what happens when we come together, to collaborate, engage and celebrate one another.

Our spring RoyalTea was nothing short of extraordinary. Casa Real immediately felt like home, but with a freshly remodeled and elevated aesthetic and acoustics. From the energetic and insightful keynote by Dawn Bauman to the incredible creativity displayed through a wide array of royal-themed costumes, the event was a perfect blend of elegance, fun and connection. The afternoon was filled with memorable moments in a beautiful setting. These included...

Article By Samantha Romero

This article first appeared in the Communicator Magazine, Spring 2026 Issue.  

When people talk about community engagement, it usually turns into a conversation regarding hosting more events, creating additional committees or sending more follow-­up emails. There’s this assumption that if you just do more, people will feel more connected.

That hasn’t been my experience. What I’ve seen is that engagement lives in the day-to-day. It’s about how homeowners are spoken to, whether they feel comfortable reaching out, and whether they think management is made up of actual people or just an email address that responds with policy language.

When I first stepped into my role, there was a pretty obvious disconnect between management and homeowners. Most communication to management came in hot, and you could feel the tension even in short emails. It was never meant to be mean; it was more that homeowners didn’t expect to be heard, so they led with frustration.

My te...

Do You Need to Amend or Restate Your Governing Documents?

Article By Melissa Bauman Ward, Esq., CCAL

This article first appeared in the Communicator Magazine, Spring 2026 Issue.  

Association boards are familiar with their fiduciary duty to maintain their buildings and other common area components, pursuant to their governing documents and the law. Many directors don’t realize that they have an obligation to maintain their corporations as well. An important way to maintain your governing documents is to make sure they are up to date and comply with the law. How do you know if your documents need updating? We’ll discuss the ways to tell and options for amendment or restatement.

What Are Governing Documents?

The Davis-Stirling Act defines governing documents as the declaration (usually known as covenants, conditions & restrictions or CC&Rs), bylaws, articles of incorporation (or articles of association if the association is not incorporated) and the operating rules. Each of these docu...

By Dyanne L. Peters, Esq.

This article first appeared in our Communicator Magazine, Winter 2026 Issue.

When you hear the term "AI," it may conjure images of robots taking over the world as seen in popular movies like The Matrix, Terminator, or iRobot. Despite these sci-fi depictions that create a technological dystopian vision of the future (and an entertaining film), the use of this tool has grown tremendously over the last several years to the point where AI has become integrated into our everyday lives. While it is becoming a more widespread and useful technology, it is still in the beginning stages, and there are a lot of issues to navigate and consider when using AI.

In the context of use for everyday functions by a community manager, AI is certainly convenient and useful. AI is becoming a powerful addition to a manager’s toolkit, but it is just that: a tool. AI cannot replace a manager’s critical thinking, problem solving, experience, and due diligence. While AI can do many th...

By Hooman Bolandi

This article first appeared in our Communicator Magazine, Winter 2026 Issue.

Picture this: A storm rolls through, and your team discovers a leaking roof – too late to avoid costly repairs and homeowner complaints. What if you could spot these issues before they spiral? For property managers, protecting roofing, walls, pavements, parking structures, retaining walls, boundary barriers, hardscapes, and landscapes is a constant challenge. Add inflationary pressures on services and goods, staff retention struggles, and rising homeowner expectations for better service levels and tech-enabled efficiencies, and the stakes climb higher. This article isn’t about chasing the latest trend – it’s about understanding tools like 360-degree digital scanning, LiDAR, infrared detection, and AI-driven analytics, and what to learn about them to be more effective stewards. How can these fit your processes to proactively manage assets? Let’s explore the problem, the tools, and the practi...

By Caroline Selber and Breda Potter

This article first appeared in our Communicator Magazine, Winter 2026 Issue.

WHAT IS AN EVEMS AND WHY DO YOU NEED ONE?

For such a big acronym, electric vehicle energy management systems (EVEMS) are deceptively simple: They manage electricity.

But why you need one might not be so obvious. And finding out is important; to power an electric vehicle charger, your home will need enough electrical capacity.

All homes have an electric panel with breaker switches. Condos and apartments, also known as multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) or multi-unit dwellings (MUDs), will have an electrical panel for each unit, and often only one more panel for lights and outlets in shared spaces, like a hallway. These panels commonly have a limit of 100 amps, sometimes 200 amps. This means that all of the electronics and appliances that you have running in your home must draw power less than the maximum number of amps your panel can afford, or else a breaker will ...

By Randy Newma
This article first appeared in our Communicator Magazine, Winter 2026 Issue.

If your association has ever had to foreclose on a home for unpaid assessments, you probably know how stressful and complicated the process can be. A recent California Court of Appeal decision, Bird Rock Home Mortgage, LLC v. Breaking Ground, LP (2025) D084138 (filed September 16, 2025) makes it clear that foreclosure sales may take longer to finalize than many expected.

WHAT HAPPENED

The Oceanside Community Association foreclosed on a property after the owners stopped paying their assessments. At the foreclosure sale, a bidder, Bird Rock Home Mortgage, offered $60,000 and thought they had won as the successful bidder at the foreclosure sale. Wisely, instead of handing over the deed, the trustee kept the sale "open" for the mandatory holding period under the recent California law, Civil Code § 2924m. During that time, a qualified nonprofit called Breaking Ground stepped in and submitted a bid ...