When the Gatekeepers Turn Against You: Why HOA Estate Managers Need a Grievance Path
By Lisa van Zyl, Estate Manager
For many people, an HOA Estate Manager’s role looks simple from the outside- ensure compliance, manage contractors, keep residents happy. But for those of us who have lived it, it can be a very lonely position, especially when the people you report to are the very ones undermining everything you stand for.
I served under a board of trustees in a common law association HOA for two years that taught me more about resilience and restraint than I ever thought possible. Our constitution at the time didn’t limit the number of proxies a person could hold. It was a small clause, easily overlooked, but it became the loophole that allowed a handful of individuals to vote themselves into power. It wasn’t democratic – it was strategic.
Once in control, the new trustees made it their mission to undo every safeguard the previous board had built. They replaced our vetted, PSIRA-compliant security company with one that wasn’t even in good standing. They leaned on our managing agent, ensuring decisions were quietly manipulated behind closed doors. They even managed to have our sole adjudicating architect approve plans that broke our own architectural guidelines.
And then they turned their focus to me.
When they couldn’t find a single legitimate reason to dismiss me, the goal shifted: make my job unbearable. They cut me out of meetings and correspondence. Suppliers were instructed not to communicate with me directly. They wanted me to resign – to walk away quietly.
It was an isolating and degrading experience. I was supposed to be managing the estate, yet I was deliberately kept in the dark. The stress took a physical toll – I ended up on anxiety and sleeping medication, and every morning I had to remind myself why I was staying: because I’m a single mother, and providing for my family had to come before my pride.
Thankfully, not everyone turned a blind eye. A few suppliers recognised what was happening and kept me informed, discreetly. That small act of decency kept me going long enough to study our constitution line by line until I found something: a clause that allowed members themselves to call a special meeting.
I quietly reached out to residents, guided them on how to table agenda items, and held my breath as the chairperson tried every trick in the book to stop it from happening. But the notice went out – and 24 hours before the meeting, five trustees resigned. The sixth was overseas. A new board was elected, and just like that, two years of intimidation ended.
But here’s the bigger issue: what if our constitution hadn’t allowed that meeting? I would have had no way out – no grievance channel, no independent support, and no legal resources to fight back. Going to court wasn’t realistic; few managers can afford that.
I’m sure I’m not alone. There are likely dozens of HOA Estate Managers across the country silently enduring toxic boards, walking the tightrope between professionalism and survival. There’s no clear path to report corruption when the culprits are the very trustees you serve. And when you try to stand your ground, you’re painted as “difficult,” “non-compliant,” or “disruptive.”
It’s time for the Community Schemes Ombud Service (CSOS) and the Department of Human Settlements to recognise this gap. We need a formal grievance and support mechanism for Estate Managers – a place where we can safely report governance abuse, seek guidance, and be protected from retaliation.
Such a mechanism could provide:
- A confidential reporting line for managers facing intimidation or unethical instructions.
- Access to advisory and legal support when a board’s conduct violates regulations.
- Protection from unfair dismissal for those acting in good faith.
- Mandatory governance training for trustees to understand their responsibilities and limits.
Estate Managers are the custodians of compliance and stability in these communities. But without protection, we become easy targets – scapegoats for dysfunction, or collateral damage in power struggles.
I’m not asking for sympathy. I’m asking for structure – for a fair, transparent process that ensures managers can uphold their duties without fear. Because the health of every community scheme depends not just on rules and regulations, but on the wellbeing and integrity of those entrusted to enforce them.
If this article leads to reform, even in a small way, then those two years of difficulty will have meant something more than personal endurance. They’ll have been a turning point toward better protection for the people who quietly hold these communities together.
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Article reference: Paddocks Press: Volume , Issue
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
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