To save precious time as a board member, it’s important to  organize your condo association documents thoroughly. 

Poor record-keeping means that time is wasted trying to find documents but can also lead to more severe issues, such as with payments . You can also risk losing important information. 

Here’s how to get organized so you can locate any documents you need in seconds.

3 best practices for organizing your condo association documents and save time

1. Create a process and define how to classify and organize your documents

Designing an effective filing system is the first step to ensuring your condo association documents are easily accessible. If you have paper and digital records, you need to figure out a way that works well for both formats. The most common way is to start by separating your documents by type. Example:

• Governing documents
• Architectural records
• Contracts
• Financial reports 
• Condo board meetings 
• Violations

Then you can create subfolders and sort these documents in chronological order. 

There are other aspects you can consider when setting up a file system, such as:

• Using a file naming convention
• Color-code your tabs or folders 
• Define who has access and who can edit a document
• Add dates 

You can organize your documents in a lot of different ways. However, the filing system you choose needs to make sense for your association and for current and future board members. 

2. Schedule a file maintenance day every year

A good way to keep your documents organized is to schedule a file maintenance day at least every year. Depending on the size of your community, you may need to do this more regularly. This is an opportunity to check if the current filing system is working well. The condo board can gather and do a document audit to ensure everything is stored correctly. They can also discuss the following points:

• Does the current file system need adjustments?
• Can we dispose of unnecessary documents? (For example: old quotes from a vendor)
• Should we get rid of outdated paper versions and only keep an online record?

Before you discard documents, check your state laws to see what needs to be kept and for how long. 

Hosting a file maintenance day every year prevents paper clutter and ensures your document management is on track. Board members spend a lot of time storing, searching, and capturing condo association documents. Without a good process, you might spend more time on it than you should. However, processes may become obsolete over time, so checking them and ensuring they work is important. 

3. Store your condo association documents online

Keeping digital records makes locating information easier for anyone in the association. It reduces the chances of documents being damaged or lost. It also makes it easier for different stakeholders to collaborate. If a community association manager runs your condo, they won’t need to come on-site to access documents. This helps save time for all parties involved. 

Transitioning from paper to digital can increase your board’s transparency and trust. It makes it easier for residents to access their governing documents and any important information concerning their association. 

You can store your condo association documents online on cloud storage, software, or a website.  

Click here to watch our webinar “How to safely store condo association documents online” to learn about the platforms where you can store your files. 

You’ll also learn about:

• All the benefits of storing your Condo documents online
• Ways to organize documents efficiently and safely 
• Best practices to transition from paper to digital
• How & where to store documents efficiently
• How to easily store documents in the Neigbrs by Vinteum Platform

Consequences of unorganized condo association documents 

Many issues can arise when you don’t have a proper system to store your documentation. Here are a few examples:

• The board and residents waste time locating important documents
• Some files can get lost or damaged 
• No paper proofs in case of litigation 
• Residents’ feel frustrated not being able to access governing documents easily

Having unorganized condo association documents also affects the condo board’s productivity. It’s nearly impossible to manage an association well without having a filing system that works. 

On the other hand, your association gets a lot of benefits when you properly store and track records. 

• Spend less time locating important files 
• Avoid misunderstandings and issues
• Increase transparency and accountability
• Makes board transition easier 
• Contribute to sustainability 

Organizing your condo association documents can be a difficult task. 

Final points on managing your condo’s documents 

When you have a good filing system for organizing and saving paper and digital files, retrieving any documents becomes easy. In the long run, it can save you time and effort. 

Make sure to implement best practices and use principles that make sense for your community. 

Many condos store their documents on condo management software. Click below to learn more about such a platform and how it can help you manage your document.