HOA Welcome Letter for New Owners

• Owner contact information. Each year the association must ask every owner for a preferred and an alternate way to receive notices, a legal representative if any and whether the home is owner-occupied, rented, vacant or undeveloped. The request must say an email address isn’t required and give an easy written way to change methods. If an owner doesn’t respond, notices go to the last mailing address on file or the property address (section 4041).
• Individual delivery. An owner can ask to receive general notices, such as meeting notices, individually. The annual policy statement must describe this option (section 4045).
• Board meetings. Owners may attend board meetings except executive sessions and may speak at them (section 4925). Notice goes out at least four days before a board meeting, or two days before a meeting held only in executive session (section 4920).
• Pets. When the governing documents were adopted or changed on or after January 1, 2001, the association can’t prohibit an owner from keeping at least one pet, but it can adopt reasonable rules (section 4715).
• What’s good practice. The welcome itself, the assessment summary, the contacts and the living-here notes aren’t legally required. They answer a new owner’s first questions in one place.

For the sale itself, see Buying, Selling and Renting in a California HOA.