A new law will make it easier for condominium and homeowners associations to conduct business. On June 19, Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law Senate Bill 1168, which changes HOA laws related to foreclosures, meetings and violation notices. Beginning Sept. 1, HOAs will be allowed to hold board meetings electronically or by phone as long as every board member can hear and be heard and every homeowner can listen. Notice of an electronic or phone meeting must include instructions for homeowners wishing to participate. Boards will also be allowed to take action outside of their meetings as long as all board members are allowed a reasonable amount of time to express their opinions on the issue. Under the new law, the HOA must give at least 20 days’ notice to residents of an election or vote that is scheduled to happen outside of a board meeting. Any homeowner who demands a recount of a vote must do so within 15 days of the vote and must pay for the recount. The bill also clarifies that the individual responsible for recounting the votes may not disclose how any resident voted. SB 1168 permits an HOA to send a notice of foreclosure to any property lienholder, such as a mortgage company. The HOA is also allowed to use an expedited foreclosure process under the new law. Also, through SB 1168, written notice of violations can now be sent by verified, rather than certified, mail. The notice must specify a reasonable date by which the owner is required to correct certain violations—including parking violations and barking dogs or other ongoing noise issues. If the owner corrects the violation before the specified date, the HOA cannot impose a fine on the homeowner. However, violations that cannot be corrected—such as shooting fireworks or property damage—do not fall under this provision. Although some local HOAs said they welcome the changes that will allow them to act more efficiently, at least one HOA board will try to maintain its formal meeting format. “There are certain aspects of the bill that will make it easier for HOAs to act, such as electronic meetings and acting outside of a formal board meeting,” said Scott Crosby, president of the River Place HOA board of directors. “However, it is our intent to maintain the status quo when at all possible.”