What Records Should an HOA Receive When Changing Management Companies in Colorado?
Short answer
When a Colorado HOA changes management companies, the association should receive all association-owned property, funds, accounts, records, data and operational information needed to continue running the community.
As of August 12, 2026, Colorado law specifically requires a former management company to complete that transfer within 45 days after termination or nonrenewal of the management agreement, subject to the statute's terms.
That transition should involve considerably more than a folder of governing documents.
Colorado added a 45-day management-transition rule in 2026
House Bill 26-1099 became effective August 12, 2026.
Under the new provision added to C.R.S. § 38-33.3-317, when an association terminates or does not renew its management agreement, the former association management company must generally deliver the association's property to the new management company or to the association within 45 days and at no charge to the association.
The statute expressly identifies:
Money
Financial accounts
Account books
Financial records
Insurance policies
Contracts
Business documents
Invoices
Receipts
Subscriptions
Account information
Account passwords
Keys
Other association property
Other association records or information
The law does not require a former management company to transfer proprietary software or computer programs themselves, provided the association's data and records contained in those systems are transferred.
Why the transition file matters
A new management company cannot effectively manage an association if basic history and supporting documentation are missing.
For example:
A balance sheet may say the HOA has $25,000 in accounts receivable.
But the incoming manager still needs to know:
Which owners owe it?
What charges created those balances?
Have payments been posted correctly?
Are payment plans in place?
Are any balances disputed?
Has anything been referred for collection?
Likewise, a maintenance line in the budget does not tell the new manager:
Which vendor performs the work
What the contract requires
Whether invoices are current
What repairs remain open
Whether warranties exist
Whether the board has already approved additional work
Good transition records connect the numbers to the association's actual operations.
Financial records to request
A transition package should generally include available association financial records such as:
Banking
Bank account information
Current bank statements
Recent reconciliations
Reserve account information
Investment or certificate information
Authorized signers
Outstanding checks
Pending electronic payments
Deposits in transit
Accounting
Current general ledger
Trial balance, if maintained
Balance sheet
Income and expense statements
Budget-to-actual reports
Chart of accounts
Accounts payable
Accounts receivable
Vendor balances
Open credits
Owner ledgers
Prepaid assessments
Delinquency reports
Payment-plan records
Special-assessment records
Supporting documentation
Vendor invoices
Receipts
Payment documentation
Tax records
Prior financial statements
Audit or financial-review reports, if any
Current approved budget
Reserve information
Colorado's existing association-record requirements separately include detailed records of receipts and expenditures, financial statements for the past three years and association tax returns for the past seven years, to the extent available.
Governing and corporate records
The new manager should also receive the association's controlling and administrative documents.
Those commonly include:
Recorded declaration and amendments
Bylaws and amendments
Articles of incorporation or other organizational documents
Rules and regulations
Responsible governance policies
Other board-adopted policies
Plat maps or condominium maps
Resolutions
Corporate filings
Colorado HOA registration information
Secretary of State information
Colorado law requires associations to maintain their current governing documents and policies as association records.
Meeting and board records
Request:
Board meeting minutes
Owner meeting minutes
Annual meeting records
Actions taken without meetings
Election records within applicable retention periods
Proxies and ballots within applicable retention periods
Board resolutions
Current board and officer information
Board-approved projects and pending motions
Meeting minutes are especially important because they often explain why an expenditure, contract, project or policy exists.
Colorado requires board and owner meeting minutes to be maintained permanently.
Owner and property records
A practical transition also requires reliable owner information.
That may include:
Owner names
Mailing addresses
Property addresses
Email addresses where appropriately maintained
Voting allocations
Owner account histories
Approved payment arrangements
Current violations or enforcement matters
Architectural requests and decisions
Approved owner modifications
Leases or occupant information where properly maintained by the association
Access to particular records may be subject to statutory privacy and disclosure restrictions, so incoming management should maintain appropriate confidentiality.
Insurance records
The association should receive:
Current policies
Declarations pages
Coverage limits
Deductibles
Renewal dates
Insurance-agent information
Open claims
Claim history available to the association
Certificates
Directors and officers coverage information
Fidelity coverage information
Colorado's annual HOA disclosure requirements include a list of association insurance policies and specified policy information.
Vendor, maintenance and capital-project records
This area is often overlooked.
Request:
Current vendor contracts
Expiration and renewal dates
Vendor contact information
Open work orders
Pending bids
Approved proposals
Maintenance schedules
Equipment information
Warranties
Inspection reports
Repair histories
Capital-project records
Reserve-study information, if applicable
Utility accounts and account numbers
Colorado association-record requirements include current written contracts and contracts for work performed within the preceding two years.
Digital access can be just as important as paper records
The association may rely on:
Domain registrations
Association email accounts
Website credentials
Homeowner portals
Accounting systems
Banking portals
Vendor portals
Utility accounts
Cloud storage
Online payment systems
Electronic document storage
HB26-1099 specifically includes account information and account passwords among the items to be delivered during a management-company transition.
A transition checklist should therefore identify who controls each digital account before the outgoing relationship ends.
What if records are missing?
Do not assume that a missing record never existed.
Create a written transition register showing:
Received
The document or data was received and appears usable.
Incomplete
Something was received, but important periods or supporting information are missing.
Outstanding
The record has been requested but not received.
Not available
The former manager or board reports that the item is unavailable.
Needs reconciliation
Records conflict or balances cannot yet be confirmed.
This is preferable to immediately changing numbers merely to make the accounting system balance.
What happens if the former management company does not comply?
HB26-1099 added enforcement consequences.
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, a former management company that fails to comply with the statutory turnover requirement may be liable for certain damages and must pay the association $250 for each business day of noncompliance. The statute also provides additional remedies in qualifying civil actions, including enhanced damages for a willful violation.
A board considering enforcement should obtain association-specific legal advice rather than relying on a general website article.
A clean transition protects more than the incoming manager
It protects:
The association
The board
Homeowners
Vendors
The outgoing manager
The incoming manager
The goal is not simply to transfer files.
It is to create an identifiable point at which the association can say:
This is what we received. This is what remains outstanding. This is where the association stood when management changed.
Ridgeline perspective
A management transition should begin with an inventory, not assumptions.
For smaller communities especially, incomplete records can quickly become budget problems, owner-account problems and maintenance problems because there may be very little financial margin for error.
Organizing the transition first makes it much easier to determine what actually needs to be corrected later.
Related Ridgeline resources
What Should a Small HOA Look for in a Management Company?
What Financial Reports Should an HOA Board Review Every Month?
Need help organizing an HOA transition?
Explore financial cleanup and transition support, or request a proposal to discuss missing records and your community’s priorities.
Last reviewed: August 20, 2026
Educational disclaimer: This article provides general information and is not legal advice. HB26-1099 and other statutes should be reviewed in their complete form, and association-specific legal questions should be directed to qualified Colorado community-association counsel.
