Free HOA board member training for Texas boards

You said yes to the board. Now what?

Most HOA board members are volunteers with day jobs. Nobody hands you a manual when you're elected, but the decisions are real: budgets, reserves, contracts, enforcement letters. This page is the manual we wish every new board member got. Watch a module before your next meeting, then use the checklists to ask better questions.

Board roles and responsibilities

• Directors owe the association a duty of care and loyalty: decide on facts, not friendships.
• The board sets policy; the manager carries it out. Knowing that line prevents most frustration.
• A person convicted of a felony or crime of moral turpitude in the past 20 years may not serve (§209.00591).

Governing documents

• Declaration, bylaws, certificate of formation, rules and policies: know which one wins when they conflict.
• Dedicatory instruments must be recorded in the county real property records to take effect (§202.006).
• Texas protects some owner choices outright, like flags, solar devices, rain barrels and standby generators (Ch. 202).

Effective board meetings

• Board meetings are open to owners. Mailed notice goes out 10 to 60 days ahead, or post 144 hours ahead for a regular meeting and 72 hours for a special one (§209.0051).
• Executive session is limited to topics like personnel, litigation, contract negotiations and enforcement actions.
• Fines, assessment increases, the budget and filling a board vacancy can only be voted on in an open meeting, never by email.

Communicating with homeowners

• The board speaks with one voice. Individual directors don't make promises the board hasn't voted on.
• Owners can request association records; the association has 10 business days to respond (§209.005).
• Answer the facts, not the tone. A calm written reply ages better than a heated one.

Budgeting and financial management

• Keep the operating budget (this year's bills) separate from reserves (next decade's roofs and pools).
• The annual budget must be approved in an open board meeting.
• Read the monthly financial packet: bank balance, budget versus actual, and unpaid invoices tell different stories.

Reserves and long-term planning

• A reserve study lists every major component, its remaining life and its replacement cost.
• Underfunded reserves usually end in a special assessment, and special assessments need an open-meeting vote.
• Update the study on a schedule so the numbers keep up with real construction costs.

Insurance

• Know what the association's policy covers and what each owner's policy has to cover.
• Directors and officers (D&O) coverage protects volunteers who make decisions in good faith.
• Review coverage before renewal, not after a storm. See our HOA insurance program.

Assessments and collections

• Associations with more than 14 lots must adopt payment-plan guidelines, with a minimum term of 3 months (§209.0062).
• Payments apply in a set order: delinquent assessments first, fines last (§209.0063).
• An assessment lien can't be filed until 90 days after a delinquency notice (§209.0094).

Vendor management

• Write the scope first, then collect bids. Three bids only help if they price the same work.
• A contract with a director or their relative requires disclosure and approval by the uninterested directors (§209.0052).
• Check insurance certificates and licenses before work starts, not after a claim.