Condo Association Management Blog

Look up the tax information on-line. Most counties post property ownership information on-line at their county web sites.

The only way you should be able to get that information is go door to door and ask each resident if they are willing to let you have their personal contact info. The board would be making a serious breech of confidentiality if they gave you anyone's personal data.

In the State of Washington when we not only asked for this information but also some financial statements. 
 
 
 
We received a letter from our condo's lawyer ordering us to stop throwing furniture down the garbage chute because it blocks it. The letter also stated that the manager has contacted us several times about the issue. In addition, it included a bill. But there were several problems here. First we never threw any "furniture" down the garbage chute and I just can't see how someone can do this, it's not possible because these chutes are just too small. Second we had taken pictures of all our possessions two months before this in case we needed this for our insurance company and these pictures show exactly the same furniture we have now, and none is missing, so we couldn't have thrown furniture down the chute. So we approached the manager and she said that she left several messages on our voice mail and even wrote us two letters; we tried to explain to her that it must be someone else doing this and showed her the pictures and invited her to our suite; we said that she must have had a wrong number for us and that we never received her letters. Nothing worked. I must add here that this manager has been nasty to us from the time we asked her if we could see the latest financial statements as this had offended her a lot and she had replied that this was illegal. 
 
 
 
To make this long story short, before we could even pay the lawyer's fee, we got a lien put on our unit from the lawyer's office. How can a lawyer representing a condo do this? Don't they check facts before they send a letter to an owner that is actually being victimized? We could easily have hired a private detective to see if furniture had actually be thrown down, and so on, but I can't tell you how much we wanted to leave; we got out of there fast. We will never live in a condo again. We had gone into your website to see what could be done and we would appreciate it if you posted this letter because, although your website discusses some of the problems coming from managers such as ours was, there is not much that speaks of the fact that there seems to be something wrong with the way some condo lawyers practice their trade and especially how some abuse liens to back up bad managers. I think that it's a well kept secret... 
 
 
 

Your association may be required to give you the names and addresses of owners but they are not required to give phone numbers. Be careful if the information is provided not to harrass any other owner. Like Ruth stated, tax information on line is the easiest way.

First of all, what personal info do you want. All you have to do is go to the mailboxs and get the names and unit numbers. The address will be the same. You then can look up the phone number and unless restricted, there you are. But this is all mute since you moved.

Management companies are not suppose to hand out information on other owners. A couple of ways for your question, 1 you are a member on the HOa board and this is provided through your board packages or you go to the local recorder office and do it through parcel numbers or tax id numbers - on parcel number some local agenices of tax allow the public to view the tax owed yearly on parcel numbers - some include title ownership. tax records are open to public at least in our community

I live in California. I have never checked out the law on this, but our condo association sends a list of owner's, names, address and phone number and, if its rented out, the name of the leaseholder. I don't think anyone has complained about this information being available. If anyone objects he or she could have the information removed from the list.

In Virginia our bylaws allow for the names and addresses of all owners to be given upon request by the property manager. The person requesting this information is required to pay the reasonable copying costs and the information obtained is not to be used to for sales calls. Read your association bylaws and the Condominium Acts of your particular states to see how this affects your community. 
 

First let me say that the remarks posted ahead of mine have no relationshiop to the questiojn posed. This destroys the usefullnrss of the blog, If you haver something to say start your own topic. 
 
Now for the wuestion posed. In most State's Condominioum Act (law) there is a provision that grants unit owners the same right, ways and means, to communicate with their fellow unit owners as are used by the Board of Directors and/or the management and management company. Under thif act you have a right to ask for and recieve all unit owner's addresses and even e-mails if that media is also used by the BOD.

In CA a member is entitled to this info under the Inspection of Books and Records statute. I would suggest putting your request in writing and stating the purpose for wanting the info as outlined in subsection iii. Following is the pertinent excerpt: 
 
 
 
1365.2(a)(1)(I)  
 
 
 
"(i) Membership lists, including name, property address, and mailing address, if the conditions set forth in clause (ii) are met and except as otherwise provided in clause (iii). 
 
 
 
"(ii) The member requesting the list shall state the purpose for which the list is requested which purpose shall be reasonably related to the requester's interest as a member. If the association reasonably believes that the information in the list will be used for another purpose, it may deny the member access to the list. If the request is denied, in any subsequent action brought by the member under subdivision (f), the association shall have the burden to prove that the member would have allowed use of the information for purposes unrelated to his or her interest as a member. 
 
 
 
"(iii) A member of the association may opt out of the sharing of his or her name, property address, and mailing address by notifying the association in writing that he or she prefers to be contacted via the alternative process described in subdivision (c) of Section 8330 of the Corporations Code. This opt-out shall remain in effect until changed by the member." 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Renee wrote: The only way you should be able to get that information is go door to door and ask each resident if they are willing to let you have their personal contact info. The board would be making a serious breech of confidentiality if they gave you anyone's personal data. 
 
 
That would be pretty onerous in a complex thatbhas hundreds of units. I can't imagine that giving names of unit owners would be a breach of confidentiality. The information is public information on tax rolls. It's also available on telephone directory websites It would be unfair to expect people to go to the tax office to get this information.  
 
I wonder if the HOA's reluctance to give out such information has something to do with their fear of owners getting together to compare notes, share experiences of board actions or inaction and make legal demands of the association. It's common to claim that somehow name and address information is a breach of confidentiality. The information isn't confidential in the first place.  
 
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Can only speak for PA and out association. Owners are allowed to inspect the list of voters [owners] names and addresses at ANY reasonable time; and the list must be present for inspection and viewable at every homeowners meeting. We also may examine every financial transaction and contract. 
 
 
 
Concerning their abuse, the US Constitution requires Due Process.

I have had this same problem and now use the Harris County (Texas) Apprasial District (HCAT) records. It is available on the web and give names and mailing addresses. I use a spreadsheet to list those with address different from the complex (landlords) and those that get their mail at the complex. To save money on mailings, I hand deliver to those at the complex and mail to non-residents. 
 
 
 
Now you ask why would I do all of this--our Board does not follow the By-laws. I remind others of this and usually enough people to become involved to take action and override the Board. They don't like this as in the example for December, they never appoint a committee to nominate new members for the election each January, so I am rounding up proxys to do just that. I will ask this question later when I look up the exact language as to if a nominating committee is not formed as described in the By-laws, can the Board re-elect themselves as being the only people running?

Re: my original post. Perhaps I falsely assumed the question asked involved obtaining the other residents' phone number and offsite address. Getting just an address for the condo unit itself may be a different story. Our board does require homeowners who want to communicate with other homeowners must do so by mail or door to door canvasing. They cannot post flyers on the doors as it makes too many people mad. I will ammend my original reply to say that the board should abide by state law on this one.

Most state condominium acs provide that a unit owner may communiocate with his fgellow owners in the same maner, using the same means as the managewment and the Board of Directors. Under this provision if the Board communivates with unit owners by phone they must provide those phones numbers upon requewst.The same applies to mail, potings, e-mails and other means. The unit owner has thwe same rifghrts and failurew of a Board to provide the names, addresses phone numbers and e-mail addresses constitite a violation of their state law. Such an odffence is not protec ted by the immunity granted to Board Members ion the bylaws.There is legal precedence in most states on this issue.