Understanding and effectively handling HOA meeting minutes is a fundamental skill in a homeowners association. These documents are the backbone of informed decision-making, accountability, and compliance.
In this guide, we’ll cover what HOA meeting minutes are, who should take them, why they are crucial, and provide valuable tips to help you capture key moments efficiently.
HOA meeting minutes are written records of your association’s meetings. They serve as an official document of what transpired during a gathering. It captures the discussions, decisions, and actions taken. These minutes are crucial for accountability, transparency, and legal purposes.
Usually, the HOA secretary is in charge of recording the meeting minutes. However, in cases where the board of directors is small and lacks a designated secretary, the chairperson often assumes the task of note-taking. They may also delegate this responsibility to a specific board member or member. It’s crucial to select someone who is well-prepared and knowledgeable in taking meeting minutes.
HOAs take minutes for several important reasons:
Legal compliance: Some states require HOAs to maintain meeting minutes for legal compliance.
Transparency: Minutes ensure that all members are informed about the board’s decisions.
Accountability: They provide a historical record of actions taken and discussions held, helping to avoid disputes.
Your HOA meeting minutes should be comprehensive but concise. They should include:
Remember to keep your minutes factual and steer clear of personal opinions or subjective language.
Approving HOA meeting minutes is a crucial step in every meeting. If the quorum is met, this action usually takes place at the start of the meeting.
Following the approval of the minutes, the secretary will add their signature to make them official.
The timeline for distributing meeting minutes depends on state regulations and governing documents. In many states, meeting minutes are expected to be prepared and accessible within 30 days. The HOA secretary is responsible for distributing these minutes to all members.
Yasmine is a Marketing Analyst at Vinteum, where she has been a part of the team for 3 years. She has become an expert in property management solutions and has written over 100 blog articles, offering valuable tips to improve HOA, Condo, and Inspection management. In addition, she coordinated over 60 webinars, CAM CE classes, and board member certification courses. Yasmine hosts internal industry meetings every quarter and is known for creating downloadable resources that simplify complex processes. When she's not working, she enjoys immersing herself in new languages, cooking, and exploring new music.