A board’s guide to leaving an underperforming management company — without disruption, fees you didn’t see coming, or weeks of board work. We run the transition on your behalf, and you keep ownership of every relationship that matters.
Check the ones that apply to your community. We’ve heard every one of these from boards who switched to Tidewater — usually after putting it off too long.
Our transitions team has done this 47 times in the last two years. Here’s the exact playbook we run on your behalf — timed to your official start date, with the board reviewing, not lifting.
No softening. This is the table we walk every prospective board through, line by line.
We spent three years complaining about our old management company before we finally pulled the trigger. The transition was so quiet our residents barely noticed. Six months in, our reserves are funded properly for the first time in a decade.
Compiled from the past 47 transitions. If you’ve thought it, you’re not the first.
Ask your own question →Most management contracts have a 60- or 90-day termination window with written notice. We recommend having your association attorney review your current agreement to confirm your notice date and any applicable penalties.
In Maryland, auto-renewal clauses must be conspicuously disclosed. Your attorney can advise whether your contract meets that standard.
Done well, nearly invisible. The two changes residents will notice: a new welcome letter from your Community Association Manager (with their direct line and email), and new payment instructions in the next assessment cycle. We coordinate both. Maintenance requests don't skip a beat — we run a 30-day overlap on the old vendor list.
$1,000 one-time transition fee — in both directions. Some companies charge $2,500–$8,000 to onboard a new community — we charge $1,000, disclosed upfront. If your community ever leaves Tidewater, the same $1,000 applies; it's the same fee both ways. Your ongoing cost is your normal monthly management fee, which begins the month after your old contract ends.
No. We accept your current chart of accounts and reserve schedule as-is and reconcile from there. Your CPA / auditor receives a clean continuity file from us so the year-end audit is uninterrupted.
We do. You approve every piece. The standard sequence: (1) a letter and email announcing us as the new managing agent, (2) a welcome letter from your new Community Association Manager with their direct contact, (3) coupons or statements with updated payment instructions, (4) portal invitations.
We accept the existing A/R balance and continue collection from where your last company stopped. Nothing falls off the radar. If your current company's collection practices were lax, we tighten with board approval — not unilaterally.
Both transfer cleanly. We coordinate directly with your association attorney and insurance broker during weeks 2–3 of the transition. Open matters are inventoried, status reports collected, and timelines preserved.
You get a named Community Association Manager. Their turnover is rare (our average tenure is 6.4 years) and when it does happen, we hand off in person at a board meeting — never by email. Boards approve the replacement.
We're licensed across Maryland, DC, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and West Virginia. We cover Montgomery County, Prince George's County, and Northern Virginia from our Maryland offices. We do not take communities outside the Mid-Atlantic — if you're elsewhere, we'll help you find a reputable peer.
Talk to our boards. We'll connect you with 3–5 board presidents whose communities are similar in size and stage to yours — you call them, no script. We'll also share our 12-month retention rate (97%) and our state-specific covenant enforcement playbook.
Tell us a little about your association and a manager from your region will be in touch within one business day.
Tell us a little about your community and the right person will be in touch within one business day. No pressure, ever.
Request Proposal / Contact →Prefer to call? (443) 548-0191 · 24/7 emergency line for current communities
