A reading path / 17 guides
Housing associationsGovernance guides
Start with your state and association type. Then identify who has authority, how owners participate, and the records needed to explain the decision. HOA, condominium and cooperative rules are not interchangeable.
Start here
What Can an HOA Board Decide Without a Homeowner Vote?
A board vote, an owner survey and a binding membership vote do different jobs. Learn how to identify who can authorize a decision before setting up the ballot.
Read the guideWho decides, and how the board meets
Establish authority before putting a motion to a vote.
4 min read
What Can an HOA Board Decide Without a Homeowner Vote?
A board vote, an owner survey and a binding membership vote do different jobs. Learn how to identify who can authorize a decision before setting up the ballot.
5 min read
HOA Board Meeting Agendas: What to Include and When a Vote Must Wait
Turn a list of topics into a meeting members can follow. A practical agenda, a notice-to-decision workflow, and the distinction between hearing a concern and voting on it.
8 min read
First-Time HOA Board Member: Everything You Need to Know Before Your First Meeting
You just got elected to your HOA board. Congratulations, and condolences. You have fiduciary duties, legal obligations, and a community expecting competent governance. This is the onboarding guide nobody gave you.
14 min read
Virtual HOA Board Meetings in 2026: Where They Are Legal and How to Take the Vote
Most questions about virtual HOA meetings are really questions about the vote taken in them. This guide maps the remote-meeting authority in seven states, shows the five lines a virtual notice has to add, and walks through the roll-call script that puts a board vote in the minutes with every director named.
6 min read
HOA Board Ethics and Conflict of Interest: When a Board Member Must Recuse (2026 Guide)
A single undisclosed conflict of interest can void a board decision, trigger a recall, and create personal liability. Learn the fiduciary duties every HOA board member owes, state disclosure requirements, and the voting rules that protect boards from ethics challenges.
Owner participation and major decisions
Separate quorum, voting rights and the approval threshold for each action.
8 min read
Your HOA Is Voting on a $15,000 Special Assessment. Here's Why the Vote Might Not Be Legal.
Special assessments can cost homeowners $5,000 to $25,000+ per unit, and one procedural error can void the whole thing. State-by-state quorum thresholds, notice rules, and the five mistakes that get assessment votes thrown out in court.
17 min read
How to Amend HOA Bylaws and CC&Rs: Voting Thresholds by State (2026)
Florida requires a two-thirds supermajority. California ranges from 50% to 67%. Utah just capped amendment votes at 67%. Here is every state voting threshold for amending governing documents, plus step-by-step instructions for running an amendment vote that actually passes.
5 min read
HOA Annual Budget Voting: When Members Must Approve, and When the Board Can Act Alone (2026)
Not every HOA budget requires a member vote, but the ones that do carry strict procedural requirements. Learn which states mandate member approval, the difference between ratification and rejection rights, and how to run a valid budget vote.
16 min read
Your HOA Election Missed Quorum. Here Is What Happens Next.
A failed quorum feels like a crisis and is usually a scheduling problem with a statute attached. Here is what does not happen when the room is empty, which states let you reconvene at a lower threshold, why lowering quorum in the bylaws is a chicken-and-egg trap, and whether you can legally hand out gift cards to get people to vote.
12 min read
Can an HOA Take Away Your Vote for Unpaid Dues? The Answer Is Three Different Answers
One of the most common questions homeowners ask has three correct answers depending on the state. Some states void any attempt to strip an owner of the ballot, some expressly authorize it after 90 days, and California splits the difference in a way almost nobody expects.
28 min read
HOA Proxy Voting Rules by State in 2026: Where Proxies Count and Where They Do Not
Arizona bans proxies outright. Nevada bans them for board elections. Florida and Illinois bar them from board elections too. California will not let one stand in for the secret ballot. This guide sorts all 50 states into four categories, names the statute behind each, and shows where the rule hides when your association act stays quiet.
Run and document an election
Prepare notices, choose an authorized process and preserve the resulting evidence.
8 min read
How to Run an HOA Board Election: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide (2026)
Running an HOA board election involves 7 phases, dozens of legal requirements, and months of preparation. Most boards wing it. Here's the definitive guide, with state-specific deadlines, sample timelines, and the tools that eliminate much of the manual work.
8 min read
The HOA Election Timeline 2026: A 90-Day Countdown Checklist (State-Specific Deadlines)
Miss one deadline and your entire HOA election can be challenged. This 90-day countdown breaks every required step into a calendar, with the specific deadlines for California, Florida, Texas, Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado.
11 min read
HOA Inspector of Elections: When You Need One, What It Costs, and How to Hire (2026)
California requires an independent inspector of elections for every HOA vote. Other states require neutral counting that functions the same way. Costs run from $300 for small associations to $6,000 for large ones. Here is when you need an inspector, where to find one, and the platform alternatives that satisfy the requirement for $4.99.
15 min read
Who Runs Your HOA Election? The Five Options, Priced
Most boards never decide who runs the election — they default to whoever ran the last one. There are five real options, they cost wildly different amounts, and in five states the law removes some of them from the table. Here is what each may legally do, what each charges, and how to pick in a single sitting.
12 min read
Who Can See the Ballots After an HOA Election? Retention, Custody, and Inspection Rights
The ballots do not disappear when the meeting ends. In most states they become association records with a retention clock, an inspection right and a custody chain, and the answer to "can I see who voted" is not the same as "can I see the ballots."
7 min read
What to Do When an HOA Election Is Disputed: Mediation, Arbitration, and Litigation Paths
A contested HOA election can cost $15,000–$200,000 in legal fees and take 6–18 months to resolve. But litigation isn't the only option, and it's rarely the best one. This guide breaks down the three dispute resolution paths, when to use each, and how to prevent disputes in the first place.