We have a well-functioning board in our community, and a new president who is doing a very good job. Many of the owners, however, are foreigners and would like to have an administrator who is near the complex. Our administrator has his office 60 km away and is almost never at the complex. I do not even know what his duties are, as I can only see that he does the books. He is apparently at the complex once a week during the Summer, and cannot speak English. OK, I know we should all speak Spanish, but some of us are getting on and although we try, we cannot seem to get to the level of conversation over and above the weather and “trabajo”. What is the procedure necessary to remove him, even though the president says he can work well with him? I have not the minutes of our inaugural meeting, but I understand that one of our first decisions was that the administrator should have his office in the vicinty and speak English, also because of the large proportion of foreign owners. Any ideas? And where will I be able to get the minutes of the meeting in 2004 or 2005?

You are fortunate to have a well-run residents’ association, and a chairperson who is doing a good job.  You can view minutes of past meetings in the Minute Book.  All residents’ associations must have a minute book into which the minutes are entered. 

If the chair of the residents’ association believes the administrator is doing a good job then perhaps it is best to stick with him.  The administrator (who is an employee, so to speak, of the residents) has the duty to keep the accounts, deal with payments in and out, pay salaries to gardeners, security men etc. (if any),  prepare the balance sheet and details of budgeted expenditure of the AGM, and work on the chair’s instructions.  If, for example, minor repairs are required, it is the chair’s duty to instruct the administrator accordingly to in turn locate a firm or person to do these jobs.

If the administrator comes to your complex once a week then that is the time to approach him or her with any questions or concerns you may have.  I daresay there are not that many administrators who do speak English. 
Ultimately, the procedure is to write (not just speak) to the chairperson and/or the committee members with any concerns you may have.  The administrator cannot act without the chairperson’s or the committee’s instructions or approval.
If you feel you want the administrator removed then start by putting this request in writing to the chair.  The matter can then be included in the agenda of business for the next AGM, if the chair thinks this would be appropriate, and will be decided by a vote.

Thank you for a quick concise and objective reply. Very helpful.

You are welcome, Skippy.  Justed wanted to add that the Minute Book is the “Libro de Actas”. 

And to correct this from my earlier post:

“prepare the balance sheet and details of budgeted expenditure to lay before the residents at the AGM”.

Patricia

Thanks once again. I will investigate about the Libro de Actas, as I am reasonably sure that the inaugural meeting decided that any administrator should be based in the village, where there are quite a few to choose between, also who are members of the Colegiate del Administradores (or similar) and who speak English. Our community has more than 30% of owners who are foreign (the reason for this stipulation) and who are in the complex only on short breaks so it is difficult for them to take a 60 km trip to talk to the administrator when others are much closer. The administrator is in the complex once a week for some hours, only during the Summer holiday months, when most of the foreign owners are not present.