Massachusetts HOA Guides & Resources

Manager licensing

Massachusetts does not license or register community association managers at the state level. There is no state exam, no continuing-education mandate, and no regulatory body overseeing HOA management firms or individual managers in their capacity as association managers. Boards evaluating management companies must therefore rely on voluntary professional credentials — such as the Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA) or Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM) designations from industry organizations — along with references, insurance documentation, and contract terms. This contrasts with states that have enacted mandatory licensing, and it is one reason that selecting a management firm requires particularly careful due diligence by Massachusetts boards.

Governing law

The primary legal framework for Massachusetts community associations is M.G.L. Chapter 183A (the Condominium Act), which governs the creation, ownership, and operation of condominium associations. The statute requires each condominium to record a master deed and bylaws, establishes percentage-interest-based common expense assessments, grants associations a priority lien for up to six months of unpaid dues, and gives boards of trustees exclusive authority to conduct litigation concerning common areas. Section 11 specifically requires bylaws to address procedures for hiring personnel, with or without a manager, but neither Chapter 183A nor any other Massachusetts statute requires that manager to hold a state license or registration. Traditional single-family HOAs not organized as condominiums rely on their recorded covenants and general nonprofit corporation law (M.G.L. Chapter 180) rather than a dedicated planned-community act.