How should an HOA board respond when a reporter calls about the association?

By OurHOA · General information · Revised October 18, 2026

How an HOA board should respond to a reporter or media inquiry: pick one spokesperson, take questions in writing, what to keep confidential, and a statement to adapt.

Part of the HOA board handbook: residents and communication.

The short answer

Do not answer questions on the first call. Take the reporter's name, outlet, deadline and questions, tell them who will call back and by when, and hang up. Then have one designated spokesperson, usually the president, give a short statement that the board has reviewed. Say only what the association can confirm. Never discuss an individual owner's account balance, violation history or contact details, and never speculate about cause, fault or insurance coverage. If the story involves an injury, a lawsuit or an insurance claim, call the association's attorney and insurance agent before anyone says a word. Reporters call HOAs about a short list of things: a fire or flood, an injury at the pool, a fight over a flag or a fence, a large special assessment, a foreclosure, or an owner who called the station. Each one goes better with a plan made before the phone rings. Rules vary by state and by your governing documents, and this is general guidance, not legal advice.

Name the spokesperson before you need one

Ready.gov's crisis communications guidance for businesses says to decide in advance who will speak to the media and to prepare that person with talking points. It also suggests drafting fill-in-the-blank messages ahead of time so they can be approved and released quickly. A small association can do both in one meeting. A motion you can adapt: 'Moved, that the president serve as the association's only spokesperson to news media, with the vice president as backup; that any other director or committee member who is contacted by a reporter take the reporter's information and refer the call to the president without comment; and that any written statement to media be approved by at least two directors before release.' Put the motion in the minutes and send it to every director and committee chair. Include the management company if you have one, and tell the manager whether they may speak for the association or must refer the call. Write a one-page sheet with the association's legal name, number of homes, year built and the spokesperson's phone number, so the basics are right.

The first call

Whoever picks up should be polite and brief. A script: 'I'm not the right person to answer that, but I'll get your message to our board president today. What is your deadline, and what questions do you have?' Write down the reporter's name, outlet, phone, email, the deadline and the exact questions. Ask whether they have spoken with anyone else in the community. Do not say 'no comment,' which reads as hiding something, and do not go 'off the record,' because the person on the other end decides what that means. The spokesperson should call back before the deadline even if the answer is that the board has nothing to add yet. Missing the deadline usually means the story runs with only the other side's version. A workable timeline: the call comes in, the spokesperson has it within an hour, two directors approve a statement by email or phone within a few hours, and the spokesperson calls back or sends the statement before the deadline. A decision about the matter itself, as opposed to the statement, still belongs in a board meeting.

What to keep out of any statement

Reporters have no special right to association records. The inspection rights in Texas Property Code section 209.005 and Florida Statutes section 720.303 belong to owners and members, and even owners cannot see everything. Texas section 209.005(k) lets the association withhold records that identify an individual owner's violation history, an owner's personal financial information including payment records, an owner's contact information other than the address, and employee and personnel information, unless the owner consents in writing or a court orders release. Florida section 720.303(5)(g) makes records privileged by the lawyer-client relationship, work product prepared for litigation, personnel records, owners' medical records, and personal identifiers such as phone numbers and email addresses inaccessible to members. If the association would withhold something from its own owners, do not give it to a television station. Beyond those lists, keep out guesses about what caused a fire or an injury, comments about who is to blame, anything about insurance coverage or settlement amounts, and the names of people who were hurt. 'We don't discuss individual owners' accounts' is a complete answer, and you can repeat it as often as needed.

Injuries, lawsuits and insurance claims

When the story involves a claim, the statement is a legal document. Before anyone speaks, call the association's attorney and the agent who placed the general liability and directors and officers policies, report the claim if you have not already, and ask whether the policy or the insurer's counsel has rules about public statements. Then keep the statement to confirmed facts, concern for the people affected, and what the association is doing next. If an owner has sued or threatened to sue, the statement should not argue the case. 'The association has received the complaint and will respond through the court process' is enough. Our guide on what to do when an owner threatens to sue the HOA walks through the insurer notice and the board's first steps. Do not let a director give a separate interview about their personal view of the dispute. A director's comment can be quoted as the association's position and can end up in a deposition.

A holding statement you can adapt

Draft two templates now and store them where the spokesperson can reach them at night. For an incident: 'On [date], [brief fact, such as a fire in Building 4]. Our first concern is the residents affected, and the association is working with [fire department, insurer, contractor] to [secure the building, assess damage]. We will share more with owners as we confirm it. Questions from media can go to [name, phone].' For a dispute about rules or fees: 'The board does not discuss individual owners' accounts. The association's [fence guidelines, collection policy] apply to every home and are available to owners at [location]. Any owner who disagrees with a decision can request a hearing with the board, and we encourage them to do so.' Fill in only what you know. A statement that turns out to be wrong does more damage than a short one. When the facts change, update the statement and tell the reporter who has the old one.

Tell the owners first

Owners should not learn about their own community from the evening news. Ready.gov notes that each audience needs information specific to it and that messages should be consistent. For an HOA, the owners are the audience that matters most. Send a short notice to all owners the same day the statement goes out, using the same facts and adding what they need: where to get updates, whether the pool or a building is closed, and who to call. If you already have an emergency text and email list, use it, and our guide on setting up an HOA emergency text and email alert list covers building one. Ask directors not to post their own takes in the community social media group, and have the spokesperson post the owner notice there instead. If owners start talking to the reporter, that is their right. The board should not tell owners they cannot speak to the press, and it should never take action against an owner for talking to a reporter, which can look like retaliation.

Mistakes boards make with the press

A few patterns account for most bad HOA stories. A director answers the first call, gets defensive, and the best quote in the piece is theirs. The board rebuts an owner's complaint by revealing their balance or violation history, which turns a story about a fence into a story about the HOA publishing someone's finances. The board says nothing at all and misses the deadline, so the piece runs with one side. The statement makes a promise the board has not voted on, such as 'we will waive the fines,' and now the board has to keep it or explain why not. Or the board discusses its response in a long reply-all email thread, which may be a meeting held without notice, and those emails can surface later in a records request or a lawsuit. A spokesperson, a template, a call to the attorney when there is a claim, and a same-day note to owners prevent nearly all of these.

Sources

These guides are general education for HOA boards and residents, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Rules vary by state and by your community's governing documents - check with a professional for your situation.

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