If you belong to a homeowners association, sooner or later you’ll get an invitation for a board meeting. These are the meetings that decide important maintenance, building policy, expense, and resident issues. They are also a unique chance for residents to interact with their association and property manager, and voice any potential concerns they may have about the building as a whole.
Minutes are the notes from these meetings, which are circulated after the meeting as a record for those who were in attendance and to inform those who tenants who couldn’t make it.
Minutes can vary in the level of detail they offer, but they generally cover:
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Association members in attendance (important for voting purposes)
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Any decisions that were made in the meeting
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Next steps and action items for any of the resolutions made
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Progress reports on ongoing items
Minutes can be shared in paper form, but most associations now distribute them online. This could take the form of a PDF sent out to an email list, but more sophisticated associations have graduated to website portals, where homeowners can log-in to get all the past meeting minutes.
So, next time your association has a meeting, look over the minutes whether you make the meeting or don’t. They’ll convey the most important takeaways and keep you on top of the latest issues going on in your building.
