Many HOAs do not provide contact information for directors

Q: I travel a lot. I have not been able to attend the homeowners association meetings since we got a new management company, which leaves much to be desired. The last meeting was announced and conducted during the two weeks I was out of state. They have published only one newsletter since they took over. I do not know who is the current president of the HOA or any board members. The notice boards in our community are blank. I have asked the management company for a name and a way to contact our president. They said they could give the name but no contact information. After I checked county records for our subdivision, I could not find her name. In fact, the records showed no one with her last name owned a home in this subdivision. I again contacted the management company and asked that they have her call me. She never has. I don’t know whose to blame here, but have my suspicions. I have asked a few neighbors, who are as clueless as I. The representative who handles this community for the management company does not return calls in any kind of timely manner, if at all. Short of going door to door in the entire subdivision, do you have any suggestions before the next spurof-the-moment meeting?

This just does not seem legal to keep HOA members in the dark.

A: Depending upon the board, many associations do not provide direct contact information with the directors. Instead, correspondence to the board is to be sent to the community manager. The primary reason is that too often the contact information is misused by residents who will call directors regardless of the time; or visit their homes. Association business should be conducted at board meetings and through the management company.

As to the president’s name, the home may be owned by a trust. In some association’s governing documents, officers need not be a resident, As to receiving a call back from the president, you have two options. One is to attend the next board meeting; and, two, to send a letter to the association.

Nevada Revised Statute 116.31087 states that if the board receives a written complaint from a homeowner alleging it has violated any provisions of NRS 116 or their governing documents, the subject matter is to be placed on the next scheduled meeting of the board.

Both the board and the manager have the opportunity to respond to the letter prior to the board meeting with the objective of resolving the issues. This is always the better approach.

Q: After reading your RJ columns, I have a question about your articles and their sources.

I found the Sept. 16 article interesting because I am a regular walker, and notice during my early morning walks there are safety concerns to me, both in my specific area, and along the main roadway in my gated community.

However, my question is: Are your sources held confidential? I have read about the reporter’s shield law and discussed professional customs of reporters with my colleagues. Many sources’ concerns are bordering on accusing members of committing crimes so they would need their identities secret.

Thank you, and thank you for providing this column weekly.

A: First, the answer is yes. I do not identify the reader’s name. I am extremely careful when I receive (does not happen very often) any email whereby the reader is calling out some homeowner or board member. Generally speaking, my suggestion to the reader is to either contact the Nevada Real Estate Division, legal counsel or the police department.