Re: May 17 business news story.
According to your article, “Managers of community associations in Colorado have until July 1 to obtain new mandatory state licenses, but passing the state exam is proving much tougher than expected. … Of those sitting for the exam, about one out of four are failing.”
Exams based on educational requirements would not have this failure rate. The educational courses promoted on the Department of Regulatory Agencies’ website and in state licensing legislation (House Bill 1277) have never been reviewed for content and relevance to the state exam.
In fact, the courses offered by the Community Association Institute (CAI), which represents the property management industry and makes a lucrative business by selling educational courses, got DORA and state legislators to promote their courses (highly inappropriate) even before the final rules of conduct, requirements and test exams were completed. Property manager candidates believe endorsement indicated the proper study material.
Further, DORA has never completed an official review of CAI courses (which most candidates purchase to fulfill their educational requirements and acquire exam-related knowledge) to ensure new HOA laws are even included in CAI material.
In our most recent legislative session, a few legislators put together House Bill 1343 to supposedly “streamline” the licensing process even though no known problems have been reported and no experience officially existed in the program. (It is not effective until July 1, 2015.) The bill was created with direct involvement of the CAI and DORA, and once again it promoted only CAI courses that have never been officially approved for Colorado testing relevance. It included licensing exemptions for executive types who surely need the training, and didn’t “streamline” or fix any known problems officially reported by DORA with the educational courses or testing program.
The actions by DORA and our legislators have resulted in property managers spending their time and money taking courses that doom them to failure in the exam and will drive many out of business. The program has turned more into a fee-collection and test-taking initiative than a law about consumer protection and promoting competency and accountability in the industry.
Until DORA completes an official review and approval of course material that ensures it is relevant to testing, the licensing program should be put on hold.
Stan Hrincevich is president of the Colorado HOA Forum ().
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