Community Directory

I would only do this for owners who give permission.

There is law on this but it is not digging through IMO. Unless one wants enemies, one just does not give out personal info (especially phone and email addresses) without another's permission.

The subject of an owner's directory came up in the Owner's Forum preceding the most recent Board Meeting of the association in which we reside--105 SF homes in an HOA in the DFW Metroplex.

My wife is president, she and I own a property management company and have been down this road before. The Board agreed to electronically distribute the owner contact information in association records which may be accessed in the publicly accessible County Assessors Database, which does not include telephone numbers and email addresses. And sometimes spouse/SO information if not in the county records. Raw data only, no fancy sorting or other database functions.

It is improper to include information in an owner's directory which is not public information unless each owner is individually contacted to obtain permission to include telephone and email information. We have seen some directories which include the names of children. Not good in the wrong hands.

We have learned that obtaining owner concurrence is a very time consuming process and generally results in obtaining about 40% of the telephone and email information. The association makes it clear if Owner A wishes to contact Owner Z they should knock on the door or seek a mutual acquaintance to broker the connection.

Just found out yesterday our portal offers a directory. You have a lot in option. The option also allows you to limit what is shared like name, address, or email. I have opted out of it. I do not want contacted by other members with their whine stories about how the HOA is the enemy. They have no clue on how a HOA works.

We only did this with permission from those who wanted to openly share the info.

As more and more people opted out, we simply quite doing it.
A few years ago, one board member was adamant about having a directory.
The board sent out forms members and residents to obtain permission and identifying info they would want to list in the directory.

I think out of 130 lots, there were 3 who agreed to have info published.

The idea of a Directory was (again) dropped.

It is a misnomer and assumption that your HOA may have anything outside of an address. Their focus is on property address and someone paying the dues for that address. It is not always an owner who pays the dues. Renters do not pay dues. However, parents may pay for their kids or property management companies.

We did not require email addresses. Those are typically kept private. There are no cell phone numbers in phone books anymore. So even a HOA may only know address and whomever pays the dues. That does not make information correct or accurate. Plus does not make it public except for address.

It depends what state laws say. In Calif. & maybe others, the owner name(s), HOA address, mailing address, email addy are all Association records that Owners may possess by following simple request procedures. Owners may opt out of this list if they wish. In my HOA of 200+, only 3, I think, have opted out

I do think most HOAs these days have the email addys of owners in order to send announcements, important info, etc., to owners.

I also think most HOAs have Owners' phone numbers-- mainly for emergencies.

When Melissa writes that she/her HOA DID not have email addys, remember we're talking the 1st decade of this century.

What if I don’t want to be in the directory? You need a release from anyone who wants in.

In CA, Dean, an Owner must opt out per statute. I don't know about Ohio.

also from NC law book regarding 55a

The membership list is unique, however, and cannot (and should not) be given out
freely and without condition. The membership list can be a potential treasure trove for marketers,
spammers and solicitors who want access to consumers irrespective of their status of membership
in the association. With respect to the membership list, regardless of the member’s good faith or
not, it cannot be obtained or used by any person for any purpose unrelated to a member’s interest
as a member. For instance, the membership list cannot be (1) obtained to solicit money or property
unless such money or property will be used solely to solicit the votes of the members in an election
to be held by the association, (2) used for any commercial purpose, or (3) sold to or purchased by
any person.
54
Thus, while the member may be entitled to see the membership list if he or she is acting
in good faith, has a proper purpose, describes with reasonable particularity the purpose for the list
and the records are directly connected with this purpose, the member may not use the list for any
commercial purpose not connected with the person’s interest as a member. The inspecting member
cannot use it to solicit goods and services, but it can use the list to mail election related information
such as candidate information for a board candidate to members entitled to vote at an election.
Indeed, elsewhere in the Nonprofit Act, it is clear that a member may inspect a membership list for
voting purposes at an annual meeting.
55
It can also be used to raise money to finance campaigns for
the board or for another elected position of the association.
56
Courts have held that owners may not
obtain a membership list to aid an adversary of the homeowners association in litigation.
57

Good point, Shelia. I believe in Calif. that HOAs must have owner update that info that

Hi,

Owners are entitled to a certain level of privacy. While it is generally acceptable to share owner names and mailing addresses with other members, their phone numbers and email addresses should not be be distributed unless they have opted in to this or have indicated, in writing, that all of that information can be included in some sort of directory.