This program gives condo and co-op boards the communications they need to explain 2027 budget decisions before they’re made.
One week at a time.
WHY THIS PROGRAM EXISTS
When important information gets shared in private group chats and closed channels, misunderstandings spread faster than corrections. A board that commits to communicating openly — at meetings, through posted notices, and in documented owner emails — gives every resident the same information at the same time. With that in mind, these materials are designed for public communication. Use them that way.
They also protect the board. A public record of what was said, when, and to whom is the board’s best defense if decisions are ever challenged.
‘These materials are designed for public communication. Use them that way.’
One more thing: the people who manage your building and support your board do this work because they care about your community.
The regulatory environment right now is demanding and stressful for everyone — owners, board members, and management professionals alike. The communications in this program are designed to inform without inflaming.
Remind your board members and the broader community to uphold the same standard in their conversations with one another and to treat everyone respectfully.
July starts with the full story. Owners who understand why these changes happened and what’s at stake for their home's value and mortgageability are far more likely to accept what comes next. Don't drip the information. Give them the full picture.
The 2021 collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida — 98 lives lost — changed what states require of condo and co-op boards, and what Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac require before they’ll back a mortgage in your building. This communication tells that story, explains the legal and financial landscape that followed, and sets the expectation that more will follow.
This is the most important communication in the program. Send it first. Send it to everyone.
Most owners have heard the term. Few understand what it means or why it matters to them personally. This communication explains what a reserve study is, what “adequately funded” actually requires under current law and lender guidelines, and what the difference between funded and underfunded looks like in practice.
If you are planning a Town Meeting, it is scheduled for Week 4. Logistics begin this week — see the Town Meeting Planning section of the Week 2 checklist.
Special assessments don’t come out of nowhere. They are almost always the result of decisions made years earlier. This communication explains how underfunding compounds, what it has cost owners in buildings that deferred — including $134,000 to $400,000 per unit in Miami-area buildings — and why the board is communicating now, before a crisis forces the conversation.
This is where it gets personal. New lender guidelines — effective March 2026, with additional provisions through January 2027 — affect whether buyers can get conventional mortgages in your community. A building that falls out of eligibility becomes harder to sell, which affects every owner’s property value. This communication explains the rules, the ineligibility database most boards don’t know exists, and what your building’s current status means.
Week 4 includes Town Meeting 1 — the first of three in this program.
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Templates and tools for the week of June 29
Templates and tools for the week of July 6
Templates and tools for the week of July 13
Templates and tools for the week of July 20
Templates and tools for the week of July 27
Templates and tools for the week of August 3
Templates and tools for the week of August 10
Templates and tools for the week of August 17
Templates and tools for the week of August 24
Templates and tools for the week of August 31
Templates and tools for the week of September 3
Templates and tools for the week of September 14
Available in early-July for use beginning August 3.
By August, owners have the context. Now they have questions, and some of them are going to push back. Month 2 is when the board earns trust by answering directly, acknowledging what isn't known yet, and explaining the constraints it is operating within. It also includes the second optional town hall.
This is the communication owners are waiting for. The answer is honest: we don’t have a final number yet — that comes from the reserve study and the budget process. What we can tell you is the range of factors that will determine it, what phased increases look like versus a single jump, and what the alternatives actually cost when you account for special assessment risk.
Owners ask: Can’t we just take out a loan? Can’t we phase this over 10 years? Can’t we fund at the minimum and revisit? This communication addresses each of those questions directly — including why baseline funding now disqualifies a building under Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines, and what the 85% funding option actually means in practice over time.
Download week 2 one-pager: The workarounds — and why most of them don’t hold up
Board members are fiduciaries. Most volunteers didn’t fully understand that when they raised their hand. This communication explains the three core fiduciary duties — care, loyalty, and authority — what D&O insurance covers and, critically, what it doesn’t, and why documentation is the board’s most important protection. It is written for owners, not just board members.
Week 7 includes an optional Town Hall guide — the second of three.
Download week 7 one-pager: Board liability — what it means and what protects you
Download Town Hall 1 guide: Connecting the dots — reserves, liability, and the path forward
This communication follows Town Hall 2. It summarizes the questions owners asked, the board’s responses, and what remains open. It closes the loop publicly, protects the board from misquotation, and sets up September’s budget conversation. Boards that don’t hold Town Hall 2 can adapt this as a general mid-program update.
Available in early-August for use beginning September 3.
September is often the beginning of budget season, though preliminary work may have been in the works for months. The goal is not to present a finished decision — the reserve study may still be in progress — but to bring owners along as the board works through it. Transparency about the process builds more trust than a polished announcement that arrives without context.
Before the board presents numbers, owners should understand how those numbers are determined. This communication explains the budget process — what the reserve study informs, what legal and lender minimums apply, what discretion the board actually has, and what input owners can provide before a decision is made.
Download week 9 one-pager: How your board builds a budget
The reserve study is in progress. This communication shares what the board knows at this stage — confirmed findings, open questions, a realistic timeline for final recommendations — and sets expectations for what Town Hall 3 will cover. It is written to be honest about uncertainty without amplifying it.
Download week 10 one-pager: Reserve study update — what we know, what’s still being finalized
The numbers are coming into focus. This communication shares what the board knows about funding requirements, what the range of options looks like, and what owners can expect to hear at Town Hall 3. It is not the final decision — it is the setup for an informed conversation.
Download Week 11 one-pager: What the numbers look like and what they mean
This communication closes the 12-week program. It summarizes what was communicated, what was decided or is pending, what the ongoing communication plan looks like, and how owners can stay informed. It transitions the community from a program to a practice.
The Residential Structural Integrity Law was amended 19 months after it passed. Fannie Mae’s reserve threshold changed with limited public notice. Most boards found out late.
The Well-Run Building newsletter delivers one current development, one practical tool, and one question every board should be asking — once a month, five minutes to read.
Free. No sales pitch. Updated as rules change.
Plain-language video guidance on structural integrity law, reserve funding, mortgage eligibility, and board liability. Explained the way a board member needs to hear it, not the way a regulation reads.
Reputation Matters works directly with boards navigating compliance pressure, contested decisions, governance gaps, and financial risk.
Led by Paul Thomas — a 12-year board president and 30-plus-year corporate leader — this is advisory work grounded in real experience, not theory.
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The Well-Run Building is a free 12-week communications program that gives condo and co-op boards the language, templates, and timelines they need to communicate clearly about:
Before the 2027 budget season.
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In a short guided experience, the Boards That Thrive guide and a custom ChatGPT concierge can surface system-level issues that may be keeping your board stuck in reactive mode.
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