Is this legal?

Bonnie, what does the word 'legal' mean to you?

Who owns the storage rooms?

Are they part of the units deed or are the considered common area that is set aside for use by each unit?

If this were your storage unit, would you appreciate anyone including the Association using it without your permission?

Bonnie, I would probably not mind at all because I do not worry about silly things. Why don’t you just call the owner and ask if you can temporarily store the files in his storage bin? Common sense, I think.

A much better question is whether this particular storage option is a good idea or not, and it not, why not.

Questions about whether something is legal or not are often posted here. Most often the poster wants to know whether something is advisable, ethical, etc. etc.

In this case: it's not a very good idea because it is imaginable that, even if owned by a bank, someone might clear out the entire unit, including the storage area, prior to an inspection and sale.

If the storage units are common area, then they would be under control of the Board. However, since the Board assigned a storage unit to each living unit it's logical for the individual assigned the storage unit to expect no-one else to use it without permission.

As others have said, the Board should ask permission from the owner to use.

However, they also need to find a long term solution for the storage of these files and the sooner the better (as who knows when that unit will be sold and the files will have to be moved again).

Tim

We kept our records on a locked closet at the clubhouse. Some records were kept at the Bookkeeper's office. However, those were mostly from their own benefit. I wouldn't keep the records in anyone's home. It's best if you have a place like a clubhouse, storage faciility, or management company to keep them. Better yet, if you can scan them to keep them on a drive somewhere electronically would be a good idea. Saves space and easier access.

I had to go through 20 years of records in our HOA once for a contract dispute with a lawncare provider. It's a good thing to try to go through them and get them organized. One set of records we even had to use in court for a case. Which helped that I had separated them years earlier. I think the board should go through the records once a year myself after the elections. It would familiarize the new board members and give everyone a chance to see any past mistakes that could be avoided.

Thanks for all your suggestions. The best one for us would be a storage facility as we do no have a club house or a management company.
I need to get to this records, review and possibly straighten them. The first key was given would not work. Later that day a key was given to one of our owners who met me in the storage area and that key worked. The impression given to the owner is that was the key I had earlier which it was not. So that held up the work I need to do for a couple of weeks until I have time again.