Do you vote for your HOA board members?

[artringwald]

As the owner at a resort that is completely controlled by the management company (Diamond Resorts), it's discouraging to see how few owners even bother voting for the board of directors. How many owners vote at your timeshares?

 

[dioxide45]

I think you will find that many Tuggers vote. We are engaged timeshare owners. Not the same can be said for others. They only think about their timeshares twice a year. Once when they make their reservation and again when they are staying at it.

 

[DeniseM]

I have actually tried to help a couple of Tuggers get elected, and found that it's an effort in futility, because the rules are set up to give the current board (under the thumb of the management company) control of the election.

Elections almost never get a quorum, which means that the current board selects the new board members - either themselves, or someone they hand picked.

 

[pedro47]

I have actually tried to help a couple of Tugger elected, and found that it's an effort in futility, because the rules are set up to give the current board (under the thumb of the management company) control of the election.

Elections almost never get a quorum, which means that the current board selects the new board members - either themselves, or someone they hand picked.

Also, in a trust format the trust votes in a block. There is no way an independent person can win an election.

 

[laurac260]

I don't vote. Perhaps this is part of the problem. In our HOA, I knew the person(s) who were running, or at least knew someone who knew them. When I get the info in the mail, it is for people I have never heard of, and can't really vet. How do you know which random stranger would make a good board member?

 

[VegasBella]

I vote, of course

 

[Clemson Fan]

I have actually tried to help a couple of Tuggers get elected, and found that it's an effort in futility, because the rules are set up to give the current board (under the thumb of the management company) control of the election.

Elections almost never get a quorum, which means that the current board selects the new board members - either themselves, or someone they hand picked.

I don't vote on almost all HOA elections. If I don't spend the time to actually learn about the candidates and who's actually running and the pertinent issues being dealt with then IMO it's actually irresponsible for me to vote. I also abstain from voting for whatever judge or sheriff or fire marshal or whomever is on my local election ballot if I don't know anything about any of the candidates. I just leave those portions of the ballot blank and again I think it would be irresponsible of me to place a vote on any of those candidates willy nilly.

 

[artringwald]

I don't vote. Perhaps this is part of the problem. In our HOA, I knew the person(s) who were running, or at least knew someone who knew them. When I get the info in the mail, it is for people I have never heard of, and can't really vet. How do you know which random stranger would make a good board member?

I know I'll never vote for someone who is an employee or has strong connections to the management company. It seems like such a conflict of interest for board members to be deciding how much to pay the company that employees them.

 

[Bwolf]

We vote in all three. One is developer-controlled so the vote is meaningless.

The other two are owner-controlled so the votes count.

 

[LUVourMarriotts]

I do vote, and I attempt to vote on the information provided to us about each candidate at voting time. That information is, or could be, completely meaningless, as its is a paragraph of info that the candidate writes about themselves to try to get people to vote for them.

I actually do not like the way the board works, but it seems to be the most cost effective way of running things. What I mean by this is that the board has absolutely no idea how a major portion of the HOA members feel about different topics that impact the MF's. I had this conversation with a member of the board at Marriott's Surf Club. He said that they make decisions based on the majority feeling of less than 1% of the HOA. That group of people (the less than 1%) are usually the same people every year. They are the people that make their reservations to coincide with the 2 annual meetings. Most of the people go to both of these weeks. Those weeks are not during "family" vacation times, so they don't represent the majority of owners.

Anywho, I find the whole process limiting, and I believe that if some of the major improvements (MF impacts) were polled for a larger percentage of HOA members, would have been voted down. I'm told there is no system in place to actually ask owners how they feel, other than us flying to Aruba twice a year to sit in the meetings. Maybe I can do that in 14 years when we become college parents.

 

[theo]

Comparing apples to oranges...

As the owner at a resort that is completely controlled by the management company (Diamond Resorts), it's discouraging to see how few owners even bother voting for the board of directors. How many owners vote at your timeshares?

At any resort which is still completely controlled and influenced by the developer and / or its' corporate stooges or management lackeys (all of whom are basically just employees on the payroll, with no intentions of ever biting the hand that feeds them) owners can hardly be faulted for not even bothering to vote, since their vote likely has no particular meaning or influence anyhow, in the final analysis. In such instances, the developer will simply retain and exercise majority control and influence until they are gone from the scene entirely (which is essentially never, in the cases of the "big chains").

Moreover, at developer controlled facilities, the "house" generally retains and controls a large block of votes (by virtue of unsold inventory, foreclosed weeks, etc.); there is no numerically overcoming their "majority". It's tough to win a game where the cards are marked and the dealer (who works only for the house) knows it.

There is certainly much to be said for owning only at independent timeshare facilities, where the original developer and / or their assorted stooges are already long gone from the scene and the HOA /BoD is one which is legitimately elected by other owners and is comprised solely of owners whose focus and overriding concern is the perspective of all those other owners --- not a motive of promoting corporate financial prosperity.

 

[SueDonJ]

Speaking just about Marriotts here -

It's not often that a quorum isn't reached for Annual Meeting votes. But for the few instances where there's been a danger of it happening MVW (Marriott Vacations Worldwide) has been proactive in sending out email/snail mail blasts in advance of the meeting to let Owners know that the deadline is approaching, and that if the Annual Meeting has to be rescheduled due to lack of a quorum then it's going to cost the Owners real money.

While it may be true that it's near-impossible for an Owner with an anti-developer/manager bent to be selected as a board candidate, at my resorts I've found that the board members do have the Owners' interests in mind and they make an effort to work with MVW to that end. Compromises have been reached where/when possible (which, admittedly, isn't always the case because of course MVW is first and foremost interested in protecting its brand/image.) Honestly, to me the brand was as important as the resorts when we bought, and I'd rather have a pro-MVW board than one which would be willing to risk the MVW affiliation by fighting them at every turn. If selective compromise is the best we can get, I'll take it.

I would say that the Number One issue that Owners can directly affect by voting is at the resorts in states where fully-funded reserves are mandated unless the quorum votes against it. In some cases the state regs are generally more stringent than what MVW's audit process recommends (e.g. the state might estimate something will require replacement within seven years but the existing product is warrantied for ten, etc,) and MVW generally is in favor of Owners voting against full-funding where it's not needed. If there was a history of frequent Special Assessments then I wouldn't trust MVW's/the boards' waiver recommendations but SA's are rare relative to the number of Marriott resorts.

So yes, I vote, although admittedly I'm usually more in agreement with MVW than against.

One other note about MVW resort boards - every Owner can contact his/her board by email. Sign in to your my-vacationclub.com account, click through "Browse For Resorts" to your resorts' home page, click on the "Weeks Owners" tab then scroll down to the "Click here" link under "Contact Your Board of Directors." The page that comes up will list all of the members and contain a direct email link to the board at large. The only time I've found that they're not receptive is when the questions/comments to them pertain to a legal issue in which the BOD/MVC/the resort ownership is involved. Otherwise, in my experience they'll answer any resort-specific questions as best they can, and they'll refer you to a direct contact if an MVW-wide issue is in question.

 

[DeniseM]

Starwood doesn't care if they have a quorum - in fact, it's to their advantage not to have a quorum, because then the existing board (as advised by Starwood) selects the new board members.

 

[artringwald]

Moreover, at developer controlled facilities, the "house" generally retains and controls a large block of votes (by virtue of unsold inventory, foreclosed weeks, etc.); there is no numerically overcoming their "majority". It's tough to win a game where the cards are marked and the dealer (who works only for the house) knows it.

At DRI's the Point at Poipu, where we own, the ownership is as follows:

deeded owners 63%
trust 35%
DRI 2%

The owners are still in the majority, but so few vote that non-DRI candidates only got 5% of the vote last year. As DRI gets more deeded weeks and puts them into trusts, their control will grow.

The upside is that DRI is taking good care of the property. I know some owner controlled HOA's don't want to spend the money and the property goes downhill. The downside is that the HOA pays big bucks to DRI to manage the property. As a result of the class action lawsuit settlement, the management fees to DRI were reduced and DRI set up an owner's forum. Few owners seem to know about or use the forum, but at least it's there.

 

[WinniWoman]

I voted and I also try to phone in to the meetings whenever possible. I get very annoyed that more people don't get involved. I send emails to the board on topics I would like addressed, etc. Then again, even in our town where we live, hardly anyone ever goes to the Town, Planning Board and Zoning board meetings and then they complain later when something they disagree with happens that they didn't know about...

 

[theo]

I don't vote. Perhaps this is part of the problem. In our HOA, I knew the person(s) who were running, or at least knew someone who knew them. When I get the info in the mail, it is for people I have never heard of, and can't really vet. How do you know which random stranger would make a good board member?

The odds of an owner actually having a personal acquaintance with anyone running for a Board seat at their resort are likely pretty slim in most instances.
Often, the best you can hope to do is try to make an intelligent assessment of a candidate's actual agenda, interest and motivation based upon their own statements.

For example, has the candidate clearly described their personal viewpoint and position on whether or not the current management company is sufficiently accountable, reasonably priced and doing a satisfactory job --- and / or whether they would like to see active examination of available alternatives? That alone provides some insight.

Have they overtly expressed any interest in change, or does their candidacy description just sound like "I'm really all about having more of the same"?

Not voting at all is still in fact voting --- essentially voting (by inaction) to just leave the status quo comfortably entrenched and unchallenged.

 

[suzanne]

I always vote.

Suzane

 

[laurac260]

The odds of an owner actually having a personal acquaintance with anyone running for a Board seat at their resort are likely pretty slim in most instances.
Often, the best you can hope to do is try to make an intelligent assessment of a candidate's actual agenda, interest and motivation based upon their own statements.

For example, has the candidate clearly described their personal viewpoint and position on whether or not the current management company is sufficiently accountable, reasonably priced and doing a satisfactory job --- and / or whether they would like to see active examination of available alternatives? That alone provides some insight.

Have they overtly expressed any interest in change, or does their candidacy description just sound like "I'm really all about having more of the same"?

Not voting at all is still in fact voting --- essentially making an active choice to just leave the status quo comfortably entrenched and unchallenged.

We own at Marriott Grande Ocean. Leaving the "status quo comfortably entrenched and unchallenged," is working pretty good there. You know the old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

 

[WinniWoman]

[/B]


We own at Marriott Grande Ocean. Leaving the "status quo comfortably entrenched and unchallenged," is working pretty good there. You know the old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Well- someday things will change and then you will be in an uproar. You cannot always wait for things to "be broke"- it can sometimes be TOO LATE to "fix it".

First off, even if you do not vote, you should really keep up on what is going on at the meetings and also put your two cents in if you feel you would like something addressed. Board members are busy with their own lives and other jobs and they actually do like input from owners, as they might not be aware of some things- no matter how small or insignificant they may be.

Second- they (and management) need to know that owners are carefully watching them....

 

[laurac260]

Well- someday things will change and then you will be in an uproar. You cannot always wait for things to "be broke"- it can sometimes be TOO LATE to "fix it".

First off, even if you do not vote, you should really keep up on what is going on at the meetings and also put your two cents in if you feel you would like something addressed. Board members are busy with their own lives and other jobs and they actually do like input from owners, as they might not be aware of some things- no matter how small or insignificant they may be.

Second- they (and management) need to know that owners are carefully watching them....

Every place is different. This particular timeshare is so well run, that I think most folks who own there agree, they really don't have any need to be concerned. There was a LENGTHY survey sent out prior to the renovations, and it seems pretty obvious that they listened and follow through on what the owners wanted. The GM is very visible, and is very open to listening to guests. I email him from time to time, and he always replies back.

My husband was the President of our neighborhood community's HOA, so yes, I do get what you are saying.

If there is a time when we need to be in an "uproar", I think we will have plenty of warning. One day Bob Spear, GM, will retire, or move on, etc, and then we will have to watch to see what the new management does. Until then, I will just enjoy the view.

 

[Phydeaux]

Voting? Some folks are indeed fortunate!

At the Royal Resorts in Mexico, the "Advisory Committee" is comprised of members hand-chosen by management. They are all provided a free villa for the week, and undoubtedly kept fat & happy. In 20+ years of membership, I've never seen one single post by a member on the rr forum, this forum, or any other media. They are in essence ghosts. When I've sent them e-mails, they go unanswered, thus I've given up. They're a joke.

So, rr members have a big, fat ZERO for representation, so folks, don't feel too bad about your HOA's.

 

[theo]

Comparing apples to grapefruit...

Voting? Some folks are indeed fortunate!

At the Royal Resorts in Mexico, the "Advisory Committee" is comprised of members hand-chosen by management. They are all provided a free villa for the week, and undoubtedly kept fat & happy. In 20+ years of membership, I've never seen one single post by a member on the rr forum, this forum, or any other media. They are in essence ghosts. When I've sent them e-mails, they go unanswered, thus I've given up. They're a joke.

So, rr members have a big, fat ZERO for representation, so folks, don't feel too bad about your HOA's.

Since Mexican RTU contracts are just date-finite memberships, "members" have no actual ownership interest whatsoever, so it shouldn't be much of a surprise that the actual owners behind the scenes don't (...and never will) bend over backwards to solicit (...or listen to) Gringo input.

That's simply an entirely different situation, unrelated to deeded ownership and / or HOA's here in the US. Then again, some "big chains" right here in the U.S. have just about the same interest in "owner" input (i.e., little or none), so there is certainly some valid basis for comparison there.

 

[AwayWeGo]

That's About The Size Of It.

Also, in a trust format the trust votes in a block. There is no way an independent person can win an election.

You are correct, sir.

In the distant past, when for a brief time I thought I knew a thing or 2 about timeshares, I was induced to become an HOA-BOD candidate at a very nice Orlando FL timeshare resort which at the time was owner-controlled.

When the dust settled, I was overwhelmingly defeated -- not so much because my fellow owners voted against me, but more because individual owners who bother to vote are solidly outnumbered by (a) proxies collected by the HOA-BOD president or secretary & (b) block owners such as trusts & vacation clubs.

From that experience, & from more of an inside view of HOA-BOD operations that I got from several months as an owner committee member at a neighboring Orlando timeshare, I now believe that anybody who wants to become a timeshare BOD member should start out by contacting the board president, or other board members, or both, to express an interest in working with the board & possibly becoming a member at some time in the future.

If a relationship develops that way, then it will be more likely that when a board vacancy occurs the people voting the block ballots & the proxies will think of you at HOA-BOD election time.

That's if you're interested in working with the HOA-BOD.

By contrast, if your interest is in working against the HOA-BOD as currently constituted -- i.e., if you want to throw the bums out & try guiding the board in a different direction -- you will need a different approach. It will be an uphill struggle, because it will be difficult even to contact your fellow owners at the resort, much less to put on a successful campaign to get them to support you.

That's what makes the phenomenon of a truly owner-controlled, owner-managed timeshare resort so rare & wonderful. Hats off to the dedicated timeshare owners who make it work.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​