On special assessments

Special assessments will still happen. Even the best-managed association can't predict everything. A hurricane, an unexpected system failure, a change in building codes—these things occur.

The difference is scale.

An association with 100% funded reserves might need a $500 special assessment to cover an unexpected expense. An underfunded association facing the same surprise might need $15,000 from each owner.

One is an inconvenience. The other is a crisis that some owners simply cannot afford.

Special assessments should be for genuine surprises—the storm damage nobody predicted, the failure that came ten years early, the new code requirement that didn't exist when you planned. If you're using them for predictable expenses, your reserves have failed.

They also damage your building's reputation and value. Buyers research associations before purchasing. A history of special assessments signals poor management and unpredictable costs. It makes your units harder to sell and worth less when you do.

The goal of the Reserves Pro Method is to make special assessments rare, small, and genuinely unexpected—not a regular feature of your community's financial life.