The Offices and Responsibilities of an HOA Board of Directors

You know that there is an active HOA in your neighborhood and as a resident, you feel you should be involved in the association. Not to mention, it would be wise to get to know the board of directors a little bit better. To help you understand who the board is and what they do, here is a description of individual offices within the HOA and the responsibilities for each.

President:

The President of a Homeowners Association can be compared to that of a Chief Executive Officer of a corporation. Presidents will generally run all meetings of the board.  They will execute contracts say with landscapers or painting companies, in the name of the association.

The president is in charge of day-to-day activities of the HOA and serves as a spokesperson for the association in outside matters. As with other officers, the president has a duty to serve on the board with the best interests of the association in mind. Unless otherwise noted, the president serves at the will of the board and can be removed with or without cause at any time by a majority vote of the full board.

Vice President:

The vice-president is entrusted with all of the duties and responsibilities of the president, if the president is absent. Some boards may designate more duties to the vice-president. Oftentimes the vice-president will chair a committee like the architecture review and in the case of multiple committees; sometimes there is more than one vice-president.

Treasurer:

The treasurer is the custodian of the funds, investments and financial records of the association. In the case of an association that has a property manager, or management company handling the day-to-day financials, the treasurer will oversee the team to ensure that financial records are properly filed and maintained. They also need to check to make sure that the management company is adhering to good accounting principles. Typically the treasurer is responsible for developing the proposed annual budget and for preparing and presenting the annual financial report on the financial health of the association.

Secretary:

The secretary of the HOA board is responsible for keeping and maintaining the minutes of all meetings of the board and members of the association. In many cases, the secretary is responsible for finding a note-taker or recorder to record meetings. HOA documents may be accessed by members throughout the year and even potential buyers; document access is oftentimes regulated state by state.

HOA offices are important jobs and require a high level of organization and attention to detail, not to mention a high level of trust and accountability amongst members. Typically, an HOA board functions with four members, however, some function with less and some with more.  Each state has its own HOA regulations.