An HOA management company runs the association's routine business for the Board. Under a typical management agreement it collects assessments, pays approved bills, keeps the books, drafts the budget, coordinates vendors and maintenance, prepares Board meetings and answers owners. The Board keeps the decisions on policy, the budget, contracts, rules and assessments. Your bylaws and the management agreement set what is delegated. Scope runs from full-service to remote to financial-only.
Key takeaways (the short version)
- The manager runs daily operations and the Board sets policy, adopts the budget, approves contracts and makes sure the association meets its legal obligations.
- Under a standard management agreement, typical duties run on a cycle: collections and owner requests every day, reports and meeting preparation every month, the draft budget and annual meeting every year.
- Virginia and DC condominium law require the bylaws to name the powers, if any, that may go to a managing agent.
- Full-service includes a community manager in your market. Remote management works online and firms differ on who covers site visits. Financial-only leaves meetings, vendors and residents with the Board.
What are our HOA management company's responsibilities each day, month and year?
Under a standard management agreement, a manager typically handles collections and owner requests every day, financial reports and meeting preparation every month, and the draft budget and annual meeting every year. Your own agreement sets the actual scope. A CAI HOAresources guide notes that managers of small associations may perform only some of these duties.
Virginia's licensing law counts collecting and disbursing association money, preparing budgets and financial reports, arranging meetings and negotiating contracts as management services (Va. Code § 54.1-2345).
Every day
- Collect assessments and post owner payments.
- Pay approved invoices after checking them against vendor contracts.
- Answer owner questions and log maintenance requests.
- Dispatch vendors for repairs and respond to after-hours emergencies.
Every month
- Deliver the financial package: budget versus actual, balance sheet and delinquency report.
- Prepare the Board meeting agenda and packet, then record minutes and action items.
- Inspect common areas and check vendor work against the contract.
- Send violation notices and follow up on late accounts under the policies the Board adopted.
Every year
- Draft the operating budget for the Board to adopt. Our article on how community association managers help HOA Boards build better budgets covers that work.
- Gather insurance renewal quotes, vendor contract terms and reserve study data for budget season.
- Handle annual meeting and election logistics: notices, ballots or proxies and quorum tracking.
- Track annual filings, reserve study updates and other compliance and governance deadlines.
What stays with our Board after we hire a manager?
The Board keeps the decisions and the manager does the work the Board delegates. The Board adopts the budget and rules, sets assessments, approves contracts and hires or ends the management company.
| Area | Typical manager role under a standard management agreement | What stays with the Board |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | Drafts the budget and gathers cost and reserve data | Adopts the budget and sets assessments |
| Vendors | Solicits bids, recommends vendors and monitors performance | Approves contracts and sets the manager's spending limit |
| Rules | Sends violation notices and tracks cure deadlines | Adopts rules and holds hearings |
| Collections | Bills owners and follows the collection policy | Adopts the policy and approves referrals to counsel |
| Reserves | Tracks the reserve study and reports balances | Commissions the study and budgets the contribution (Maryland generally ties it to the study's recommendation) |
| Meetings | Prepares notices, packets and minutes | Runs the meeting and votes |
| Filings | Prepares the filings the agreement assigns | Makes sure the association's filings are made on time |
| Management | Performs under the agreement | Hires, evaluates and ends the contract |
Some governing documents reserve budget, assessment or rule votes to the owners. Your declaration and bylaws control. The Virginia and DC condominium acts require the bylaws to specify which powers, if any, the association or its Board may delegate to a managing agent. Maryland's Condominium Act lets the bylaws delegate any council power to a managing agent.
A management agreement can hand the manager the work of a filing. The obligation itself stays with the association, as our compliance calendar for DC, Maryland and Virginia Boards explains.
What does our Board get with full-service, remote or financial-only management?
Full-service puts a community manager in your market to handle the duties above as the agreement assigns them. Remote covers the administrative and financial work through online Board and owner portals. Financial-only keeps the books, pays invoices and reports monthly with no community manager. Firm labels vary and the management agreement defines each tier.
Full-service. It usually includes in-person Board meetings and a manager who coordinates finances, vendors, maintenance and resident communication. Larger communities and older buildings tend to need this depth.
Remote. Ask each firm who covers inspections, contractor meetings and emergencies. Organized Boards and smaller communities are the usual fit.
Financial-only. The Board keeps meeting logistics, vendor coordination, resident communication and oversight of the property. Self-managed associations use it when a volunteer treasurer is stretched.
At EJF, Full-Service management gives every account a community manager and an assistant manager. Remote management runs on Vantaca, the community management platform EJF uses. Fiscal Plus is the financial-only tier and adds a Financial Specialist who meets with the Board periodically.
How can our Board confirm what our own agreement covers?
Read the management agreement. It defines the scope, the fee, what is billed separately and how the contract ends.
The Budget Season Playbook has Boards inventory every contract's expiration date, escalator and auto-renewal terms in September. Add the management agreement and get written answers to these questions:
- Which duties above are in the base fee and which are billed separately?
- Does the manager attend Board meetings in person, online or not at all?
- What can the manager spend or sign without a Board vote?
- Who files each annual report and tax return?
- How does the contract end?
As of September 2026, Virginia lets a condominium or property owners' association and its manager end an automatically renewing management contract at any time without cause or penalty. Either side must give at least 60 days' written notice (Va. Code §§ 55.1-1940.1 and 55.1-1837). Virginia cooperatives and Boards in DC and Maryland should read the agreement's termination clause with counsel. Boards comparing firms can continue with our guide on how to choose the right community association management company.
Frequently asked questions
Does our association need a management company?
An association needs one when the books, vendors and owner requests outgrow the time its volunteers have. Some small associations self-manage well and others buy financial-only support to take the books off the treasurer. Our article on the pitfalls of self-managing an HOA in Washington DC walks through the trade-offs.
Does a management company handle compliance and governance support?
Typically yes. Under a standard agreement the manager tracks filing deadlines and reserve study updates, prepares the filings the agreement assigns and handles meeting notices, ballots and minutes.
Do HOA management companies need a license in DC, Maryland and Virginia?
Virginia requires a Common Interest Community Board license for paid association management, unless an exemption in Va. Code § 54.1-2347 applies. Maryland has no statewide license for management companies as of September 2026, though Montgomery and Prince George's counties require the associations themselves to register. DC has no separate license for association managers. It licenses property managers and defines property management to cover the physical, administrative and fiscal management of real estate, which in DC includes condominiums and cooperative shares. Association counsel can confirm whether that license covers your manager.
What is the difference between HOA management and property management?
Association management works for a Board and covers common areas, assessments, reserves, meetings and the association's books. Property management usually means running real estate for its owner. The management agreement shows which work your association is buying.
Is COA management different from HOA association management?
The core work is the same. A condominium owners' association usually maintains shared building systems such as roofs, elevators and plumbing. It also follows the condominium act in its jurisdiction. A condominium manager's list typically carries more building maintenance, insurance and reserve planning.
This article is general information for association Boards and is not legal advice. Your governing documents and association counsel control.
EJF Real Estate Services has managed condominiums, cooperatives and HOAs across Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia since 1996 and now manages more than 650 associations with over 35,000 units. After a free consultation EJF recommends the Full-Service, Remote or Fiscal Plus tier that fits your community. Bring the questions above to that consultation. If your Board is comparing management companies or rereading its agreement before budget season, request a proposal at ejfrealestate.com/request-proposal or call 202-537-1801.
