How do I update my contact information or address of record with my HOA?
Reviewed by the OurHOA team · Updated June 2026
Why your HOA address of record matters, how legally important notices depend on it, and how to keep your contact and email-consent information current so you never miss a fine or lien notice.
Why your address of record matters more than you think
Your 'address of record' is the official address your association uses to send you legally significant notices: assessment increases, fines, hearing notices, ballots, and - most importantly - pre-lien and collection warnings. Here's the part owners miss: a notice mailed to your address of record is generally legally effective even if you never actually saw it. People have lost homes to assessment liens because the pre-lien and foreclosure notices went to a stale or wrong address while they assumed no news was good news. Keeping that address current is one of the cheapest forms of protection you have as an owner.
The default address - and why landlords and second-home owners must act
Unless you tell the association otherwise, your address of record usually defaults to the property itself. That's fine if you live there, but it's a trap if you don't. If you rent the home out or use it as a second property, notices sent to the unit may land with your tenant or in an empty mailbox while important deadlines run. Some states address this directly: California's Civil Code 4041 requires owners to provide the association, in writing, an address for notices, a secondary address if they want one, whether the property is owner-occupied or rented or vacant, and to update it - and it requires the association to solicit that information annually. Even where it isn't a statutory duty, providing a reliable off-site address is essential for any non-resident owner.
Email and electronic notice are separate consent
Getting notices by email is usually opt-in, not automatic. Under many state schemes and governing documents, an association can only send official notices electronically to members who have consented to electronic delivery (California's Civil Code 4040 is a common example of how document delivery and consent work). So updating your contact info has two parts: making sure your mailing address of record is right, and separately giving - or withdrawing - consent for email. If you switch email addresses, update the consent on file too, or electronic notices may bounce while the association still considers them delivered. Our guide on how an HOA communicates official notices covers the delivery rules from the association's side.
How to actually update it
Do it in writing, not in a hallway conversation. Send a dated request to the board, the secretary, or the management company stating your name, your property address, the new mailing address (and any secondary address), your preferred email and whether you consent to electronic notice, and the occupancy status if your state asks for it. Ask them to confirm in writing that the record was updated, and keep a copy of both your request and their confirmation. Do this whenever you move, start or stop renting the home, change your email, or buy into a community - and don't assume a change of address filed with the post office reaches the HOA, because it usually doesn't.
Timing and special situations
Update your information promptly at a few key moments: right after closing on a new home (so your first notices and ballots reach you), when you move out and rent the property, when an owner dies and an estate or heir takes over, and after a name change. If your association runs an annual solicitation - as California requires - treat it as a yearly checkpoint rather than ignoring it. New owners in particular should confirm the association has them on file at all; until the HOA updates its roster after a sale, notices may still be going to the previous owner. Our guide on how an HOA puts a lien on a house shows exactly why a missed pre-lien notice is so costly.
How OurHOA helps
Most missed-notice disasters trace back to a roster nobody kept current. OurHOA gives owners a simple place to keep their contact details, secondary address, and communication preferences up to date, and gives a small self-managed board an accurate membership roster so notices, ballots, and statements reach the right person the first time. OurHOA is software for keeping a community organized, not a law firm; what your association must send, where, and how depends on your governing documents and your state's law, so check those or consult a professional for your situation.
OurHOA is the friendly, affordable way self-managed communities keep dues, records, and reminders in one place. See how it works.
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.