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CiraFlash May 24 Edition

CiraFlash May 24 Edition

🔦CiraFlash

Summer School

As we mentioned in the last edition, this month we will concentrate on the ways CiraNet can support management teams in encouraging and enforcing the important deed restrictions that owners agreed to when they purchased their homes. Part of that compliance process is submitting ACC requests before making any exterior improvements of course, so then how do you support and educate your committee members on approving items in CiraNet? We have some resources to help.

Table of Contents

Managing the Exceptions

Over our years of experience in the industry, we learned that our owners are like us: busy and sometimes going through complicated periods in their lives and find themselves in violation of the restrictions inadvertently. Most of them will resolve the issue without any intervention by their community association, while others may need some understanding and time to be able to resolve their issues.

On the other hand, we all have experienced individuals who like to push the envelope. Can you use the same system to manage the community's covenant enforcement policies with both the compassion and empathy you sometimes need while still pursuing the harder cases? Yes. Here are some of the key options we offer you to help customize your approach to different circumstances within a systematic process.

Preview

This is the default first step in the Escalation Configuration Setup. What it means is that when a matter is first noted on an inspection, the record is opened but no notice is sent out. Do not be quick to dismiss this as a first step in the escalation process. Years of statistical evidence show most issues never progress further. But, if you have a situation that is more serious, it can be immediately escalated to prompt a notice or you can elect to choose a Final Override, which opens the violation at the Final / Pre-fine notice level.

Allowances

Many of you are familiar with setting an allowance in relation to an ACC request, but it can be set for other covenant enforcement issues as well. Open allowances open as a pop-up when the inspector is out in the field to let them know not to cite a property and why. They can be permanent or temporary.

Violations Require Review

Alternatively, you can flag an owner so that any violations cited during an inspection come to the MyWorkinbox for review. This can also be done for violation sub-categories.

Fixed and Not Fixed

We designed the system to allow for open records to be marked as Fixed, which doesn't immediately close them but places them in a suspense mode. If the individuals remain in compliance for a certain period of time and no other action is taken on the record, it will close (the default is 6 months). If the owner falls out of compliance during the period, it's noted as Not Fixed and the next letter in the escalation configuration will be sent. This helps manage recidivist behavior.

Educating New Owners

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Remember how it was to be a first time homeowner? It's exciting, it's hectic, it's a bit scary and definitely a lot overwhelming. And in some ways it's like a lot of other "firsts": you don't know what you don't know. They likely didn't ask all the right questions about what they are getting themselves into: assessments and covenant enforcement primary among them. And that often is precisely how they find themselves in violation or past due. Leverage the Information Summaries (Information, Legal Information and Restrictions Summary) on the Resident Portal. The Restrictions Summary is collated from the Violation Restriction Definition information enabled and populated from the CiraNet Management Portals. And that is now easier than ever to edit, update, and add to from the new Management Portal. To access it from there, navigate to Configurations and select Enforcement. There is a link to additional CiraHelp on how to use the module on the last page of this issue.

We Approve of this Process

All those new owners are likely anxious to get going on putting their unique stamp on their home and will be submitting requests for exterior improvements, so your ACC committee members will be busy. And there are a lot of new committee members joining the platform. Even tenured committee members are transitioning from the Classic Board Portal to the new portal, which offers some enhancements. We offer several support documents you can download and provide them to orient them to the new portal, which we have listed for your convenience on the next page. But here are some key points to keep in mind as you orient committee members to the approval process in CiraNet:

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  • They've got options! They do not need to be tied down to a computer to be able to contribute. Apple users can download CiraMobile for their iPad or iPhone and are able to approve items from their mobile devices.
  • Summer is a busy time for everyone - so we have a great new tool only available in the new Management / Board Approval that allows them to approve multiple line items at once.
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  • Show them how to use Bookmarks and create unique Workspaces to make the modules they need easy to access (Board Approvals is an available widget as it happens).
  • Finally, proceed to the last page to learn about a new enhancement to be sure to show all of your executive approvers! You and your board and committee members will surely love this because it will make it much easier and faster for them to navigate straight to their pending approval items.
"In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn." -- Phil Collins

Look at What's New!

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Board and Committee Members logging in to the new Management Portal now have any easy button - or in this case an easy bell - to get to their pending approvals. Executive users enabled to approve items now see a bell with a red badge at the upper right-side of the community landing page indicating the number of open items for them to review. They can click on it to be immediately diverted to the Board Approvals page.

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Want to Learn More?

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Hot Tip: Consider using the Resident Portal Announcements feature to highlight a different restriction every month along with positive tips and tricks on how to help maintain the item featured. For example, if highlighting the importance of storing trash containers out of view, if the Board allows for certain pre-approved screening devices, list those and maybe where they can be found locally. Or if focusing on exterior maintenance tips, post an announcement to list any pre-approved paint colors owners can use without needing additional approval.

Contact info:

Shared Services Group: 855-877-2472, Option 3 Fax: 214-269-2501 | www.ciranet.com