HomeCase studies

What the discipline looks like in practice.

Five situations Connecticut boards face. Five examples of what CPE's operating model produced — in insurance, transitions, reserves, governance, and vendor management.

Waterfront condo cuts annual premium by $28,000 through risk-profile review

Old Saybrook, CT · 72-unit waterfront condominium

The situation

A Shoreline condominium had been renewing its master policy with the same broker for eleven years. Premium had increased 34% over three cycles without a meaningful coverage review. The board assumed the coverage was right; the question was whether the price was.

What CPE did

CPE conducted a full risk-profile review in the first 90 days of the management relationship. We identified a water-mitigation amendment that qualified the community for carrier discounts, challenged the flood-zone rating on two buildings, and ran a competitive RFP against three specialty carriers. We also identified a gap in the unit-owner HO-6 orientation that was driving loss-assessment claims.

The outcome

Annual premium reduced by $28,000 (22%). Flood-zone reclassification on Building B generated an additional $4,200 in savings. HO-6 gap resolved through an owner orientation and updated community document.

87-step transition: 180-unit HOA switches firms in 45 days without a single record gap

Shelton, CT · 180-unit master-planned HOA

The situation

The board had delayed a management change for 18 months out of transition anxiety. Their prior firm had 12 years of records, a difficult outgoing contract, and an incumbent that had historically made transitions difficult for departing clients.

What CPE did

CPE's 87-step transition checklist ran from the day the contract was signed. Days 1–3: bank account changes and vendor notifications. Days 4–15: formal records request to the incumbent, prior-year GL import and reconciliation. Days 16–30: community orientation for all 180 units, property walk with the board. Days 31–45: first financial package delivered, first board meeting in the new cadence, post-meeting survey deployed.

The outcome

Zero record gaps at handover. The incumbent delivered all documents within the contractual window. First financial package landed on the 10th of the month — on schedule. Board-meeting satisfaction survey after the first meeting: 5/5.

Self-managed condo avoids six-figure special assessment through live reserve tracking

Hamden, CT · 118-unit garden-style condominium

The situation

A self-managed condo came to CPE with a reserve study from 2019. Reserves had been underfunded relative to the study for three consecutive years — the board knew the number was wrong but hadn't quantified the gap. A major paving project and building-B roof replacement were both coming due within 18 months.

What CPE did

CPE's first task was to bring the reserve study current. Using Smart Properties, we ran a level-3 update — importing four years of actual contribution, interest, and capital-expense data against the original projection. The gap was identified as $87,000 below study target. We modeled three catch-up scenarios across the remaining months before the paving project.

The outcome

The board adopted a corrective contribution increase, avoided a special assessment entirely, and completed both the paving project and roof replacement on schedule. Reserve balance is now within 4% of study target.

Fractured townhome HOA stabilizes after governance reset

Madison, CT · 44-unit townhome HOA

The situation

A 44-unit HOA came to CPE after two consecutive years of contested annual meetings, a contested board election, and a covenant-enforcement complaint filed with the state. The prior management firm had applied enforcement inconsistently, creating the impression of favoritism. Owner trust was low.

What CPE did

CPE's community orientation reset the covenant-enforcement framework from scratch — framing it as community protection rather than policing. A written enforcement policy was adopted and distributed to all 44 owners. We introduced a documented escalation ladder and published it in the owner portal. Board meeting formats were restructured to separate operational items from owner comment, reducing meeting time and improving the signal-to-noise ratio.

The outcome

Zero covenant-enforcement complaints filed in the 14 months following the governance reset. Annual meeting quorum reached for the first time in three years. Post-meeting survey score at the next three meetings: 4.7, 4.9, 5.0.

Standardized SOW process saves 18% on landscaping contract renewal

Branford, CT · 62-unit townhome HOA

The situation

A 62-unit HOA was renewing its landscaping contract — the incumbent had increased its price 27% across three renewal cycles. The board had accepted each renewal without a competitive process because scopes were hard to compare. CPE inherited this contract and the renewal was due in four months.

What CPE did

CPE built a standardized scope-of-work document for the HOA's grounds — mowing frequency, fertilization cycles, seasonal cleanups, irrigation management, and mulching schedule — in sufficient detail that every bidder was quoting the same services. Three bids were solicited; the incumbent was invited to bid against the new SOW.

The outcome

The incumbent resubmitted 18% lower than its prior renewal price once the scope was standardized. A competing firm came in 22% lower. The board chose the incumbent on the lower price given the relationship continuity. Annual savings: $6,400.

For boards considering a change

Your board deserves a partner — not an order-taker.

If your community is ready for clearer communication, stronger planning, and dependable execution, we'd welcome a conversation. No pitch deck — just a candid discussion of where you are and where you'd like to be.

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