Love Thy Neighbor: How to Work With Your Neighbors to Help Your Condo Thrive

Achieving peace and harmony in a condo residential community is no easy task. These communities allow for residents to coexist in the same environment, and opinions on what a peaceful coexistence might differ for each homeowner. It becomes important to collaborate with your neighbors to make coexisting as smooth as possible. If you find yourself stuck with a negative condo community and problems are arising, here are some tips to work with your neighbors to help your condo thrive.   

Attempt to engage with your community members  

One of the best alternatives to resolve conflicts with your neighbors is to communicate your concerns directly to them. Multiple issues arise from a resident’s unawareness of the disturbance they are causing. Sometimes, all it takes is to knock on their door and have a conversation with them.  

Try to create a common communication channel (such as a WhatsApp channel) where everyone can meet each other and discuss different things going on in the building. By doing this, you can also prevent the lack of engagement of neighbors and the HOA board, as residents might not consistently attend HOA board meetings. Make sure everyone respects each other’s boundaries when creating these channels.  

 Create projects that uplift the building 

A great way to increase bonding and communication amongst condo owners is to organize projects and activities that benefit all neighbors. Residents can volunteer to plan different events that they believe can benefit the wider community. For example, events such as lobby meet and greets, fitness classes, and holiday-themed gatherings, are just a few of the options for you and your neighbors. Projects related to recycling and reducing waste can also be a great way to bond with your neighbors.  

 Encourage neighbors to attend Homeowners' Association (HOA) board meetings  

The HOA is responsible for collecting dues and allocating those funds to the maintenance and repairs of shared common spaces and amenities. These meetings are important to attend if you want to voice your concerns regarding a specific issue in the building, and motivating your neighbors to attend these meetings is key to creating a positive environment. Neighbors should always aim to keep themselves updated as much as they can with what is currently happening in their building. Moreover, you and your neighbors can ask the HOA for financial reports on how collected fees were distributed, to promote transparency in the community.  

 Collaborate with HOA to enforce policies  

There is always the possibility of residents not respecting building policies and overstepping other neighbors’ boundaries, or even worse, interfering with their private property. There are multiple cases of residents not respecting these bylaws, and this can range from not parking their car in their assigned spot to trespassing into another condo’s space. Even if the issue is big or small, you should attempt to work collaboratively with the HOA to remind residents of these policies and take action. If the neighbor causing issues does not comply, you can work with the HOA to take any next steps to solve the situation.  

 Provide resources for residents 

Having flyers or pamphlets in a common area in your building with resident resource information, policies and procedures can be a great way to help everyone in the community thrive. This is to make sure to avoid residents complaining that they are not able to access documents that contain the building’s policies. You can also choose to go digital if you want to minimize paper waste. These resources can also include condo maintenance tips and issues to look for as the properties get ready for every season.  

 It can often take a dedicated board and committed owners to change the culture in a shared community, so getting outside opinions and experience can be a massive help. Sustainable Comfort, Inc. has years of experience turning around struggling community associations and we are eager to help boards and owners work together to create a community that people are proud to call home.  

Reach out to our HOA specialist Mark to set up a time to learn from our experience and see how we can help your community thrive!