How to determine if the occupied house is purchased or rental/lease

Why do you need to know if it is rented or leased?

All you need is the information on the OWNER, since it's the owner who is obligated to comply with all the covenants.

That information should be available, along with current mailing addresses, at your county clerk's office or in your localities tax records.

Here all we have to do is log into the Property Valuation Administrator for our county. Then do an address search and it pops up all the tax records, with the title holder's name, including the current (supposedly) mailing address for the owner.

PennyG,
I would suggest you also read your documents very, very closely to see if there is any requires that your association office be notified of any sales or purchases inside the HOA.

Also, Georgia has some very specific state requirements for HOA's. I would Google Georgia Laws concerning HOA's or something like that. Try to find out all your state requirements and standards.
You can also go to top of this page on right and search "Georgia" or also look at links highlighted in yellow this page on the left. There is a lot of state information and free General information if you search these sites.

Thanks for all the input. I followed MicheleD (Kentucky) advice this morning and I was successful. After four transfers from the County Clerk Office; I reached a representative who walked me through the links. It’s amazing what one can find out if they are passionate about what they do. I'll check out the additional suggestions this weekend. As for as the previous board, I believe they were too relaxed doing nothing, but full of excuses. I will definitely make a positive change as a Board member. It's going to take time to win the trust of homeowners. The board will improve this year. I have a lot to learn about HOA rules and Board in a short time. I’m up for the challenge. As I mentioned in previous note, some one receives the information, because I received a letter addressed to me from Property Management and I had only been in subdv a few weeks and nobody knew my name.

DuaneW1,
Not to be forgotten, especially if non-guided and ill guided HOAs.

Necessity is the mother of invention!

I don't know what you are paying your management company, but I would suggest that you include as part of their duties a monthly updated owners listing with name(s) on deed, anyone assigned
responsibility, addresses, phone #, e-mail addresses. Any properties for sale and who is listing them. As far as properties for sale you can check a good realtor and request a MLS and get 98% of them. Also, if an owner wants to sell and knows the Regime maintains a list, I suspect they would want to be on it. Especially if this information is e-mailed to the owners. E-mail addresses should be required of owners, you have their phone #, what's the difference, also, in case of a natural disaster, e-mail is a lot faster passing out information than anything else.

Michele,
I KNOW I am guilty of this. I tend to not mention when I write that many times I am talking about how we do or don't do things and expect all who read this to know I am not suggesting this is the way to go for all associations. In this e-mail business I really don't expect every one to do as we do or don't. If it works for us and doesn't work for you, it doesn't make it wrong. Most time (I believe) everyone has to sign an agreement with the HOA when they purchase property that they accept the rules. You even have to do that in order to get on some web sites, you accept an agreement electronically. So this is not cruel and unusual punishment. I accept that some folks may be tightfisted with all kinds of personal information and then go out and hand a waiter their credit card. Lots more important than an e-mail or phone number. I also recognize and don't convey that some associations are much more restrictive than mine and maybe some suggestions won't work with them.
I am curious about if your regulations require certain restrictions how do you justify the owners not agreeing to them when they sign the HOA agreement. If a phone # was required by the HOA, do I hear you say the owner can refuse to provide it. The HOA might have to agree not to publish it, but I suspect they could require it be on file, same with e-mail address, if this technology is used by the management for communications as directed by their covenants.

Again, I am not saying the shoe fits your foot, but there will be feet out there that the shoe will fit.

Thanks to all for your wisdom, laughter, valuable information and suggestions. My first HO Board meeting is tonight. Officers will be elected. I have added some of the suggestion and comments for tonight’s discussion. The entire board volunteers their services. I take volunteer just as serious as a paid job. Volunteer is not an excuse to be slack. I am passionate about any thing I do in my name. Thanks again for your help!

Good luck to you, Penny!

Keep in mind, though, that being an unpaid (volunteer) board of directors member does not mean you aren't getting something from it! Your "payment" is knowing that you are doing all you can to keep your association healthy! That should pay off, in the long run, on the investment you made in your home.