It's not uncommon for condo associations in the New England area to have outside management companies handling the day-to-day business of running their buildings. Managers do everything from collecting maintenance checks to responding to homeowner issues to hiring maintenance contractors—and all manner of tasks in between.

Some buildings, however, opt to go it alone and manage their own communities. Their reasons are as varied as the communities themselves. This article will discuss why some associations choose to self-manage and to illustrate the pros and cons—as well as the actual methods—of their decision.

Reasons To Go It Alone

Picture this: a board of directors and several disgruntled shareholders convene to discuss the poor service they feel they're receiving from their management company. Someone angrily brings up the fact that maintenance expenses have gone up, though no actual maintenance seems to be getting done. The steps in front of one building are constantly icy throughout the winter months, while someone else points out that his building's landscaping looks sickly and ill-tended throughout the spring and summer.

In this case, residents and board members feel their community is not being well managed. They feel they could do a better job on their own. And, in doing so, they'd save the moneythey pay for their management—or lack thereof.

So they decide to fire the property manager, and henceforth manage their own affairs.