HOA glossaryInsurance & operations

What is a community association manager?

The professional or firm engaged to administer the association's day-to-day operations under the board's direction.

Also called: CAM, Property manager, HOA manager

A manager typically handles accounting and collections, vendor coordination, inspections and violation processing, meeting logistics and packets, owner communication and records. What is included and what is billed separately is set by the management agreement, and the difference is a common source of friction.

Several states license community association managers, with continuing education and, in some, a requirement that trust funds be handled in a particular way. Verifying the licence and the trust account arrangement is a reasonable part of selection.

The manager advises and executes; the board decides. A board that lets the manager make governance decisions has delegated authority it cannot delegate, and remains responsible for the outcome regardless.

Why it matters to a board

Match expectations to the scope of work in writing. Most manager disputes are scope disputes that were never resolved at signing.

Where the answer lives

Your recorded declaration and bylaws first, then the act that governs associations in your state. Whichever is stricter is the one that binds you.

Software for management companies

Related terms

Management agreementThe contract between the association and its management company, defining scope, fees, term and termination.Vendor RFPA structured request for competing bids on the same defined scope of work, so proposals can be compared honestly.Board of directorsThe elected body that governs the association, holding all authority the governing documents grant to it and no more.Fidelity bondCoverage protecting association funds against theft by directors, employees, or the management company handling them.
General information, not legal advice. This entry explains what the term means, not what your association must do about it. Any notice period, cure window, fine cap, vote threshold or deadline comes from your recorded declaration and your state's act — those differ in all fifty states and are amended every session. Updated August 2026. Confirm the current requirements with an attorney licensed in your state before acting.
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