Condo & HOA management
Condo association and HOA management for 6 to 150 unit boards
Copper Bottom manages condominium associations and HOAs of six to one hundred fifty units across the North Shore, with most of our boards between six and twenty-four units. Management starts at $50 per unit per month and varies with the building. The board keeps every decision; we take the bookkeeping, the dues, the vendors, the owner questions, the 6(d) certificates and the capital projects, and every trustee can see the monthly financials in the portal.
- From $50 per door
- Monthly financials in the portal
- 6(d) certificates in two business days
- Boards of 6 to 150 units
What we do for boards and trustees
Budget and dues
An annual budget prepared with the board, condo fees collected through the online portal, late notices on the 10th, and follow-up on accounts that fall behind.
Financials every trustee can read
Monthly income statements, invoices and bank statements posted to the portal, so the whole board sees what came in, what went out and where reserves stand.
Capital projects
Planning for roofs, siding, paving, decks and mechanicals; bids collected, contractors managed, schedules kept. A 10% project management fee applies to outside-contractor capital projects over $5,000.
Maintenance
Routine repairs and emergency calls by our own maintenance team at the hourly rate in the agreement. Snow, landscaping, cleaning and trash are separate optional contracts, or we hire and pay the vendors from the association's budget at no extra charge. The board hears from us before work starts, and every job our team does comes with its own detailed invoice.
Unit sales and refinances
6(d) certificates and condo questionnaires prepared from the association's records with two business days' notice, so closings are not held up waiting on a volunteer trustee.
Meetings, rules and owners
One annual meeting included, owner questions answered, rules applied consistently, and records kept so the next board inherits a file instead of a shoebox.
Built for the associations bigger firms turn away
Many management companies will not take an association under 25 or 50 units, or they take it and assign it a rotating account manager who has never seen the building. Six to twenty-four unit associations are the heart of our book, and we think they are the best clients we have: converted houses in Salem and Marblehead, Diamond District buildings in Lynn, mill conversions in Haverhill and Lowell, garden-style communities in Peabody and Beverly. We also manage larger communities up to one hundred fifty units with the same team and the same monthly reporting.
What it costs
Management starts at $50 per unit per month and varies with the size and condition of the building. Onboarding is one month's fee. Repairs by our team are $75 an hour plus materials, $125 an hour for emergencies after 6 PM on weekdays, weekends and holidays. Inspections are $100. The annual meeting is included and extra meetings are $200. 6(d) certificates and condo questionnaires are $200. Annual tax preparation is $250 plus the CPA's fee. Every one of those numbers is in the agreement before the board votes. Full pricing.
6(d) certificates, explained
When a Massachusetts condo unit sells or refinances, the buyer's or lender's attorney asks the association for a certificate under M.G.L. c. 183A, s. 6(d) stating whether the seller owes any unpaid common charges. The sale usually cannot close without it. We prepare these from the association's records with two business days' notice. Our 6(d) guide.
Thinking about professional management, or about switching?
Common signs an association is ready: the treasurer is the only person who understands the books, reserves have not kept up with the age of the building, owners are slow to pay and nobody wants to be the one who calls them, the last 6(d) request took three weeks, or the same trustee has been doing everything for years. If you already have a manager and the financials arrive late or do not reconcile, or your calls go unanswered, the switching checklist for boards walks through the vote, the notice, the bank accounts and the handoff. Either way, we start with a free review of your budget and documents and tell you what we would change.
Board questions
Does the board still make the decisions?
Yes. The trustees set the budget, approve spending above the limit in the agreement, choose contractors for capital projects and make policy. We carry out the work, keep the records and report back every month.
How do owners pay condo fees?
Owners pay online through the resident portal. Late notices go out on the 10th, and the board sees collections and any late accounts in the monthly report.
Where does the association's money sit?
In the association's own bank accounts, with the bank statements posted to the portal every month alongside the income statement and invoices. The board can see every transaction.
What is the term of the agreement?
One year, renewing automatically, and either side can end it with 30 days' written notice. We would rather earn the renewal than lock a board in.
Can you take over from our current management company?
Yes. We handle the records request, the bank account transfer, the vendor notices and the owner letter, and we aim to have the board fully switched within 30 days of the old agreement ending.
Our association is only six units. Is that too small?
No. Six to twenty-four unit associations are the core of our work. We do not take associations under six units, and we are honest with two and three unit buildings about what they actually need.
Where our boards are
Salem, Lynn, Peabody and Beverly are our strongest condo markets
We manage associations across the North Shore, with the most in Salem, Lynn, Peabody and Beverly, and boards in Swampscott, Marblehead and beyond. Each town page explains what managing a building there involves.
Give your board its evenings back
Tell us about your association: unit count, town and what is not working today. We will send a proposal and a sample agreement.