Arizona Community Management Services

AZCMS has been our management company for several months and we are thrilled to have them. We have very difficult meetings and a homeowner who is disruptive and attempts to obstruct Board business. They have attempted to bring order, make sure everything is done properly, and stuck with us through very trying times.

AZCMS manages my large community of approximately 1500 homes in the NW valley. AZCMS's President/CEO is directly involved in daily management of our community, and I serve on the Board of Directors (and have for over four years).

There was another negative review submitted on this website, and that individual's account is directly in line with my experience with AZCMS.

When AZCMS was hired, I was the Board President who made clear that they were chosen based on their promises of professionalism and respect for the law. These things were important to our Board, because of the challenges we had faced in the recent past at the hands of a different company (PDS) that had no regard for these things. AZCMS's President knew all the right things to say...

Once AZCMS came on Board, however, they believed they knew best how to run things--but their way was not consistent with our governing documents or their management agreement. When I reminded them of the applicable rules, they chafed, and instead threatened to leave as Manager (after only 3 months) unless the Board removed me as President. Others feared a change in management company so soon after AZCMS's hire would upset the community, so a bare majority were willing to do what AZCMS asked in order to avoid another management change.

Made possible by my role as President and Director, AZCMS has/is being thoroughly documented to:

--Have been provided with our community's adopted Board policies, yet does not regard or follow them.

--Have been provided with our Association's governing documents, but does not abide by them.

--Have been present for Board decisions, but does not carry them out (choosing instead to violate their management contract by offering incorrect "legal advice" and then refusing to do as the Board instructed).

--Pressure the Board to allow AZCMS to run the meetings, even though the Governing documents state that the Board President should do so.

--See the applicable laws and rules as a hindrance, and thus ignore them unless AZCMS is directly challenged.

--When challenged based on the law, AZCMS sees that individual as a trouble maker, and then improperly and intentionally smears and ignores that individual (this includes other directors who do not consent to their actions).

--Willingly slander and mislead others for AZCMS's benefit.

--Withhold documents that Board members and homeowners are legally allowed to see.

--Willingly manipulate and threaten the Board and community should AZCMS not be given what they think best, which is more money and control with less transparency and accountability (under threat of leaving as Manager).

--Willingly violate their contract in order to give power to those Board members who will consent to let AZCMS have sole check signing authority and spend money without Board authorization, while refusing to allow the full Board to have access to paid invoices.

--Willingly engage in illegal closed meetings for the purpose of conducting what should be open Board business, in direct violation of A.R.S. 33-1804.

--Make knowingly false statements in official Association records to cover their improper conduct.

This is just a partial list of their many offenses, but let me assure you that while AZCMS makes wondrous promises of competence and respect for the law, once their talons have been sunk in to your community, their true identities are revealed.

As an experienced Director who cares about the law being followed and the community's financial interests being transparently protected for the good of the homeowners, AZCMS is the LAST management company that you should choose. Beware and steer clear--for your own sake.

To Whom It May Concern,This email is in response to the complaint referenced above made by Trudy P[redacted]. What I write is in an effort to help the Revdex.com understand the HOA industry and what transpired with the sale of Trudy P[redacted] property in  [redacted] Improvement Association in...

2015-2016. The $200.00 transfer of ownership fee that was charged to Trudy P[redacted] meets ARS 33-1260 and is a standard fee charged by other management companies in Arizona. Please see the attached Arizona Revised Statute. I have highlighted on page 2, in green, the section that mentions that the management company can charge a fee up to $400.00 to cover the cost incurred in the preparation of the resale disclosure statement and transfer of ownership of a Unit. The statute doesn’t specify who is required to pay the fee; however it must either be the buyer or the seller.  This is a negotiated in the purchase of the property. If Trudy P[redacted] was charged those fees at her close of escrow with the title company and she feels she should not have been, I would recommend that she speak with her realtor.  AZCMS has no involvement in this.   AZCMS was contacted by [redacted] on 11/04/15 regarding the sale of [redacted]. The title company asked that we provide a resale disclosure statement for a closing date of 11/17/15. Please see the last page of the attached document for proof of those dates. AZCMS completed the request the same date the request was received, 11/04/15. After the closing, the title company mails the management company (AZCMS) the closing funds and all documents needed in order to transfer ownership (new deed, closing funds, pre-paid assessments, etc.). This can take anywhere from a few days to 6 weeks depending on recording delays with Maricopa County, etc.  I can’t speak on behalf of the title companies as to why we get some closing documents so quickly and some can take so long. Since it is fairly common for sales to fall out of escrow, the Association should not assume that the property has successfully closed escrow, therefore the Association business operates as usual; to include the collection of assessments, enforcement processing, etc.. When AZCMS receives the actual paperwork we then pro-rate any assessments and also waive any fees that were incurred during that waiting period. This is the normal process. Attached are the closing funds and documents that we received from the title company the first week in January. Our office was closed December 25 – January 3 so the paperwork could have been mailed within that timeframe. The closing funds and documents have been processed in our system and all the pro-rations/adjustments have been made. I have attached a resident statement for Trudy P[redacted] so you can see she has a $0.00 balance. The above information was explained to Trudy on multiple occasions by myself and Ivana K[redacted] in my office.   I would appreciate your review of my response and invalidate the complaint filed by Trudy P[redacted]. Thank you! Sincerely,  Lindsay M[redacted], CAAM®, CMCA®, AMS®Vice President of Corporate OperationsArizona Community Management Services, LLC[redacted]

To Whom It May Concern,
This email is in response to the complaint referenced above made by Trudy P[redacted]. What I write is in an effort to help the Revdex.com understand the HOA industry and what transpired with the sale of Trudy P[redacted] property in [redacted] Improvement Association in 2015-2016.
Per paragraph four in my prior response all of the assessments are pro-rated when we receive the closing funds and documents from the title company. I have attached a current resident statement for the prior owner (Trudy P[redacted]) reflecting the adjustments that were made to the account. 
Prior homeowners are able to login to the online payment system indefinitely. This is so that prior homeowners that are delinquent are still able to make payments on past due accounts. 
I have also attached a current resident directory reflecting the new owner of [redacted] To protect the new owner I have crossed out her contact information. 
I would appreciate your review of my response and invalidate the complaint filed by Trudy P[redacted].   Thank you!   Sincerely,    
Lindsay M[redacted], CAAM®, CMCA®, AMS® Vice President of Corporate Operations Arizona Community Management Services, LLC [redacted]

AZCMS is the Property Manager for my gated community in [redacted]. The owner directly manages the property. Having lived in other HOA communities, I am stunned by the conduct displayed by AZCMS. Problems include dissemination of incorrect information, threatened violations notices based solely on AZCMS's lack of understanding of the rules, and actions which have alienated most of the HO's I have gotten to know. Most recently, the owner of AZCMS refused a HO access to the AZCMS Agreement with the HOA. This is a direct violation of ARS 33-1805 and the CCR's. Later, AZCMS allowed the document to be secured, but only with the condition that the HO sign a 2 page document threatening litigation if the HO ever shared any information within the Agreement - even with another HO. This is one of many tactics used by AZCMS to limit access and proper communication with and between HO's. This is the worst situation I have ever witnessed with a Property Manager.

The response from AZCMS is not properly addressing my original complaint. I am not asking for any resolution, I just want the facts properly addressed.There is no debate as to the legal validity of charging a transfer sale of the property. Her quoting the Arizona statute is unnecessary. To my original point; since they do charge $200 transfer fee I would expect the records to be corrected.There is no debate about the legality of the fee or who (whether buyer or seller) pays it.  That point in her response is a non-issue.

In early June  AZCMS did provide a statement showing the fee to be $150 per month, and that the quote was good until July 31, 2015. I have attached a copy of that statement for your use. No notice was made of a change to $174.00. If the fees had change for the month of June, it is their responsibility to provide accurate data, especially since it was related to a sale of the property. My access to my fees is done through the AZCMS website. I pulled up my account today and it still shows $150/ month dues. I have attached a copy of that statement as well. I don’t know how I was expected to know about the increase.

She is correct that in early November a corrected settlement statement was provided, showing the $174 HOA dues. The house sale closed Nov 11 and was funded on Nov. 13 yet I still received demand letters in January and February. To her final statement that she, “on multiple occasions”, explained the error but did nothing to correct it. I called the office each time and was assured my account would be corrected. Each conversation I asked for a corrected statement to be sent to me and as of today have still not received it. AZCMS has poor business practices and I felt helpless to get resolve from their threating collection letters on my account. I assume my account balance shows paid but I have not seen a statement.