Principles for Homeowners
and Community Leaders
More than a destination at
the end of the day, a community is a place
you want to call home and where you feel at
home. There is a difference between living
in a community and being part of that
community. Being part of a community means
sharing with your neighbors a common desire
to promote harmony and contentment.
This goal is best achieved
when homeowners, non-owner residents and
association leaders recognize and accept
their rights and responsibilities. In all
cases, this entails striking a reasonable,
logical balance between the preferences of
individual homeowners and the best interests
of the community as a whole. It is with this
challenge in mind that Community
Associations Institute (CAI) developed
Rights and Responsibilities for Better
Communities.
Community associations
exist because they offer choices,
lifestyles, amenities and efficiencies that
people value. Yet, with all of their
inherent advantages, community associations
face complicated issues, none more common
than the challenge of balancing the rights
of the individual homeowner with those of
the community at large. Managing this
critical and delicate balance is often the
essence of effective community leadership.
By encouraging community associations to
adopt Rights and Responsibilities for Better
Communities, CAI strives to promote harmony,
community, responsible citizenship and
effective leadership. In the process, we
make life better for the more than 60
million Americans who live in community
associations.
Let Rights and
Responsibilities Help Your Community
The process of formally
adopting Rights and Responsibilities will
give communities an excellent opportunity
for the kind of dialogue that facilitates
awareness, builds consensus and promotes
greater community involvement.
Once adopted, Rights and
Responsibilities will serve as an important
guidepost for all those involved in the
community—board and committee members,
managers, homeowners and non-owner
residents. The document will also serve as
an excellent tool to educate new homeowners
and residents about their own rights and
responsibilities.
As greater numbers of associations adopt
Rights and Responsibilities—and adhere to
its principles—there will be less potential
for conflict within communities. Ultimately,
this will improve the image of managed
communities across the nation, leading more
people to understand the nature and value of
community association living.
Adopting Rights and Responsibilities can
also create positive publicity for your
community—and reduce the kind of negative
publicity often created by conflict.
How You Can Make it Happen
Adopting Rights and
Responsibilities for Better Communities is
easy!
- Download the
Rights and
Responsibilities Document.
- Distribute the
document throughout your community,
announcing and publicizing where and
when adoption will be considered.
- Explain why this is
important to your community and the
benefits it can create.
- Review and discuss
the merits of the principles at an open
meeting of your board.
- Solicit input from
homeowners.
- Have your board vote
to adopt a resolution endorsing Rights
and Responsibilities for Better
Communities. The principles will be more
meaningful to homeowners and community
leaders if they are formally adopted.
© Community Associations Institute (www.caionline.org)
