What Are HOA Responsibilities in a Natural Disaster or Emergency?

You never want to think about your community experiencing an emergency, but they can occur at any time with little or no warning. And when one strikes, your homeowners association, or HOA, has a responsibility to help.

Depending on the law, HOA governing documents and type of emergency, HOA duties may expand to help community residents prepare for or respond to a critical situation.

Before and after an emergency

While your HOA doesn't take the place of emergency response agencies, it can create a budget plan to facilitate response and recovery from these unexpected events. Here are some to-dos.

Formalize procedures

Consider the ways you'd manage different emergency situations, and develop a standard procedure for each.

• What should residents do if there's a tornado or flood warning?
• Is there a designated meeting spot where residents can go to get updates?

Whether it's burst pipes, a blackout or a fire, having defined step-by-step management procedures in place can minimize disorder, speed up response time and help keep residents safe and calm.

Make an HOA org chart

Having an easily accessible organizational chart helps everyone understand their roles and HOA responsibilities in case of a crisis. It should identify exactly who does what, such as who'll be in charge of communications or insurance claims or be the primary point of contact for first responders and government agencies.

Create your evacuation plan

Residents need to know how to evacuate their homes safely and quickly in an emergency and where to go once they do—so include a map to the nearest shelters, stores and gas stations.

Get your HOA insurance policies and financial plan in order

Check your insurance to ensure it's up to date and that you understand what it covers. Having copies of your insurance and photos of your community, including items such as equipment and other assets, can be a big help if you have to file claims.

Your emergency plan should also specify how you'll handle related expenses.

• If there's extensive damage, how would you cover costly repairs or debris removal?
• Do you have enough emergency funds?
• Would you need to borrow from your reserves, have a special assessment or take out a loan?

Develop a recovery plan

While every situation is different, you can prepare by having a list of contractors. You'll also want to quickly inspect and assess the scope of damages, especially if there are safety concerns.

Funding HOA disaster recovery

Having enough HOA reserve funds can help cover unscheduled repairs and cleanup that may arise from a natural disaster or other unexpected event. As a leading community association bank that offers competitive rates, secure deposits and a streamlined banking experience, we're here to provide a range of solutions to help you manage and grow your HOA reserve funds safely and effectively.

Explore our HOA bank services to see how we can be a valuable resource for your HOA.