Owner left note of accusation of theft by the board.

Started by NicoleO5 • 20 replies • 892 views

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NicoleO5 (California)
Posts: 61

Posted:

Hi! I know every HOA has one of these. The owner you haven't seen at a meeting in years.. We have many of them.

Me a board member was in receipt of an anonymous note left in our CCTV covered area. Of course I looked at it. It is a note accusing the board of stealing from the reserves... and we can see who did it.

Calling them to a hearing so we can discuss this in person. I am very concerned that a person would accuse the board of "stealing reserves" post it in a common area trying to undermine the work we have all been doing.

I know this is weird. But maybe there is something else we need to do. I feel being publicly accused of theft and someone posting it is a real issue..

PaulJ6
Posts: 990

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By NicoleO5 on 09/07/2019 4:13 PM
Hi! I know every HOA has one of these. The owner you haven't seen at a meeting in years.. We have many of them.

Me a board member was in receipt of an anonymous note left in our CCTV covered area. Of course I looked at it. It is a note accusing the board of stealing from the reserves... and we can see who did it.

Calling them to a hearing so we can discuss this in person. I am very concerned that a person would accuse the board of "stealing reserves" post it in a common area trying to undermine the work we have all been doing.

I know this is weird. But maybe there is something else we need to do. I feel being publicly accused of theft and someone posting it is a real issue..

Calling a person in for a hearing is bound to result in a fight.

Is the accusation widely known?

Why not just made financial statements available, particularly if they're audited, and blanket the community with information? And let the community know that the person who left the note has been identified, and invite the person to speak to the board if s/he wants?

RichardP13 (California)
Posts: 3,868

Posted:

Quote:

Should be easy enough to prove if a theft occurred, did it?

NicoleO5 (California)
Posts: 61

Posted:

NO... we just took out a huge special assessment for over half million loan! I swear if I stole any money.. I wouldnt't be living in a 30 year old condo or driving a 10 year old car now would I?

RichardP13 (California)
Posts: 3,868

Posted:

I had two board members steal from their reserve account and they thought no one would catch them. It was not much, about $4K.

PaulJ6
Posts: 990

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By NicoleO5 on 09/07/2019 4:58 PM
NO... we just took out a huge special assessment for over half million loan! I swear if I stole any money.. I wouldnt't be living in a 30 year old condo or driving a 10 year old car now would I?

There are other board members.

All HOA accounts should be audited- and not just the numbers lining up, but the procedures that the HOA follows also need to be audited and shown to be foolproof. Is that done?

MelissaP1 (Alabama)
Posts: 13,836

Posted:

Just run an audit and make the results known afterward. No need to confront the person who wrote the note. Just find out if it is true or not by doing an audit. If it's true then the HOA needs to decide to press charges or demand the money back. If it's NOT true, then by all means make the audit results available for proof.

Someone here is trying to poison the water. Time to find out if the poison is salt or cyanide....

Former HOA President

PaulJ6
Posts: 990

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By MelissaP1 on 09/07/2019 5:12 PM
Just run an audit and make the results known afterward. No need to confront the person who wrote the note. Just find out if it is true or not by doing an audit. If it's true then the HOA needs to decide to press charges or demand the money back. If it's NOT true, then by all means make the audit results available for proof.

Someone here is trying to poison the water. Time to find out if the poison is salt or cyanide....

I agree 100%.

If you (the OP) proactively call in the person, particularly for a "hearing", expect a fight with a person who will then be adamant in wanting to cause problems.

SheliaH (Indiana)
Posts: 6,964

Posted:

What a dweeb. Didn't the guy remember that area is monitored by a camera???

Usually I don't give much attention to anonymous anything. If you're concerned, say so to the board 's faces. or run against them in the next election. Personally I might be inclined to ask the guy to an executive session, show him the video and then ask if he has any issues with the board's management of the reserves and if so why not say something in person before now.

Instead, focus on making sure the homeowners are fully informed about association finances and encourage them to ask questions instead of relying on rumors. You may not be able to control others foolishness but you can and should control yourselves.

If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it. Marcus Aurelius

GenoS (Florida)
Posts: 4,276

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By NicoleO5 on 09/07/2019 4:13 PM
Me a board member was in receipt of an anonymous note left in our CCTV covered area.

Throw it out.

NicoleO5 (California)
Posts: 61

Posted:

It is but it has been noted by the board.. and we know who did it.. oddly enough, it's not an owner.. it's a family of the owner who is on the title. LOL- the like that person's concerns matter.

KerryL1 (California)
Posts: 14,550

Posted:

Your reasons (rules violations, say) to call owners to hearings must be in writing, Nicole, so that owners know WHAT rule they're violating. What rule is this jerk violating?

KerryL1 (California)
Posts: 14,550

Posted:

Your reasons (rules violations, say) to call owners to hearings must be in writing, Nicole, so that owners know WHAT rule they're violating. What rule is this jerk violating?

JohnC46 (South Carolina)
Posts: 14,265

Posted:

When we get an anonymous complaint, we do investigate it. I say bring the note to the BOD and investigate it.

CathyA3 (Ohio)
Posts: 6,299

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By JohnC46 on 09/08/2019 9:22 AM
When we get an anonymous complaint, we do investigate it. I say bring the note to the BOD and investigate it.

Absolutely. Audit the books, and if there is no evidence of wrongdoing, ignore the complaint. (We never respond to anonymous complaints beyond investigating.)

I'd also suggest tooting your horns when you have good news to report. This will give homeowners confidence in the board and will help undermine the credibility of the chronic or anonymous complainers. Complainers can really poison the atmosphere of a community if people pay attention to their nonsense, and it helps if other homeowners recognize them for what they are.

GenoS (Florida)
Posts: 4,276

Posted:

In my opinion an anonymous complaint where the author can't be bothered to identify him or herself isn't worth the time of day, never mind conducting an investigation. Anyone who can't be bothered to put their name to a complaint or allegation doesn't deserve to be heard.

DouglasK1 (Florida)
Posts: 2,046

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By GenoS on 09/08/2019 10:29 PM
In my opinion an anonymous complaint where the author can't be bothered to identify him or herself isn't worth the time of day, never mind conducting an investigation. Anyone who can't be bothered to put their name to a complaint or allegation doesn't deserve to be heard.

I agree, I'd just ignore.

Escaped former treasurer and director of a self managed association.

JohnC46 (South Carolina)
Posts: 14,265

Posted:

Quote:

I do not agree. For the betterment of all, a complaint should be investigated.

NpS (Pennsylvania)
Posts: 4,216

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By JohnC46 on 09/09/2019 8:04 AM

I do not agree. For the betterment of all, a complaint should be investigated.

General statements rarely capture the nuances.
If there's a safety issue, one perspective. If it's a common complaint that the HOA can't seem to get under control, something else.
Tone is also important. If it's a gripe against a "do-nothing" BOD, one thing. If it attempts to inform, something else.

Sikubali jukumu. Read all posts at your own risk.

SamE2 (New Jersey)
Posts: 310

Posted:

I would confront the person with an email and ask for more information. I would investigate and publish the findings including the name of the person who started it. The reason I would take this route is because I think rumors and lies by members are the biggest concern for a HOA. People can say anything without any proof or accountability. I tell our unit owners all the time it is okay to have different opinions but not different facts. The guy needs to be held accountable.

SueW6 (Michigan)
Posts: 814

Posted:

Our treasurer remodeled her home. Do you believe that the rumor was that she used HOA funds to do this? The Board ignored these rumors. Why? Because each month she gave bank statement-backed reports to the board in her treasurer’s report and 2 signatures are required for checks.

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