Management proposals tend to look alike. Similar service lists, similar language, a fee that is hard to compare against the others because the scopes are drawn differently. The questions below cut through that, and the answers are more revealing than anything in the brochure.
We are a management company, so treat this as interested advice. It is still the list we would use.
1. How many associations will our manager be handling?
The most predictive question you can ask, and the one most likely to get a vague answer. Portfolio size determines whether calls get returned. A manager carrying fifteen communities is not neglecting yours out of indifference; there are only so many hours.
Ask for a number, then ask whether it is contractual. "Around eight or nine" that appears nowhere in the agreement is an aspiration, and aspirations expand when the company signs new business.
2. Who specifically will manage us, and can we meet them?
Proposals are often presented by a business development person you will never see again. Ask to meet the actual manager before signing, and ask who the backup is when that person is on holiday — and whether the backup has ever walked your property.
3. What are the response time commitments, in writing?
"Responsive" and "we pride ourselves on communication" are not commitments. Ask for specifics: how quickly are homeowner inquiries answered, how quickly are board inquiries answered, what happens after hours, and what actually occurs if those windows are missed.
A company willing to put one business day in the agreement is making a promise. One that resists specificity is telling you something.
4. Do you accept any compensation from vendors?
Ask directly, and ask it broadly — referral fees, rebates, volume discounts retained by the manager, administrative fees added to vendor invoices, and whether the company or its owners have an interest in any maintenance business it recommends.
This is the question that most affects what you actually pay over a contract term. A management fee that undercuts competitors by a few hundred a month is not a bargain if vendor pricing carries an undisclosed margin. Ask for the policy in writing, in the agreement.
5. How do we terminate, and what does it cost?
Read the termination clause before the fee schedule. You want:
- A term of about a year, not three
- Termination without cause on reasonable notice — 60 days is common
- No punitive early-termination fee
- An explicit records-return provision: what gets returned, in what format, within how many days, and at what cost
That last one matters more than boards expect. Associations have been held up for weeks by outgoing managers slow to hand over financial records, and a clause specifying the timeline gives you something to enforce.
Also check for auto-renewal. Many agreements renew automatically unless notice is given in a narrow window — miss it by a week and you are committed for another year.
6. What is actually included, and what is extra?
Get the list of billable extras in writing. Common ones: bulk mailings, copying above some threshold, resale disclosure packages, attendance at meetings beyond a set number per year, special project management, after-hours calls, and site visits above a set frequency.
None of these are unreasonable in themselves. What is unreasonable is finding out about them on the third month’s invoice. Ask what a typical association of your size paid in extras last year.
7. Where will our money be held, and who can move it?
Association funds should be held in accounts in the association’s name and tax ID, never commingled with the management company’s operating funds or pooled with other associations. Ask what the disbursement controls are — whether any single person can move money, whether there is dual approval above a threshold, and what board visibility looks like day to day.
Ask about the fidelity bond: what it covers, at what limit, and whether it names the association.
8. What does the transition actually involve?
Ask for a written transition plan with a timeline. A real one covers records transfer, bank account migration, vendor notification, homeowner portal setup, and the production of an accurate opening balance sheet. Ask who rebuilds the books if the records arriving from the prior manager turn out to be a mess — and whether that is included or billed.
Six to eight weeks is a realistic transition. Anyone promising two is describing a records handoff, not a transition.
9. May we call your current clients?
Not a curated reference list — ask for contacts at two or three associations of similar size and type, including at least one that has been with them for several years. Then actually call.
Ask those boards: does your manager return calls? Do financials arrive on time? What happened the last time something went wrong? Hesitation on this question tells you a great deal.
10. What happens when we are unhappy?
Ask whether there is a defined escalation path above the assigned manager, and whether the company does any structured service review — an annual sit-down where the board evaluates performance against the agreement.
Every management relationship has friction. The difference between one that works and one that ends badly is usually whether there was a mechanism for raising problems before they became terminal.
Comparing the proposals
Once you have answers, put the finalists side by side on the things that actually differ: portfolio size per manager, written response commitments, vendor compensation policy, termination terms, and the full first-year cost including likely extras.
The lowest management fee is frequently not the lowest total cost, and it is almost never the best service. Weigh it accordingly.
Written by the management team at Premier Property Management. General information for Utah community associations — not legal, tax, or insurance advice for your association.