HOA Request Personal Information

Hi!
Our HOA sent a letter today requesting contact information for all individuals living at the address, car information including make, model, color, license plate, the breed, names and description of any pets, emergency contact information and copies of our homeowners insurance declarations page. They also are requesting notification of health-related needs, physical and medical. I've lived here 5 years and have never had to give so much information before. Plus, If the unit is rented, they are requesting copies of the leases..

Can they legally require all this information? Can I fill out what I feel is necessary and not provide the rest?

The townhouse is in Pennsylvania.

Thank you for any advice, clarification or insight.
Nancy

have you looked at the CCRs, does it say you have too?

Nancy, I don't think you should waste your time reading your CC&Rs about this topic. It's hard to imagine it'd be in them.

If you want to know what is or isn't legal, go to a private attorney. We aren't lawyers and since there are a number of people posting from different states, what's true in mine may not be the same for you.

I would agree the board doesn't necessarily need the health-related needs, BUT such information may be useful if, for example, there's a major blizzard and a resident needs to get to dialysis, but the streets are in bad shape. Or there's a tornado and another resident has mobility issues - if that townhouse was severely damaged, emergency services may need to know that so they can prioritize a rescue. You might want to ask the board how this information will be used and what will be done to protect the resident's privacy.

As for rented units, some communities do require that leases contain certain clauses, such as the tenant agreeing to comply with community rules and giving the association the right to pursue the tenant if he/she violates them. The homeowners insurance information may be helpful in verifying people have it and there's no overlap in coverage between the association master policy and the individual policies. Of course, the homeowner should have his/her agent contact the association at the start so he/she will know what needs to be included.

There are practical reasons for requesting the other information also. If you're out of town and something happens to your home, wouldn't you want the property manager to have an emergency contact in case he or she couldn't reach you immediately? Knowing who owns what car or pet can be useful in identifying problems like residents who consistently park in the wrong spot or let their dogs run wild all over the neighborhood.

Nancy,

They can request whatever they want. And you can provide whatever you want. You'd need to consult a lawyer as to what is or is not legal.

If it were me, I wouldn't waste anymore time on it. Just don't fill it out. And unless you're really curious, there's no need to do any sort of research on what parts you should or should not fill out.

If it is info they truly need to obtain and they have a documented right to obtain that info, then they will ask for it again and provide the documentation to support their need for the info and your need to fill it out. If they don't provide proof that they need and are allowed to request the info, simply ask for the proof. Put onus on them instead of feeling like it's on you.

We request the car information for parking enforcement purposes, but none of the other information. Certainly not the health stuff.

I know from personal experience that if you have a medical condition that may require assistance in power outages, blizzards etc... it is best to call your local fire/ambulance company and let them know. We were given this advise as well as filling out a medical form for the power company. This gave the power company knowledge of the medical apparatuses at our house and we were prioritized if we lost power. The fire station would also know a bit of the medical background if they got a 911 call from our house. This is WAY more important than letting the HOA know.

I saw this in the News Articles of this website.

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) - A legally-blind woman was hit by a $4,000 penalty by her homeowners association -- all for apparently not filling out a form.

Island Park Condominiums, near Eastern Avenue and Windmill Lane, was paradise for Joan Flurry until recently.

"They asked you who lives there, how long you've lived there, who if anyone else was living there the animals you had, what they were," she said.

Flurry is referring to a mandatory owner registration form. She says she filled it out, even signed up her 10-year-old tuxedo cat, Miss Bootsie, and sent it in. But there was a problem.

Flurry claims the HOA claimed they never got the paperwork. A short time later, Flurry says without a hearing or other notices, letters threatening legal action and thousands of dollars in liens started showing up. It eventually added up to $4,000.

"I mean right now she's held hostage by this debt," said Stephanie Dibbs, a family friend and realtor. "We have to sell her condo she needs the money now that she's in an independent living facility."

Dibbs tried to go to bat for Flurry to clear the lien, which is almost two months rent at her new place. But she couldn't even get a phone call returned.

"Yes, it is outrageous," Flurry said. "These HOAs seem to be able to get away with murder and you know you have no one to fight for you, if these people answer you, where do you go, who do you turn to?"

Contact 13 reached out to the HOA's management company. Nicklin Property Management says they separated from the Island Park Homeowners Association after "irreconcilable differences."

That led Contact 13 to the HOA's new management company. The board had a change of heart, reversing the lien and fees without further explanation.

Contact 13 spoke to an HOA legal expert, who says state laws dictate penalties must be on par with the offense. He says in this case, a $4,000 lien is outrageous for a piece of paper.

For Flurry, she just sold her condo and it's back to peace and quiet.

Thank you all for the information. I read through the CC&R's and the only requirement is for lease copies and rental tenant contact. I am going to send in the form with my basic contact and vehicle information.