Most disputes inside an association are not about money. They are about who was supposed to do a thing that nobody did.
The board decides. The agent executes.
The board sets budget, policy and priorities. The managing agent collects, pays, records, procures and reports. When an agent starts setting policy, or a board starts dispatching contractors, things go wrong in predictable ways.
Reserves are not a savings account
A reserve study puts a date and a cost against every major component roof, lift, resurfacing. Contributions should match that schedule, not last year’s number plus inflation.
An association with a current reserve study and matching contributions is one that will not need a special assessment at the worst possible moment.
What to ask your agent for
Monthly financials with invoices attached. A work-order log you can read. Minutes within two weeks. If any of those three are hard to get, that is the finding.