Questions boards ask before they get to a proposal.

CPE manages condominium associations, homeowner associations (HOAs), co-ops, and self-managed boards seeking accounting-only support. We operate across Greater New Haven, the Shoreline, Fairfield County (eastern), and Middlesex County. Community size ranges from 6 to 300+ units.

Use the proposal form at /request-a-proposal/ or call (203) 295-7701. Doug reviews every proposal request personally. You'll hear from us by end of next business day with a conversation — not a sales pitch.

We've managed communities as small as 6 units. There's no firm minimum — what matters is whether the board is aligned on professional governance. We don't tier our service by community size; smaller communities get the same two-person staffing model as larger ones.

Yes. Doug Newman holds the CMCA designation (Certified Manager of Community Associations) and is licensed as a Connecticut Community Association Manager (CAM). CPE is a CAI-CT member. Doug chairs the Connecticut CEO Council and sits on the CAI-CT Education Committee.

Yes. Accounting-only engagements are common for self-managed boards that want professional financial reporting, reserve tracking, and audit support while keeping operational decisions in-house. The financial package runs on the same monthly schedule as fully managed communities.

Management fees in Connecticut typically run $20–$45 per unit per month depending on community size, building complexity, and scope. We don't publish a flat rate — every community is different. We provide a written proposal with full fee transparency after an initial conversation.

Board meeting preparation and attendance, monthly financial package (by the 10th), owner communication management, routine property inspections, vendor coordination, covenant monitoring, annual meeting coordination, and reserve study live tracking. No à-la-carte upsells on standard services.

No. Onboarding costs are absorbed by CPE for new management engagements. The 87-step transition process runs at no additional charge.

Standard contracts are one year, with month-to-month terms available after year one. We don't build in exit barriers — if the relationship isn't working, we'd rather know than keep a client who's unhappy.

Emergencies for actively managed communities are covered under the management relationship. We don't add surcharges for after-hours emergency calls from boards at communities we manage.

Active onboarding runs 45 days. Days 1–3: bank account changes and vendor notifications. Days 4–15: records digitization and prior-year reconciliation. Days 16–30: community orientation and property walkthrough. Days 31–45: first financial package, first board meeting in the new cadence.

Most do — following the contract's notice and records-handover provisions protects both sides. In the rare case where a prior firm delays records, Connecticut law generally requires handover; counsel can compel delivery if needed. The threat of formal action almost always resolves it informally.

Review your management agreement's termination clause first. Most require 30–60 days written notice; some allow for termination for cause. If there are material breaches of service (chronic late financials, unanswered communications, financial irregularities), those may give grounds for earlier exit. We'll review this with you during the proposal conversation.

Generally no — the decision to engage a management firm is a board decision, not a membership vote. Some declarations require owner notice, but the choice itself is the board's.

We submit a formal records request immediately after the contract is signed. We digitize and archive everything received — paper invoices, prior-year ledgers, contracts, governing documents — in an indexed digital system that stays with the community.

Pre-meeting prep with the board president, structured agendas with time allocations, minutes within 5 business days (digitally signed — no re-vote), and a post-meeting satisfaction survey after every meeting. Average score: 4.8/5.

We tell boards the best-practice answer, not the answer they want to hear. If a board is considering a decision we think is wrong — a policy, a vendor choice, a special assessment approach — we say so in writing. Boards always make the final call; we make sure the advice they're making it on is sound.

Yes. The most common pattern is an accounting-only engagement first — we take over the books, run the monthly package, and the board stays operationally in control. As the board becomes more comfortable delegating, the engagement often expands into full-service management over time.

Consistently, documented, and framed as community protection — not policing. Every community gets a written enforcement policy and owner orientation at onboarding. Escalation is handled through a documented ladder, not ad-hoc. We reset this expectation explicitly at every community orientation.

Standardized scopes of work on every bid so comparisons are genuinely apples-to-apples. Licensing, bonding, and insurance verified before bids are solicited. We don't have vendor arrangements that create conflicts. The community's interests determine the selection, not ours.

Through our Smart Properties partnership, we update the reserve study monthly — actual contributions, interest earned, and capital expenses are mapped against the original projection. Boards get a one-page synopsis every month showing where reserves actually stand versus the long-range plan.

No — and by design. Independence is how you trust the conclusions. We coordinate with independent, qualified reserve study firms (RS or PRA credentialed) and can make introductions. We keep the study live after delivery; the commissioning stays independent.

When a specific capital project has been identified, reserves are insufficient, and financing isn't appropriate — or when an emergency creates an immediate need that can't wait. Special assessments used habitually in place of proper reserve funding are a structural problem, not a cash-flow solution.

Every 3–5 years is standard. Between updates, live monthly tracking (as part of CPE management) keeps the study useful without requiring a full recommission. Communities with monthly tracking typically extend their study cycle because the data stays current.

Balance sheet, income statement, AP register, AR aging, bank reconciliations, budget-to-actuals (YTD), variance analysis with written narrative on any abnormal lines, and the one-page reserve synopsis. Delivered by the 10th of every month.

Yes — insurance strategy is part of the standard management relationship, not an add-on. We conduct risk-profile reviews, run competitive quoting, and advise on premium-reduction measures. Insurance is treated as a strategic financial decision, not an annual renewal checkbox.

The master policy (held by the association) covers common elements and, in many condos, original unit construction. The HO-6 (held by the unit owner) covers personal property, betterments and improvements, and loss-assessment exposure. The gap and overlap between them is the most common source of owner complaints after a claim — we address both in our community orientations.

We coordinate master, commercial flood, and unit-owner HO-6 coverage together, with attention to FEMA flood-zone designations on each building. Shoreline associations often carry AE or VE zone designations that drive significant premium variability — the strategy matters as much as the premium.

Yes — and we've documented significant savings for clients who had been renewing with the same broker without competitive review. Water mitigation amendments, security system credits, and flood-zone reclassifications have all produced material savings. The cases section of this site includes a $28,000 annual reduction at a Shoreline condominium.

No. CPE does not accept referral fees, commissions, or other compensation from insurance brokers or vendors. Our recommendation is independent by design.