This article is adapted from my conversation with Robert Nordlund on HOA Insights: Common Sense for Common Areas, Episode 162, “Handle Conflict at HOA Board Meetings Without the Drama,” presented by Association Reserves on June 15, 2026. A link to the full podcast or video is available here:
Community association board meetings do not have to feel like a courtroom, a city council meeting, or a parliamentary procedure exam. Most HOA and condominium boards are small groups of volunteers trying to make sensible decisions for their communities. That said, meetings still matter. Boards are making decisions about property, money, contracts, enforcement, maintenance, and owner concerns.
The challenge is finding the right balance. Meetings should be friendly enough for neighbors, businesslike enough for corporate decision-making, and orderly enough that everyone understands what happened.
That was the focus of my recent conversation with Robert Nordlund on HOA Insights. The question that prompted the discussion came from a new board member in a 58-unit condominium association who wanted the board to be casual and businesslike without becoming overly formal. That is a common and important question.
You Do Not Have to Become a Parliamentarian
The starting point is simple: board members do not need to read all 714 pages of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised to run a good HOA or condominium board meeting.
At a high level, most meeting problems can be improved by focusing on two principles:
- Be respectful of others.
- Be fair.
Parliamentary procedure is not intended to make meetings harder. Properly used, it should make meetings shorter, clearer, and fairer. The level of formality should depend on the size of the group, the nature of the meeting, and the importance or difficulty of the issue being discussed.
Bigger Meetings Usually Need More Formality
A membership meeting with dozens or hundreds of owners is different from a board meeting with five directors sitting around a dining room table. In a large meeting, it’s hard to just have a conversation. People need to be recognized before speaking. Debate needs structure. Motions, seconds, discussion, and votes become more important because they help the group know exactly what is being considered.
A small board meeting can usually be much less formal. Robert’s Rules recognizes this. Smaller boards and committees are often allowed to operate with more informal discussion. Directors may speak multiple times to the same issue. They may not need to stand or be formally recognized. Seconds to motions may not be necessary unless the governing documents, rules or past practice require them.
That does not mean small boards should be sloppy. It means the procedure can fit the specific circumstances.
Board Meetings Are for Board Business
One important reminder is that a board meeting is primarily for the board. Owners may have a right to attend some board meetings, depending on state law and the association’s governing documents. Some meetings may need to be open, while others may properly be closed for topics such as attorney-client communications, collection of assessments, violations on lots, personnel matters, or other sensitive issues.
Even when owners are present, the meeting is still the board’s meeting. The directors are there to discuss, deliberate, and decide association business. Owners may have a right to observe and may have a designated time to speak, but they generally should not be allowed to take over or disrupt the board’s work.
That distinction often helps reduce confusion. A board can be welcoming without allowing the meeting to become disorderly.
Informal Does Not Mean Unclear
A small board may handle routine matters by general consent, sometimes called “unanimous consent.” For example, if everyone agrees that the association should renew a landscape contract at the same price, the chair might ask:
“Is there any objection to renewing the landscape contract for another year at the same price?”
If no one objects, the matter is approved. The minutes can reflect that the board approved renewal of the contract and that every director present voted for the motion.
Unanimous consent is useful for matters that appear noncontroversial. It saves time and avoids unnecessary formality. However, it should not be used when there is likely disagreement or when the issue is significant enough that the board should slow down.
For more important matters, the chair may want to use a more formal process:
A motion is made.
A second is obtained, if required.
The chair states the motion so that everyone understand what is being discussed.
The board discusses the motion.
The chair restates what is about to be voted on.
The board votes.
The chair announces the result.
This process is not about being stiff or overly technical. It’s about making sure everyone knows what is being discussed, what is being voted on, and what the board decided.
The Chair Should Be a Guide
A good chair does more than call the meeting to order. The chair helps guide everyone through the meeting.
The chair should explain where the board is in the process:
“This item is now before the board.”
“We are discussing the motion to renew the landscape contract.”
“We are now ready to vote.”
“The motion passed, so the contract will be renewed.”
That kind of narration helps board members, owners, managers, and the person taking minutes. It also helps reduce later disputes over what happened.
Many meeting problems arise because people are not sure what is pending, whether the board is still discussing an issue, or whether the vote has already happened. A chair who clearly explains the process can prevent a lot of confusion.
Minutes Should Usually Record What Was Done
Minutes are another area where boards often do too much. Under Robert’s Rules, minutes are generally a record of what was done, not what was said. They typically include the kind of meeting, date, time, location, attendees, motions made, whether motions passed or failed, and the time of adjournment.
Some state statutes or governing documents may require more detail, including summaries of discussion. But as a general rule, minutes are not supposed to be a transcript.
A good agenda can make minutes much easier. In some settings, the secretary can prepare draft or “model” minutes before the meeting, using the agenda as a guide, leaving blanks for whether each motion passed, failed, or was amended. That approach can help the secretary keep up and make the final minutes more accurate.
The Board Can Scale Up Formality When Needed
Small boards do not have to use the same level of formality for every agenda item. A board might handle routine matters informally but become more formal for issues involving a large contract, officer removal, a violation hearing, or a contentious owner issue.
This is not unusual. City councils, school boards, and county commissions are often small bodies, but their meetings tend to be formal because the issues are important, public, and often legally significant.
An HOA or condominium board can do the same. The chair might say:
“Because of the nature of the next item, we’re going to handle it a bit more formally. I will ask for a motion, a second, discussion, and then a vote.”
That type of explanation helps the board and owners understand the process. It is generally better to base the level of formality on the subject matter, not on personalities. Boards should be careful not to appear to change the rules simply because a particular owner walked into the room.
Disruptive Conduct Calls for De-Escalation
Meetings can become difficult. Owners may be upset. Board members may disagree. Sometimes people interrupt, speak over one another, or direct personal remarks at someone else.
Many formal rules of parliamentary procedure are designed to reduce those problems. For instance, remarks are generally addressed to the chair, not directly to another member. Speakers should not interrupt each other. The chair should call people to order if comments become personal, improper, or disruptive.
In modern meetings, de-escalation is usually a better approach than confrontation. A chair may need to remind everyone of the meeting rules, take a short recess, speak privately with someone during a break, or, in more serious cases, adjourn the meeting and address the issue later.
There are formal disciplinary procedures in parliamentary law, but most associations are better served by first trying to calm the situation and restore order.
Fairness Reduces Conflict
People often behave better when they believe the meeting will be fair. If owners or directors believe they will be heard, that the rules will be applied evenly, and that the vote will not be rigged, they are more likely to accept the process even if they dislike the outcome.
A chair can help by saying to the effect of:
I plan to run a fair meeting. Everyone will have a chance to speak. We’ll then take a vote on it, and the side with the most votes will decide the issue.
That may sound simple, but it matters. Many meeting disputes are really process disputes. Members may still not like the final decision, but they are more likely to accept it if they believe the process was fair.
Board Members Do Not Have to Like Each Other
Recognize that board members do not have to be friends. They don’t have to socialize. They don’t have to agree. But they do have to work together in the best interests of the association.
Board members owe duties to the association. Refusing to attend meetings or refusing to participate in association business because of personal dislike for another director may create serious governance problems. In some circumstances, it could raise questions about whether a director is fulfilling their obligations to the association. See Is Your Dislike of Another Board Member a Breach of Your Fiduciary Duty?
A board member’s duty is not to like every other director. The duty is to act reasonably on behalf of the association. Sometimes that means sitting in an uncomfortable meeting, listening to people with different views, voting, and moving forward.
Put another way: board members need to love the association more than they dislike each other.
Final Thought
Good meeting procedure is not about being technical for the sake of being technical. It is about helping volunteer boards make decisions in a way that is orderly, fair, understandable, and legally defensible.
For most HOA and condominium boards, the goal should not be maximum formality. The goal should be the right amount of formality for the meeting, the board, and the specific issue at hand.
Casual is fine when the issue is routine and everyone is working well together. More structure is helpful when the stakes are higher, the issue is disputed, or the meeting is at risk of becoming disorderly.
Either way, the best meetings usually come back to the same basic principles: be respectful, be fair, be clear, and remember that the board’s job is to do what is best for the association.
For questions about any HOA/condo meeting issue or other matter, contact a community association attorney at any of Law Firm Carolinas’ North or South Carolina offices.