What’s Typically Included in the Base Fee
While every company defines their base package differently, these services are generally included in the monthly management fee:
- Financial management: Monthly assessment billing, accounts receivable tracking, accounts payable processing, monthly financial reports, bank reconciliation
- Board support: A set number of board meetings per year (usually 6-12), agenda preparation, meeting attendance, and draft minutes
- Vendor coordination: Day-to-day management of existing vendor relationships, work order processing, routine maintenance coordination
- Homeowner services: General inquiry response, online owner portal, assessment payment processing
- Compliance: CC&R enforcement (routine violations), architectural request processing, basic record keeping
- Reporting: Monthly management reports to the board, annual budget preparation
Services That Typically Cost Extra
- Additional board meetings beyond the contracted number: $150-$350 per meeting
- Annual meeting coordination: $200-$500 for preparation, setup, and attendance
- After-hours emergency response: $50-$150 per call
- Mass mailings: $0.50-$2.00 per unit for printing, postage, and handling
- Lien processing: $200-$500 per lien filing
- Year-end audit/tax coordination: $200-$500
- Capital project management: 5-15% of project cost
- Insurance claim coordination: Hourly rate or flat fee
- Resale/refinance document preparation: $150-$400 per package
- Legal coordination: Varies — some companies charge hourly for coordinating with the association’s attorney
- Reserve study coordination: $200-$400 for facilitating the reserve study process
- Special project work: Hourly rate for non-routine requests (newsletter creation, website management, event coordination)
The key is getting this breakdown in writing before you sign. Ask each candidate to provide a complete fee schedule as a contract exhibit.
How to Negotiate Service Inclusions
Don’t accept the standard package as fixed. Here’s what experienced boards negotiate:
- Include your actual meeting count. If your board meets monthly, negotiate 12 meetings into the base fee rather than paying extra for meetings 7-12.
- Bundle mailings. If you send quarterly newsletters plus annual meeting notices, negotiate a mailing allowance into the base fee.
- Cap project management fees. Instead of open-ended percentage-based project fees, negotiate a cap or convert to hourly rates for projects where the manager’s role is limited.
- Include annual meeting. This is a predictable annual event. It should be part of the base service, not an extra.
Key Takeaways
- Base management fees typically include financial reporting, assessment collection, vendor coordination, and board meeting support.
- After-hours emergencies, extra meetings, large mailings, and project management are commonly billed separately.
- Get every service explicitly categorized as ‘included’ or ‘additional fee’ in your contract.