Lack of contact information for HOA board members (Houston, Howe: insurance, attorneys)

[Hangster]

Put some pink flamingos in the front yard and the HOA will gladly introduce themselves..

[Weatherguy]

I would contact an attorney or perhaps the real estate agent who handled the purchase for you. Something's fishy with your HOA. You could also tell the lady who answers the phone that you're going to the media with this if you can't get a packet within 3 days.

[cully]

Can you google the phone number? Or look up the site in your state that licenses corporations. The names will be there. Hey, sometimes you can find them all over the internet on places like Manta.

[IC_deLight]

Originally Posted by fnh

When we first moved here we received a welcome packet from the neighborhood with lots of helpful info on various neighborhood groups and HOA, plus we receive a quarterly newsletter with up-to-date information as well as having the information posted online on neighborhood website. However, our neighborhood employs a management company through which architectural requests and fines/complaints are submitted and issued, dues are paid, etc. I suspect having an impartial mediator helps mitigate hard feelings that can arise over 'differences of opinion' between residents and HOA board members. Maybe your neighborhood does the same and that is who you are actually reaching when you call.

For what it's worth, our neighborhood seems small by Houston standards (<700 homes).

Haha - hardly impartial. If you haven't seen it yet, the management companies are hardly impartial. They will push "resolutions" for board members to sign off on which benefit the management company. Often they have absolutely no authority under the contract for "architectural committee" functions. Moreover, they typically will produce documents that do not comply with the restrictive covenants and demand that you sign forms that impose restrictions you aren't subject to as a "condition" for receiving an application. There is a reason for this. The management companies profit from accusations of noncompliance and their systems are set up to ensure it.

If the HOA has been up-to-date with filings with the comptroller and secretary of state, you can look up the name of the HOA corporation at the comptroller's "entity search" page:
https://mycpa.cpa.state.tx.us/coa/Index.html

Once you select it, you will be able to select the button for "Officers and Directors Information". Just be aware that the management companies will often direct communications to the management company's address - they prefer to have control over information flow between the board and homeowners in fact it often isn't the board communicating at all...

[trekbiker]

Originally Posted by IC_deLight

If the HOA has been up-to-date with filings with the comptroller and secretary of state, you can look up the name of the HOA corporation at the comptroller's "entity search" page:
https://mycpa.cpa.state.tx.us/coa/Index.html

Once you select it, you will be able to select the button for "Officers and Directors Information". Just be aware that the management companies will often direct communications to the management company's address - they prefer to have control over information flow between the board and homeowners in fact it often isn't the board communicating at all...

BAM! Found my HOA and all its board members/directors... the only thing is it says "report year: 2008"

[cully]

Originally Posted by trekbiker

BAM! Found my HOA and all its board members/directors... the only thing is it says "report year: 2008"

So are they supposed to be paying fees to be incorporated and they have not?

Google more. Google the address you send your fee to. What name do you write the check to?

What did you find about that phone number?

On the face of it, sounds like the big secret is that they are illegal and illegally collecting your money.

When you gathered info, start contacting the people whose names you got from 2008. They may be current or they may have stories to tell you about when things went bankrupt or whatever.

Google News the name of your community now that I think of it. Or leave out news. Could be some legal matters.

Your city/county civil court should be online. Click on civil and fill in your subdivision's name and see if any suits come up.

Just google the names of the people you got from your search already. One of them may be the secretive person you've been speaking with. (Or a search by that phone number might bring this up.)

What have your neighbors told you?

Have you asked the workers who pays them?

Here is your state hoa law info:

http://hoa-poa.com/take-action/texas-laws/


And here is the Texas law specific to hoas.
http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/SOTWDocs/PR/htm/PR.209.htm

[Heidi60]

Be sure you run for a position at the next election. Our HOA was very secretive because they and the Management were scratching each other's back and didn't want the homeowners to find out how things were being done. In violation of the Open Meeting Laws, they would have "pre-board" meetings to decide the issues among themselves without proper public input or discussion. Much of the business was handled through emails rather than in the public forum as required by law.

Have you shown up at any of the HOA meetings? Be polite and respectful at the meetings as you don't want to be on their bad side since they have too much power. If you get on the BOD, you can make changes by gently nudging them to comply with your local regulations. In CA it took legislative action to put an end to some of their underhanded ways but there is still a long way to go. Our BOD was so afraid of the homeowners that they didn't want people to know where they live. In a sense, that is fine because business should be done at the Open Meeting; our's had so very much to hide.

Be sure to obtain audit reports and other financial information, which should have been done prior to purchasing in an HOA.

[trekbiker]

cully & Heidi60:

WOW, thank you for your detailed advice. I had NO idea (I'm a first time home buyer, just bought a month ago and was ignorant at the time), and I have much to learn. I'll try and track down those documents/people and see what I come up with. Haven't attended a meeting yet as the last one was just before the holidays I think, but I'll definitely be on the lookout for the next meeting. I'm not ready to say that there are illegal activities yet, but I will do some digging. And I'll be as polite as possible

[crone]

HOA boards can e-mail to make decisions.

They have to make minutes and financial reports available. You have to request a viewing by certified mail.

We lived in a self managed very small HOA for 15 years and just moved into a subdivision managed by a corporation who does many. We only interface with the person at the company who handles our subdivision.

Lucky for us the annual meeting is next week. At a tavern/hamburger joint 3 miles from the subdivision.

[Social D]

All you people that act like the HOA is some clandestine secret society out to screw everyone are ridiculous. They are there to protect your property values and maintain the neighborhood you chose to live in. Run for a position on the board and learn about the process instead of whining and accusing. If something bad is going on then you can fix it. You would be surpprised by the number of deadbeats in neighborhoods that don't pay their fees but are more than happy to let everyone else pay while they enjoy their free ride. These are usually the same people that don't mow their grass, park cars in their yard, have sagging rain gutters, etc. If that is the type neighborhood you want then there are plenty that don't have HOA's at all.

I was a president and board member of an HOA for a few years. Believe me there are always plenty of issues to deal with, without looking for residents to pick on ( ain't nobody got time for that). I was very glad when my terms were over. Give it a try, it is a good way to meet your neighbors.