Transition is a term that has evolved in recent years to describe the general process by which the control and responsibilities of the governing board of a community association are transferred from the developer to the persons who bought homes in the community association. Transition is not a single event, such as the election of an owner-controlled governing board or the execution of a settlement agreement regarding construction defects in the common property. It is a multi-stage process of many events taking place over a period of time.
The purpose of this report is to provide builders and associations with guidelines they can use to develop and turn over a community association project in such a way that transition becomes much easier and less confrontational. Published by the Foundation for Community Association Research, along with CAI and the National Association of Home Builders, this report includes performance benchmarks for the transition process—from the initial inception of the project through turnover to the owners—as well as case studies that illustrate the implementation of those benchmarks in real communities.
Transition is also available as a free PDF download. However, for those who want a printed version, it is available here at cost.
Contents
Section One: Introduction
Section Two: What Is Transition?
Section Three: Case Studies
Case Study #1: A Model for Developers
Case Study #2: Ford’s Colony at Williamsburg
Case Study #3:Tapatio II
Case Study #4: Green Valley Ranch Community Association
Section Four: The Development Process
Section Five: The Challenges
Construction
Governance
Preparation of the Documents
Guidelines for Governance
Communications
Maintenance of Common Property by the Association
Financial Control
Budgets
Litigation
Engineering Reports and Punch Lists
Insurance
Section Six: Who Are the Parties?
The Association
The Manager
The Approving Authorities
Section Seven: Emerging Strategies to Discourage Litigation
Section Eight: Attachments
Sample Transition Agreement
Example List of Documents to Be Turned Over
Additional Resources