{"id":11464,"date":"2026-06-15T17:30:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T22:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whoalubbock.org\/?page_id=11464"},"modified":"2026-06-15T18:19:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T23:19:49","slug":"understanding-hoa-records","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/whoalubbock.org\/?page_id=11464","title":{"rendered":"Understanding HOA Records"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>HOA RECORDS: LEGAL STATUS, CUSTODIANSHIP, AND CONTINUITY REQUIREMENTS<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/whoalubbock.org\/?page_id=11470\">SUMMARY OF UNDERSTANDING HOA RECORDS<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><em><strong>1. Definition of Official Association Records<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cOfficial Association Records\u201d are documents created, received, or maintained in the course of administering the Association\u2019s affairs. These records are the legal property of the Association and must be preserved in their entirety. Such records include, but are not limited to:<\/p>\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li><strong><span tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"button\" aria-disabled=\"true\" data-url=\"ca:\/\/s?q=HOA_governing_documents_explained\">Governing Documents<\/span><\/strong> \u2014 Declarations, Bylaws, Amendments, and Resolutions<\/li>\n<li><strong><span tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"button\" aria-disabled=\"true\" data-url=\"ca:\/\/s?q=HOA_meeting_minutes_requirements\">Board Meeting Minutes<\/span><\/strong> and all attachments<\/li>\n<li><strong><span tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"button\" aria-disabled=\"true\" data-url=\"ca:\/\/s?q=HOA_financial_record_requirements\">Financial Records<\/span><\/strong> \u2014 bank statements, reconciliations, ledgers, budgets, invoices<\/li>\n<li><strong><span tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"button\" aria-disabled=\"true\" data-url=\"ca:\/\/s?q=HOA_official_correspondence_definition\">Official Correspondence<\/span><\/strong> \u2014 notices, board communications, member notices<\/li>\n<li><strong><span tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"button\" aria-disabled=\"true\" data-url=\"ca:\/\/s?q=HOA_resolutions_explained\">Policies and Procedures<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><span tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"button\" aria-disabled=\"true\" data-url=\"ca:\/\/s?q=HOA_ballot_record_rules\">Ballots and Voting Records<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These documents constitute the Association\u2019s permanent legal history.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><em><strong>2. Custodianship of Records<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The Secretary is typically the Association officer responsible for maintaining and preserving the Association&#8217;s official records unless the governing documents or Board designate another custodian.. This role includes:<\/p>\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li>Maintaining the <strong>complete, continuous historical record<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Preserving all documents created by prior officers<\/li>\n<li>Ensuring no records are removed, altered, or separated<\/li>\n<li>Maintaining the Association\u2019s official archive in accordance with governing documents and state law<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Secretary is not the \u201cowner\u201d of the records; the Secretary is the <strong>trustee<\/strong> responsible for their preservation.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong><em>3. Continuity of Records<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Association records must remain <strong>continuous and intact<\/strong> across successive Boards and officers. Subsequent officers <strong>may not<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li>Remove prior records<\/li>\n<li>Alter or rewrite prior minutes<\/li>\n<li>Delete addenda or procedural notices<\/li>\n<li>Discard financial documents<\/li>\n<li>Create a new or revised version of the Association\u2019s history<\/li>\n<li>Suppress or conceal official documents<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Such actions violate fiduciary duty, statutory record\u2011keeping obligations, and the Association\u2019s governing documents.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p data-start=\"1293\" data-end=\"1310\">Boards <strong>can<\/strong> adopt:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"1311\" data-end=\"1374\">\n<li data-start=\"1311\" data-end=\"1330\">corrected minutes<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1331\" data-end=\"1348\">amended minutes<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1349\" data-end=\"1374\">explanatory resolutions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"1376\" data-end=\"1420\">provided the original records are preserved.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>4. Director Access to Records<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>All directors have equal and independent rights to access all Association records. Directors may share records with one another for the purpose of fulfilling their fiduciary duties.<\/p>\n<p>However:<\/p>\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li>Directors may <strong>not<\/strong> distribute official records to members outside the statutory request process<\/li>\n<li>Directors may <strong>not<\/strong> withhold records from the Secretary<\/li>\n<li>Directors may <strong>not<\/strong> create private or alternate versions of official documents<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>All official records should be maintained in the Association&#8217;s official records repository or archive maintained by the designated records custodian.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>5. Member Access to Records<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Members have the right to access Association records through the statutory request process. Requests must be directed to the records custodian (typically the Secretary or designated officer). Directors may not bypass this process by privately distributing records to individual members.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Members are <strong>not required to request records that have already been made available<\/strong> through:<\/p>\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li>the HOA website<\/li>\n<li>a member\u2011accessible portal<\/li>\n<li>an official or unofficial Facebook group<\/li>\n<li>a publicly posted link<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Once records are made available, they are considered <strong>published<\/strong> for member access.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><em><strong>6. Prohibition on Alteration or Removal<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Once a document becomes part of the Association\u2019s official record by being published or archived, it is <strong>permanent<\/strong>. No officer or director may:<\/p>\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li>Remove it<\/li>\n<li>Edit it<\/li>\n<li>Replace it<\/li>\n<li>Reinterpret it<\/li>\n<li>Destroy it<\/li>\n<li>Separate it from the record book<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Doing so constitutes improper governance and may expose the Association to legal and financial risk.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><em><strong>7. Purpose of Record Integrity<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Maintaining complete and accurate records ensures:<\/p>\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li>Transparency<\/li>\n<li>Accountability<\/li>\n<li>Legal compliance<\/li>\n<li>Financial integrity<\/li>\n<li>Protection of the Association and its members<\/li>\n<li>Continuity across Boards<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Record integrity is not optional; it is a legal requirement.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>8. Posting Links to Official Records<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>When official Association records (or links to those records) are posted in any location accessible to members \u2014 including:<\/p>\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li>the HOA website<\/li>\n<li>a director&#8217;s website<\/li>\n<li>a member-created informational website<\/li>\n<li>an official or unofficial Facebook group<\/li>\n<li>any platform used for HOA communication<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u2014 the posting constitutes <strong>authorized dissemination of official records<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Accordingly:<\/p>\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li>The link <strong>cannot be removed<\/strong> for reasons unrelated to privacy, security, statutory compliance or site re-organization.<\/li>\n<li>The link <strong>cannot be suppressed<\/strong> because of disagreement with the content.<\/li>\n<li>The link <strong>cannot be censored<\/strong> by an individual director acting unilaterally.<\/li>\n<li>Members <strong>do not need to request<\/strong> records that have already been made available.<\/li>\n<li>Removal of such links can constitute <strong>improper restriction of access<\/strong> and could violates transparency obligations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>HOA RECORDS: LEGAL STATUS, CUSTODIANSHIP, AND CONTINUITY REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY OF UNDERSTANDING HOA RECORDS 1. Definition of Official Association Records \u201cOfficial Association Records\u201d are documents created, received, or maintained in the course of administering the Association\u2019s affairs. These records are the legal property of the Association and must be preserved in their entirety. Such records include, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-11464","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whoalubbock.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whoalubbock.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whoalubbock.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whoalubbock.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whoalubbock.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11464"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/whoalubbock.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11464\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11467,"href":"https:\/\/whoalubbock.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11464\/revisions\/11467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whoalubbock.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}