Last updated: October 2026
How2HOA runs how2hoa.com, an educational website about homeowners associations. This policy explains what information we collect when you visit, how we use it and what choices you have.
What this policy covers
This policy applies to how2hoa.com. You can read everything here without creating an account. The site has no user accounts, takes no payments and shows no advertising.
Information you give us
The site has two forms, both on our contact page. The contact form asks for your name, your email address, an optional association or city, and your message. The management inquiry form asks for your name, your email address, your association’s name and city, and optionally your phone number, the number of units, how the association is managed now and a message. When you send either form, that information is emailed to the people who operate the site and stored in the site’s dashboard. As with most contact forms, the submission also records technical details such as your IP address, your browser type and the time you sent it, and it may be checked by an automated spam filter.
Email updates. If you sign up, we use your email only to send How2HOA updates. Jetpack, a service from Automattic, manages the list. You can unsubscribe anytime, and we never sell or share your email.
Information collected automatically
The site is hosted on WordPress.com, a service operated by Automattic, and uses Automattic’s Jetpack plugin. Automattic processes the following information to run the site for us:
- Server logs. Like most websites, the host records standard details when you load a page, such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, language, the site that referred you and the date and time.
- Visitor statistics. Jetpack counts page views, referring sites, search terms, clicks on outbound links and the countries visitors come from. We see these as totals. The statistics do not show us the IP addresses of individual visitors.
- Cookies. The site and its host use cookies and similar technologies to operate the site and measure visits.
Automattic explains its own practices in its Privacy Policy and in its privacy notice for visitors to its users’ sites.
How we use information
- To read and reply to your message.
- To keep the site running, secure and free of spam.
- To learn which articles people read so we can improve them.
When we share information
- Service providers. Automattic and the email service that delivers contact form messages handle information so the site can work.
- Affiliated HOA management companies. How2HOA is affiliated with HOA management companies. If you send a management inquiry, or your message asks about HOA management, we may pass it to affiliated HOA management companies so they can reply to you, and only for that purpose.
- Legal requirements. We may disclose information when the law requires it, such as in response to a court order.
We do not sell your personal information.
How long we keep it
Contact form messages stay in the site’s dashboard and in our email until we delete them. We keep them as long as we need to respond and keep a record, and you can ask us to delete yours sooner. Automattic says it keeps web server logs for about 30 days.
Your choices
You can ask to see, correct or delete the information you sent us through the contact form. You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings.
California residents
If you live in California, state law may give you rights over your personal information, including the right to know what has been collected, to have it deleted and to have it corrected. Whether a particular law applies depends on the organization and the circumstances. Either way, you can contact us with a request and we will respond.
Children
This site is written for adults who serve on or live in homeowners associations. It is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them.
Links to other sites
We link to outside websites, such as government and statute pages. Those sites have their own privacy practices, and this policy does not cover them.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the “Last updated” date at the top of this page.
How to contact us
To ask a question about this policy or make a request about your information, use our contact page.