Academy/Community Management Companies
Retrieving records and credentials
What the association is owed when a management relationship ends, and how fast the handoff has to happen.
The association's records belong to the association, not the manager. When a management relationship ends, ask for their return in writing right away. Florida law gives a manager 20 business days from termination or a written request, whichever comes first, or the firm faces a $1,000-per-day penalty. Elsewhere, your contract and state law set the timeline.
What counts as "records," and whose they are
The files a management company keeps, board minutes, financial ledgers, vendor contracts, homeowner correspondence, architectural files, were never the company's property. They belong to the association. The manager holds them as a custodian while the contract runs and gives them back when it ends.
"Maintain confidentiality for all current and former clients and ensure the secure handling of records, including electronic data, in compliance with current data security standards."
Source: Standards of Professional Conduct (CMCA), CAMICB
That standard covers electronic data as well as paper, which matters for the sections below: what a board is owed isn't only a box of files, it's also access.
How fast the handoff has to happen
In Florida, the law puts a hard number on this. A management firm must hand back every official record within 20 business days of whichever comes first, the contract ending or the board's written request.
"shall return all community association official records within its possession to the community association within 20 business days after termination of a contractual agreement to provide community association management services to the community association or receipt of a written request for return of the official records, whichever occurs first."
Source: Florida Statutes §468.4334, Return of official records, The Florida Senate
Miss the window in Florida and the firm faces a civil penalty of $1,000 per day for up to 10 business days, starting on day 21, plus possible license suspension. This deadline and penalty are specific to Florida. Outside Florida, the return timeline is set by your management contract and whatever your state's law says, not by this number. Check both before assuming a clock is running.
Credentials and access: build your own list
A stack of paper isn't a handoff if the new manager, or the board itself, can't log into the homeowner portal, see the bank balance, or reach the landscaping vendor. Records include electronic data, and access to that data has to move with the files.
Before the relationship ends, write your own list: bank account signers, the homeowner portal admin login, vendor and contractor accounts, the association's website or domain, and any software the association pays for. Send that list with the same written request that starts the return clock. Don't wait for a login failure to discover what was never handed over.
What to keep once you have it back
Getting records back only helps if the board then keeps the right ones. One widely cited framework treats board minutes as permanent.
"Board minutes are permanent records and need to be retained indefinitely"
Source: How Long Should We Keep HOA Records?, Educational Community for Homeowners (ECHO)
The same framework treats routine items, meeting agendas and monthly financial statements (as opposed to the annual audited statement), as short-term, kept for as little as a year. This is one organization's recommended practice, not a verified nationwide legal minimum. Several states set their own statutory retention periods for HOA records. Confirm your state's requirement before shredding anything.
Check yourself
Answer before you read the explanation, recalling it is what makes it stick.
Your association's contract with the management company ends on June 1. On May 1, while still under contract, the board sends the company a written request for the official records. Under Florida law, when does the 20 business day return clock start?
Six weeks after the handoff, the new manager still cannot log into the homeowner portal or see the bank statements, even though the box of paper files arrived on time. What should the board have done differently at the start of the transition?
The board just took back its records after a management change. Following commonly cited retention guidance, which of these is typically kept permanently rather than for a set number of years?
Sources
- Standards of Professional Conduct (CMCA), CAMICB
- Florida Statutes §468.4334, Return of official records, The Florida Senate
- How Long Should We Keep HOA Records?, Educational Community for Homeowners (ECHO)
Related elsewhere in the Academy
Community Management Companies
Ending a contract soon? The management transition checklist walks through the full handoff, not just records.
Records return deadlines and penalties are set by Florida law and may not exist elsewhere. Record retention periods are one organization's recommended practice, not a uniform legal minimum. Check your state's law and your management contract for both.