Across the U.S., many states have updated their laws requiring HOAs and condo boards to provide residents with access to important documents. Now, document storage, plus organizing, and sharing governing documents is no longer optional, but it’s often a legal obligation. Even where state law doesn’t require it, many communities are updating their bylaws to mandate transparency by sharing governing documents, financial reports, meeting minutes, and more. Beyond compliance, keeping records accessible ensures continuity when board leadership changes, builds resident trust, and protects the community in disputes.
The fact is that document storage and sharing ensures continuity when board leadership changes, builds trust among residents, and protects the community in case of disputes. As one example, in Texas, Senate Bill 1588 requires HOAs with at least 60 lots (or any association with a management company) to publish their governing documents online. In Florida, associations must have a website and record amendments to rules and regulations with clear underlines and strike-throughs, and distribute copies to all owners. Another example, Hawaii now allows condo buyers to receive documents electronically, while in California, Civil Code 4040 requires associations to deliver documents according to each member’s preferred method, including email.
What these laws highlight is broader, HOAs and condos are being pushed toward greater transparency and efficiency in how they manage and share records. In this article, we will break down what “document storage” really means, what needs to be kept, how long you should store it, best practices, and the free tools.
Table of Contents
What Is Document Storage for HOAs?
Document storage is the organized system an HOA or condo board uses to keep records, whether digitally or physically. This includes everything from bylaws, financial reports, architectural requests, meeting minutes, and even video recordings of meetings. A proper storage ensures records are secure, accessible, and protected from loss or damage. That’s why many communities are now choosing to store their documents online, both to safeguard them over time and to make access simpler for everyone.
What Should Be Kept?
Communities can be legally required to store a variety of records. While exact requirements differ by state, common documents and good practices include:
- Governing documents (bylaws, articles of incorporation, covenants).
- Meeting minutes and agendas.
- Financial statements and budgets.
- Contracts and vendor agreements.
- Architectural review applications and decisions.
- Recordings of board or member meetings (in states like Florida, these are considered official records).
Always double-check your state’s statutes and your community’s governing documents to ensure you’re storing everything required.
For How Long Should You Keep A Document Online?
Retention periods may vary according to state regulations or your community’s bylaws. If neither the legislation nor the community specifies a timeframe for keeping documents, here are some general guidelines:
- Governing documents: Permanently.
- Meeting minutes: Permanently.
- Financial records: At least 7 years.
- Contracts: Duration of the contract + a few years after.
- Election materials: 1–3 years, depending on state law.
- Recordings: Typically until minutes are officially approved, unless laws require longer.
Some states, like Florida, clearly define retention rules in statutes. Others leave it to the association’s discretion, which makes following best practices even more important. You can also consult an attorney for additional guidance.
Best Practices for Document Storage
Being proactive with storage keep your community organized and protects your board from disputes and strengthens community trust. Here are some basic practices for you to adopt before anything.
- Paper records get lost, damaged, or misfiled, so go digital whenever possible.
- Use a consistent naming system, so files are easy to find.
- Back everything up, ideally in the cloud and with a secondary backup.
- Limit access based on roles, e.g., board members, managers, residents.
- Make documents accessible to residents in a way that’s user-friendly and compliant with the law.
Solutions for HOA Document Storage
Google Drive
Google Drive is one of the most accessible and widely used free storage tools. With up to 15 GB of free space, your board can store governing documents, financial statements, and even meeting recordings in a central location that’s easy to share.
A tip is to have a dedicated email account for your community and for your board role on Gmail. Then, use Google Drive to create folders for different categories, like “Budgets,” “Meeting Minutes,” or “Vendor Contracts”, and control who has permission to view or edit each file. The big advantage here is familiarity: many residents and managers already have Google accounts, so there’s very little learning curve. The downside is that without strict folder structures and naming conventions, files can quickly become disorganized, and Drive doesn’t offer built-in HOA-specific compliance features.
Dropbox
Dropbox is another popular choice, especially for boards that want simple drag-and-drop storage with reliable syncing across devices. It’s user-friendly and offers shared folders, which makes it easy to collaborate with other board members or your property manager in real time. For example, you could keep an entire “Contracts” folder that updates automatically for everyone with access. Dropbox also provides file recovery and version history, so if someone accidentally deletes or edits a file, you can roll back to a previous version. While it’s not built for HOAs specifically, it’s a good option for mid-sized associations that need a dependable and slightly more professional solution than email attachments.
OneDrive
If your board already uses Microsoft Office tools, OneDrive might be the smoothest choice. Integrated directly with Word, Excel, and Outlook, it allows you to save documents straight from those apps into your cloud storage. That means when your treasurer finishes the annual budget in Excel, it can be instantly available in a secure folder for other board members to review. OneDrive also offers 5 GB of free space with personal accounts and much more with business subscriptions, plus strong security through Microsoft’s enterprise-grade encryption. For HOAs that already live in the Microsoft ecosystem, this is a convenient option, though like Google Drive and Dropbox, it still lacks HOA-specific features.
Neigbrs by Vinteum
While Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive are great general-purpose tools, Neigbrs by Vinteum was built specifically for HOAs and condo associations.
Document storage is integrated directly into your community portal, so residents can log in and instantly access bylaws, meeting minutes, budgets, and more, all that can be organized by type. Boards can set role-based permissions, ensuring sensitive records are only visible to authorized members. Unlike generic storage tools, Neigbrs connects document sharing with other features: you can notify residents automatically when new files are uploaded, attach documents to announcements, and even store election results alongside other records for easy retrieval.
With Neigbrs, you’re not just storing files; you’re creating a transparent, compliant, and resident-friendly record-keeping system. Book a free demo and see it in action, click below.
Final Thoughts
Document storage may not feel glamorous, but it’s one of the most important responsibilities of an HOA or condo board. By keeping accurate records, making them accessible, and following retention laws, you protect your association from unnecessary risk while building credibility and trust with your residents. You can avoid a lot of head aches by just giving residents access to documents they need or want.
If your budget is tight, start with free tools like Google Drive or OneDrive. But as your community grows and compliance requirements become more complex, consider upgrading to a specialized solution like Neigbrs by Vinteum that was designed with boards like yours in mind, click here to get a demonstration.
