Community association manager vs building manager

The differences between community association managers and building managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a community association manager and a building manager. Additionally, a building manager has an average salary of $66,595, which is higher than the $57,602 average annual salary of a community association manager.

The top three skills for a community association manager include customer service, property management and cam. The most important skills for a building manager are building maintenance, emergency situations, and HVAC.

Community association manager vs building manager overview

	Community Association Manager	Building Manager
Yearly salary	$57,602	$66,595
Hourly rate	$27.69	$32.02
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	20,738	15,982
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	6	6

What does a community association manager do?

Community association managers are responsible for managing the common property and services of condominiums, organized communities, and cooperatives. Their tasks include preparing financial statements and budgets, collecting monthly assessments, negotiating with contractors, and assist in solving complaints. Also, they communicate daily with homeowners and other residents and supervise the maintenance of properties and facilities. Additionally, they help the board and homeowners in observing with the association and the government laws and regulations, administer the association's budget and financial records, and solve legal issues or disputes.

What does a building manager do?

Building managers are executives who oversee the maintenance and safety of properties and make sure that these properties comply with the organization's goals. The managers coordinate and manage the safety, security, and maintenance of the general building. They are tasked to supervise janitorial staff in cleaning the building. It is their responsibility to keep organized and clear records related to security issues and occupant complaints. They should be equipped with organizational skills, attention to detail, and communication skills.

Community association manager vs building manager salary

Community association managers and building managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Community Association Manager	Building Manager
Average salary	$57,602	$66,595
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $92,000	Between $37,000 And $117,000
Highest paying City	Hartford, CT	Cambridge, MA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Connecticut
Best paying company	U.S. Bank	Apple
Best paying industry	Start-up	Real Estate

Differences between community association manager and building manager education

There are a few differences between a community association manager and a building manager in terms of educational background:

	Community Association Manager	Building Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

Community association manager vs building manager demographics

Here are the differences between community association managers' and building managers' demographics:

	Community Association Manager	Building Manager
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 38.7% Female, 61.3%	Male, 65.9% Female, 34.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 5.2% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 5.3% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between community association manager and building manager duties and responsibilities

Community association manager example responsibilities.

Manage numerous capital improvements, including elevator modernization and HVAC upgrades, delivering projects on time and in budget.
Manage segment's treasury function including equity forecasting and investment requests as well as lender relations in a difficult banking environment.
Process payroll tax payments and payroll-relate IRS forms.
Process checks for payment and process bi-weekly payroll.
Attend several training programs and create the accounting system in Quickbooks for association.
Maintain all accounts QuickBooks proficient, confident phone demeanor/presence and take charge of a collection position.

Building manager example responsibilities.

Demonstrate leadership, accountability, and teamwork when managing the budget by empowering staff members to participate in controlling expenditures.
Supervise electrical, plumbing, mechanical and general carpentry works.
Perform renovation repairs including painting, plastering, electrical and plumbing repairs.
Maintain cleanliness of common spaces; including garbage/recycling removal and snow removal.
Provide first aid and CPR as required.
Offer basic first aid and CPR when need.

Community association manager vs building manager skills

Common community association manager skills

Customer Service, 16%
Property Management, 12%
Cam, 7%
HOA, 6%
Meeting Minutes, 5%
Provide Management, 5%

Common building manager skills

Building Maintenance, 8%
Emergency Situations, 8%
HVAC, 7%
Quality Customer Service, 7%
Facilities Management, 5%
Emergency Procedures, 4%

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Community Association Manager
Community Association Manager vs Building Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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