S.A. from Fairfield County, Connecticut writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
Is it legal to have meetings of the HOA via telephone – conference call? Are votes by telephone allowed at such meetings? Our bylaws and declaration date back to the early to mid 1980s.
Some of our unit owners live out of state and it is a hardship to go to meetings in person.
Mister Condo replies:
S.A., I am not an attorney so I cannot offer you a legal answer in this column. Best to check with your condominium association attorney to ask the specific question for your association. As a practical matter, you have stated why the need for such meetings is necessary. My guess is that your documents, dated as they are, are silent on the matter. Next place to check is state law. That’s where your attorney comes in. Provided there isn’t any legal reasons you can’t hold meetings by conference call there is one other provision to keep in mind and that is the ability for unit owners to attend the meeting, even via teleconference. Also, records of the meeting have to be kept just like any other meeting. Check with your attorney for a legal opinion. Good luck!