The words your governing documents assume you know

Abstention

a member's choice not to vote for or against a motion; not counted as a vote cast in either direction.

Amendment

a change to one or a small number of provisions in a governing document that is currently in force.

Architectural review

Assessment

The sum an owner owes the association for a given period, tied to a budget the association has adopted.

Bylaw

CC&R

Change order

a documented, agreed change to a contract's scope, price, or schedule.

Common area

Common element

Part of a condominium or common-interest community, such as shared pipes, wiring, or land, that belongs to all owners collectively rather than to one unit.

Covenant

D&O

Declarant

The developer who originally recorded the declaration and who often controls architectural review until a stated point in the community's build-out.

Declaration

The recorded instrument (sometimes called CC&Rs or a master deed) that creates a common interest community and its association.

Deductible

Delinquency

The point at which an unpaid assessment becomes subject to late charges, interest, or lien action, as defined by statute or the declaration.

Easement

Estoppel

A defense based on an owner's reasonable reliance, to their detriment, on a representation made by the association.

Executive session

a portion of a board meeting closed to the general membership, reserved for specific topics such as litigation, personnel, contracts, or a member's own discipline or delinquency.

Fidelity coverage

Fiduciary

Indemnification

the association reimbursing a director's legal defense costs and liability arising from a claim based on their service, generally conditioned on the director having acted in good faith.

Lien

Limited common element

A portion of the common elements set aside in the recorded declaration for the exclusive use of one or more, but fewer than all, units or lots; distinct from a general common element and from a space merely assigned by board rule.

Majority

more than half of the votes actually cast, excluding abstentions, unless a rule specifies majority of those present or majority of the entire body.

Motion

a formal proposal that the board take a specific action

Policy

a board-adopted statement of an ongoing standard or position, filling a gap in the declaration without contradicting it.

Proxy

a signed document authorizing another person to cast a member's vote on their behalf; not recognized by default under Robert's Rules unless law or the bylaws authorize it.

Quorum

The minimum number of board members who must be present for the board to legally conduct business, as set by the association's bylaws.

Resale certificate

A disclosure document, prepared by the association at the time of a unit's sale, stating unpaid assessments and capping the buyer's exposure to that stated amount.

Reserve

Reserve study

a periodic professional assessment of an association's major components, their condition, remaining useful life, and the funding needed to replace them.

Resolution

RFP

Rule

Special assessment

A supplemental assessment levied outside the regular budget cycle, typically for an unbudgeted or unforeseen cost.

Supermajority

any voting threshold set higher than a simple majority, commonly used for amending governing documents; the exact fraction is set by statute or the governing documents, not by a universal rule.

Transition

Variance

An exception to an otherwise applicable architectural standard, granted under whatever procedure the declaration sets.

Waiver

The intentional or voluntary relinquishment of a known right, or conduct from which relinquishment can be inferred, raised as a defense when an association has let a violation go unenforced.