HOA words in plain English
26 words a volunteer board meets in its first year. Each one says where it shows up in the software. None of them says what the law requires.
A
- Agenda
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The list of what a meeting will cover, in order.
Where it shows up: Meetings - Assessment
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The charge the association bills to a door.
Where it shows up: Dues
B
- Balance open
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An amount is still unpaid on that door.
Where it shows up: Dues - Board
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The owners chosen to run the association. The board decides. The software keeps the record.
Where it shows up: Volunteer boards - Bylaws
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The association’s own rules for how it is run, such as who sits on the board and how meetings work.
Where it shows up: Documents
C
- Case
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A complaint or a violation, tied to one door, with its note and its status.
Where it shows up: Cases - Courtesy notice
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The first, short reminder about a balance or a rule — sent while the problem is still small enough to fix easily.
Where it shows up: When dues are late - CPA pack
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The date-range bundle a board hands its outside accountant, drawn from the same books as the dues.
Where it shows up: Dues
D
- Delinquency
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A door whose assessments are past due. Boards usually work it as a ladder: courtesy first, then formal steps on the record.
Where it shows up: When dues are late - Door
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One home in the association. Each door has its own balance and its own cases.
Where it shows up: Dues
G
- Governing documents
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The association's own papers — declaration, bylaws, and rules. They, and your state, set what a board may do; software does not.
Where it shows up: Documents
M
- Manager
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A person or company the board hires for the day-to-day work. A manager can hold more than one association.
Where it shows up: Managers - Mapping
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Where each row of your old file goes in the new books. A person approves it before it applies.
Where it shows up: Moving in - Minutes
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The written record of what a meeting decided.
Where it shows up: Meetings
N
- Notice
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A message the board sends, kept so a resident can find it later.
Where it shows up: Notices
P
- Packet
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What the board takes into a meeting: the agenda, the last minutes, and who has paid.
Where it shows up: Meetings - Proxy
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A member's written permission for someone else to vote for them at a meeting, when the governing documents allow it.
Where it shows up: Meetings
Q
- Quorum
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The number of members who must take part for a vote to count. Your governing documents set the number.
Where it shows up: Meetings
R
- Resale packet
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The papers a seller's closing needs from the association: what the door owes, the rules, and the association's status.
Where it shows up: Documents - Reserve fund
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Money held back for big future work — the roof, the lot, the fence — named in the budget, not left as a leftover.
Where it shows up: An annual budget the board can read - Resident
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Someone who lives in the association. They see their own door and the files the board allows.
Where it shows up: Residents
S
- Sample association
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A practice neighborhood on this site, not a customer.
Where it shows up: Sample
T
- Tied
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The balance on the books matches the balance the board expects.
Where it shows up: When balances do not match - Treasurer
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The board member who looks after the money: dues, bank balances, and vendor prices.
Where it shows up: Volunteer boards
V
- Vendor
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A company the association pays for work, such as landscaping or snow removal.
Where it shows up: Vendors - Vendor record
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The quote, the agreement, the invoice, and the work, kept together.
Where it shows up: When a resident asks who mows
General information, not legal advice. Your state and your governing documents differ.
Where these words come up
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When the HOA balances do not match
Name three totals and stop: charged, came in, and the bank. Do not ask residents to pay until those three agree.
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When the HOA meeting packet is in three places
Put the agenda, last minutes, and vote papers on the meeting a few days before. Do not hunt three inboxes the night of.
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When a resident asks who mows
Keep who, how to ask, the price, and the end date on one vendor record. Answer from there.
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Moving an HOA into new software
Bring the file you already have. A person approves the mapping. Invite residents only after balances tie.
See the words in use.
The sample shows tied and balance open side by side, as the board and as a resident.
We do not manage your association, keep its books as a service, or give legal or accounting advice. The board still decides.