Boards ask vendors for references and then never call them. It's understandable — the calls feel awkward, and the vendor obviously handed you people who'll say nice things. But a reference call done well is one of the most reliable predictors of how a vendor will treat your community, precisely because a real client will tell you things a sales pitch never will. Here's how to get past "yeah, they're fine" to something useful.
Ask for the right references, not just any references
The references a vendor volunteers are their happiest clients. That's fine as a starting point, but be specific about what you want:
- Communities like yours: similar size, similar services, ideally nearby. Ask each reference what their property actually is — unit count, amenities, acreage, how often the crew comes — so your board can judge for itself whether that job resembles yours.
- A client of a year or more: anyone's great in month one. You want someone who's seen a full cycle, including a problem.
- A recently departed client, if you can get one: ask, "Is there a community that left you in the last year, and can I speak with them?" A vendor confident in their work will have an answer. A refusal tells you something.
Actually make the calls
A reference in writing is worth little; people are candid on the phone in ways they never are on paper. Call two or three references for any vendor you're seriously considering. Ten minutes each is enough. If you only have time for one thing in your whole diligence process, make it this.
Ask questions that can't be answered with "good"
Open-ended, specific questions get you past the reflexive praise. Try:
- How long have you worked with them, and why did you choose them?
- Do they show up when they're supposed to? Reliability is the whole game.
- How do they communicate — do you reach a person, and how fast?
- Tell me about a time something went wrong. What happened, and how did they handle it? This is the most revealing question you can ask. Every vendor has a bad day; the good ones own it and fix it.
- How do they handle billing? Any surprise charges?
- Did their price change, and how did they tell you?
- Would you hire them again? Listen for the pause as much as the answer.
Listen for what isn't said
References rarely trash a vendor outright, so pay attention to hesitation and hedging. "They're... generally pretty responsive" is not the same as "they always call me back." A long pause before "would you hire them again" says more than the eventual yes. If a reference volunteers a caveat unprompted, take it seriously — people minimize problems on these calls, so a stated concern usually points to a bigger one.
Verify the reference is real
Occasionally a "reference" is a friend or a relative rather than a genuine client. A few questions confirm you're talking to a real customer: How many units? What services, exactly? How are they billed? Someone who actually works with the vendor answers instantly and in detail. Vague, generic answers are a flag — about the reference and the vendor who supplied it.
Look beyond the vendor's own list
The references a vendor gives you are hand-picked by design, so add an independent check:
- Ask nearby communities and your management company who they use and who they've dropped.
- Check state licensing boards for complaints or disciplinary actions.
- Read online reviews for repetition rather than for verdicts. Decide up front what would move your board — the same specific complaint from several unrelated customers, say — and hold the reviews to that.
- If the work is licensed, confirm the license is active and in good standing.
Independent references — clients the vendor didn't pick — are the most valuable of all. One name from a neighboring board is worth three from the vendor's brochure.
Write down what you learn
Keep short notes from each call and file them with the bids. If the board later debates the choice, or a future board wonders why this vendor was hired, the record shows the decision was made carefully. It also builds a small library of vendor reputations you can draw on next time.
Where HOAcrew fits
Reference calls tell you about fit and temperament. Everything a reference cannot tell you — whether the business is registered, whether the license is real and current, whether the insurance still exists this morning — is document work, and that is the part already done before a company reaches your community. HOAcrew verifies the three documents that decide a bid — general liability, workers' compensation and the credential that company's trade requires, reads each certificate of insurance and files what the document says, and holds every one to a stated renewal window — 30 days for insurance, none for a competency certificate. Once that window closes, the company cannot bid for or be awarded new work until it is current again. Their work history sits in the same dashboard as their proposals, so a future board can see who was considered and who was chosen.
HOAcrew is where a board runs this. Vetted independent local companies submit proposals against the scope you publish; your board compares them side by side, selects one, and the contract is between your community and the company it chose. Every company's own invoice arrives in one view, with the visit records beside it.
Then make the calls. Ten minutes on the phone with a real client tells you the thing no document carries: what this company is like on the day something goes wrong.