How to Choose or Switch an HOA Management Company in Austin

Choose an Austin HOA management company by meeting the actual manager and comparing the all-in cost, exit terms and how each company handles Texas rules. To switch, your board approves a new agreement, gives notice under the old contract and collects records. Within 30 days of having notice of the change, the association records an amended management certificate (§209.004 for HOAs, §82.116 for condos). It e-files that certificate with TREC within seven days after filing it for recording.

The contract you sign decides who handles your neighbors’ money, who answers phone calls, and how your community stays inside Texas law. These steps also help a self-managed board in Round Rock or Kyle decide whether it is ready for help.

Signs it is time to hire or change management

It may be time to look when the same service problems keep returning or volunteer directors cannot keep up. Write down what needs to improve so each company can respond to the same concerns.

• Owners wait too long for replies to calls, maintenance requests, or architectural applications.
• Financial reports arrive late or leave directors unable to explain the association’s balances.
• Invoices contain charges the board did not expect from the proposal.
• Manager turnover forces the board to explain its rules and vendor history again.
• Directors spend their evenings chasing vendors, posting notices, or reconciling accounts.
• A self-managed board is burning out, and neighbors hesitate to volunteer.
• The community has grown after developer turnover, as many have from Georgetown to Buda along I-35.

A missed call alone may be fixable. A repeated pattern is a reason to review your agreement and invite proposals.

What to look for in an Austin HOA management company

Look for a named manager, readable reports, clear fees, and a process your board can see in action. Ask each company to show how it handles the work your community needs.

Association experience and a named manager

Managing rentals and managing an association are different jobs. An association manager works with a volunteer board, shared money, governing documents, and owner requests. Ask about the firm’s experience with HOA management or condo management, as appropriate for your community.

Meet the person proposed for your association before signing. Ask how many communities and homes or units that person handles, and who covers absences. Workload matters when a gate fails in Pflugerville and several boards need help at once.

Property visits and readable reports

Ask where the manager works and what site visits the agreement includes. Learn who can visit when a pipe breaks or a common-area problem needs eyes on the property. A clear answer matters more than a promise of instant arrival.

Request a redacted monthly board package from a real association. Check whether you can find bank balances, budget results, unpaid assessments, and open invoices. The proposed manager should be able to explain the numbers in plain language.

Board and homeowner technology people use

Ask to use a demonstration portal rather than watch a slide presentation. Try paying an assessment, submitting a request, and checking a work order. Directors should also see how they review balances and pending decisions. Ask to try the board and homeowner tools yourself.

A compliance process that follows Texas law

Ask how the company tracks notices, hearings, records requests, and payment plans using a sample file with owner details removed. In a Texas HOA subdivision, certain enforcement steps need written notice by certified mail (Texas Property Code §209.006).

If the violation is curable and does not threaten public health or safety, the notice gives a reasonable time to cure. It also says the owner may request a hearing within 30 days. If the owner cures in time, no fine may be assessed.

In a Texas HOA subdivision with more than 14 lots, the association must adopt reasonable payment-plan guidelines (Texas Property Code §209.0062). The minimum term is three months. A plan is not required if paying the amount would take more than 18 months.

A plan is also not required more than once in 12 months, or for an owner who defaulted on one in the prior two years. Chapter 209 doesn’t apply to condominiums (Texas Property Code §209.003(d)), so a condo board should ask how the company follows Chapter 82 and its declaration.

Vendor practices, credentials and communication

Ask how vendor bids are gathered, compared, and presented to the board. Find out whether the company or a related business receives anything from a vendor it recommends. Your board should understand those relationships before selecting a contractor.

Ask which Community Associations Institute designations the proposed manager holds, such as CMCA, AMS, or PCAM. Pair that answer with references and examples of the manager’s work. If owners need help in Spanish, ask who can answer their calls and explain account questions.

Questions to ask every company you interview

Use the same questions with every candidate and record the answers. Ask for important promises, charges, and exit terms in writing.

1. Who will manage our association, and may we meet that person before signing?
2. How many associations and homes or units does that manager handle?
3. Who covers our manager when they are out, and what property visits are included?
4. Who answers calls after hours, and what counts as an emergency?
5. May we see a redacted monthly board package and try the portals?
6. How are vendor invoices approved, and who sets the approval rule?
7. What is the all-in annual cost, including every fee beyond the base fee?
8. How do you handle delinquent accounts before involving an attorney?
9. Who signs on association bank accounts, and how can the board verify balances?
10. What happens to our records, account access, and funds when the agreement ends?
11. What insurance does your company carry, and may we see certificates?
12. May we call two board references, including one association close to our size?

Red flags in proposals and contracts

Slow down when a company cannot name who will do the work or explain how the agreement ends. A clear proposal gives directors enough detail to compare it with another one.

• Vague additional services. Request the complete fee schedule and the event that triggers each charge.
• Unclear renewal or exit terms. Read the term, notice method, renewal clause, and cost of leaving.
• Money the board cannot see. Ask for bank statements, account access, and a written explanation of signing authority.
• Pressure to sign. Give directors time to read the agreement and discuss the proposed scope.
• No references. Speak with current boards about reports, responses, and manager turnover.

How to compare proposals side by side

Put each candidate’s answers on one worksheet. Compare the full scope and annual cost, since base fees alone leave out work your board may need.

1. List required services, including accounting, meetings, inspections, vendor coordination, and owner communication.
2. Ask each company for an all-in annual cost using that same list of services.
3. Meet the proposed manager and the person who prepares the financial reports.
4. View the portals and read a redacted monthly board package.
5. Call two references, including one association similar in size.
6. Read each agreement’s term, renewal, notice, exit, records, and funds provisions.
7. Discuss the completed worksheet as a board before choosing a company.

Leave a worksheet cell blank until a company gives you an answer you can verify.

What Texas requires when you change management companies

When a Texas HOA subdivision or condominium changes managers, it must update its management certificate. Record an amended certificate within 30 days of having notice of the change (Texas Property Code §209.004; §82.116). Then e-file it with TREC within seven days after filing it for recording.

A management certificate is the recorded document that lists who manages the association and how to reach them. E-filing means filing it electronically with the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC).

Texas law as of October 2026. The Legislature meets in odd-numbered years and changes these rules; check with your association’s attorney.

For a Texas HOA subdivision, the association records a management certificate in each county where the subdivision sits (Texas Property Code §209.004). It lists the managing person’s or designated representative’s name, mailing address, phone and e-mail, plus the association website and transfer-related fees. An officer or managing agent signs it.

After having notice of a change, the HOA must record an amended certificate within 30 days (Texas Property Code §209.004(b)). It must e-file the certificate with TREC within seven days after filing it for recording (§209.004(b-1)). Put both filings on the board’s task list.

For a condominium, Texas Property Code §82.116 uses the same clocks, as amended by SB 711 effective September 1, 2025. Record an amended certificate within 30 days of having notice of the change. E-file it with TREC within seven days after filing it for recording. The certificate lists the management company’s name, mailing address, telephone number and e-mail address.

Chapter 82 applies in full to condos with declarations recorded on or after January 1, 1994 (§82.002(a)), and to older condos that adopted it (§82.002(b)). Section 82.116 also applies to older condos that did not adopt the full chapter (Texas Property Code §82.002(c)). Condo associations with an existing recorded certificate had a March 1, 2026, TREC catch-up filing deadline under SB 711 §8. If your condo association missed that date, talk with your attorney about filing now.

An owner is not liable for the association’s attorney’s fees, or interest on a delinquent assessment, that accrue while the certificate isn’t recorded or filed as required. For a Texas HOA subdivision, that relief comes from Texas Property Code §209.004(e). For a condominium, §82.116 gives the same relief.

In a Texas HOA subdivision, an owner sends a written records request by certified mail to the address on the current management certificate. The association responds by the 10th business day, or gives notice of a date no later than the 15th business day (Texas Property Code §209.005). Condos covered by §82.1141 follow a similar process under Chapter 82. Owners of pre-1994 condos should check their declaration and ask their attorney how records requests work.

TREC says it has no jurisdiction over HOAs or association management companies. We’re not aware of any Texas statute that sets a management contract’s term, its termination notice, or a duty or deadline to hand over records and funds. Your agreement and governing documents control those terms.

For a Texas HOA subdivision, a services contract costing more than $50,000 requires bids or proposals through a process the association establishes (Texas Property Code §209.0052(c)). A large services contract, which can include a management agreement, may trigger this bid rule; ask your attorney.

For a condominium, the board may hire and terminate managing agents unless its declaration says otherwise (Texas Property Code §82.102(a)(3)). For an HOA subdivision, confirm the board’s authority in its declaration and bylaws. Hiring a manager isn’t on the §209.0051(h) list of actions requiring an open meeting, though many boards vote openly so owners see the decision.

This is general information, not legal advice. Your governing documents and your association’s attorney have the final word.

What a smooth transition involves

A smooth switch follows a set order: notice under the old contract, a signed new agreement, records and funds in hand, then the amended certificate. Here’s the sequence, then who does each part.

1. Read the current agreement’s notice clause, including how notice must be delivered.
2. Approve the new agreement at a board meeting and confirm who signs.
3. Send notice exactly the way the current agreement requires.
4. The incoming manager requests records, funds and account access from the outgoing company.
5. Change bank signers and confirm balances moved.
6. Record the amended management certificate, then e-file it with TREC (§209.004 for HOA subdivisions, §82.116 for condos).
7. Tell homeowners how to set up payments in the new portal.

Who handles each step of the switch

• The board reads the current agreement’s notice clause and delivery method, approves the new agreement, and sends the required notice. Directors authorize bank-signer changes and confirm who will sign and file the amended certificate.
• The incoming manager requests records and balances, sets up accounts and owner access, and sends payment instructions. The manager prepares the certificate for the association’s review, signature and filing if the new agreement assigns that task.
• Homeowners register for the new portal and check their assessment arrangements. Payments set up through the old company usually need to be set up again, so tell owners early.

Association records checklist for the handover

The “keep” notes below are minimum retention periods for a Texas HOA subdivision with more than 14 lots (Texas Property Code §209.005). They don’t apply to condominiums, but collect the same files either way, because the new manager needs them.

For a condominium, the association keeps minutes and records and must obtain an independent audit each year as a common expense (Texas Property Code §82.114(c)). Section 82.114 also reaches older condos (§82.002(c)). Confirm which files are missing and who will retrieve them. Keep the board’s own copy of the completed checklist and new account access details.

If your board self-manages today

Hiring help makes sense when volunteer time, recordkeeping, or owner communication has become hard to sustain. A self-managed board can compare full management with a narrower scope, such as accounting or administrative support.

Put each task and its cost in writing, including what happens to records when the agreement ends. Our HOA accounting page can help frame that discussion. Directors can also use our free, nine-module HOA board training, with no sign-up required.

How PS Property Management works with boards

PS Property Management is a family-owned and locally owned company that has served Central Texas associations since 1987. We manage 100+ communities from offices in Round Rock and South Austin, with bilingual staff in English and Spanish. Learn why boards choose PS.

Board dashboards show live bank balances, work orders and architectural requests, and homeowners use an online portal for payments and requests. Vendor invoices are processed in 1.8 days on average under the approval rule your board sets, with free vendor ACH when available. After hours, our phone line still answers, and true emergencies reach an on-call manager.

When your board hires PS, we request the records from the outgoing company and prepare the amended management certificate for the board’s signature.

Frequently asked questions

How do we know it’s time to change management companies?

Look for a pattern of missed replies, unclear financial reports, surprise charges, or work returning to volunteer directors. Write down examples and raise them with your current manager. If the problems continue, review the contract’s notice clause and compare proposals.

Can our board change management companies without a homeowner vote?

For a Texas HOA subdivision, check your declaration and bylaws to see who approves a management change and whether owners must vote. A condominium board may hire and terminate managing agents unless its declaration says otherwise (Texas Property Code §82.102(a)(3)). For a Texas HOA subdivision, hiring a manager isn’t on the §209.0051(h) list of actions requiring an open meeting. Many boards still vote openly so owners see the decision.

What does Texas require when an HOA or condo changes management companies?

For a Texas HOA subdivision, record an amended management certificate within 30 days of having notice of the change (Texas Property Code §209.004). For a condominium, the same deadline applies under §82.116. Both must e-file with TREC within seven days after filing it for recording. Make sure the new manager’s name, mailing address, phone and e-mail are on it.

Do HOA management companies need a license in Texas?

TREC says it has no jurisdiction over HOAs or association management companies, and we’re not aware of any Texas license requirement for them. Associations do e-file management certificates with TREC (HOA subdivisions under §209.004(b-1), condos under §82.116), but that’s a filing duty for the association, not a company license. Ask candidates about experience, credentials, insurance and references.

What if our current manager is slow to hand over records?

We’re not aware of any Texas statute that sets a management contract’s term, its termination notice, or a duty or deadline to hand over records and funds. Your agreement and governing documents control those terms. Send a written request that follows the agreement and identifies missing records, funds and account access.

Will homeowners have to set up payments again?

Payments set up through the old company usually need to be set up again in the new portal, so tell owners early. Give them clear instructions for finding their balance and making the next payment. Ask the incoming manager how owners can check that a payment was received.

How much does HOA management cost in Austin?

Pricing is custom to your community — request a proposal. When you compare companies, ask each one for a written all-in annual cost and every fee beyond the base fee. Then compare them on the same scope of services.

Should a self-managed HOA hire a management company?

Consider help when board members cannot keep up with finances, records, vendors, or owner requests. You can compare full management with accounting or administrative support. Choose a written scope that gives the board useful help and clear access to its records.

Talk to PS Property Management

This is general information, not legal advice. Your governing documents and your association’s attorney have the final word.

If your board is comparing management companies anywhere in Central Texas, we’d be glad to meet. Pricing is custom to your community — request a proposal, call (512) 251-6122 (Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM Central) or e-mail info@psprop.net.

You can also visit us in Round Rock at 1490 Rusk Rd, Ste 301, or in South Austin at 8701 Menchaca Rd, Bldg 2 #203.

“The contract you sign decides who handles your neighbors’ money, who answers phone calls, and how your community stays inside Texas law.”