3 Strategies for Dealing with Difficult HOA Board Members

It’s not uncommon for board members to butt heads from time to time, but when “time to time” turns into “all the time,” it can become a major problem for HOAs. Difficult board members can make meetings challenging and uncomfortable. It can also cause anxiety when you don’t know the best ways to deal with them.

If you find yourself in a difficult situation with other board members, here are some tips to help you navigate the tricky territory. And when in doubt, don’t hesitate to connect with an HOA attorney. Lawyers are skilled negotiators, and community law attorneys have extensive knowledge of HOA rules and requirements. 

Tips for Handling Problematic HOA Board Members

• Maintain structured meeting agendas – Organized meetings are important for a variety of reasons, but when dealing with a difficult board member, following an established process like Robert’s Rules of Order can help ensure fairness and keep conversations on task. 

• Wait them out – or vote them out – While waiting out a difficult board member’s term may not be ideal, sometimes it’s the best option to mitigate fallout. Usually, board member terms only last two or three years, and you can always work to get someone else elected in place of the problematic board member should they run again.

Alternatively, if the situation worsens and you can’t wait until their term expires, it is possible to organize a membership-wide voting process to remove the problematic board member. Unfortunately, this is a long and often complicated process.

• Consult a mediator – If other methods aren’t working, it may be time to bring in a mediator who has experience dealing with difficult HOA board members. A neutral third-party mediator will help facilitate discussions and work to resolve conflicts.

If you have questions or concerns about board members in your HOA, contact our firm at Dania Fernandez and Associates, P.A.