How long does it take to switch management companies?

Sixty to ninety days from decision to a fully functional handover, and the constraint is almost never the new company. It is your notice period, your banking, and how cooperative the outgoing firm chooses to be.

A realistic sequence: notice given on day zero; new accounts opened and signature cards executed in the first two weeks; owner data, ledgers and vendor records transferred in weeks two to four; the first assessment cycle billed by the new company in the following month; and the outgoing company's final accounting and records delivery within thirty days of the end date.

What actually slips. Bank signature cards, which need Board members physically available and are the most common cause of a delayed first billing cycle. Historic data, which frequently arrives incomplete. And vendor contracts and insurance certificates, which nobody has a complete list of.

Two things that help more than anything else. Do not time a transition across your fiscal year end or your annual meeting. And appoint one Board member as the single point of contact — transitions with three Board members giving instructions go badly in a predictable way.