When homeowners ask to see the finances, they’re usually handed a summary — a balance sheet, an income statement, a budget-versus-actual. Those tell you the totals, but they’re exactly where problems hide. A single line that reads “Legal — $18,400” or “Landscaping — $62,000” could be perfectly fine, or it could be an insider deal, an unauthorized expense, or a padded bill. You can’t tell from the summary. To actually see where the money went, ask for the invoices and the check register — always.
The summary hides the detail — the detail is your right
The statute opens “financial and other records” to examination — and that means the underlying records, not just the tidy report the manager prepared. A summary is a substitute the law doesn’t require you to accept; you can ask for the primary documents and check the numbers yourself. (That’s the same principle as insisting on the record, not an explanation.)
What to request, specifically
- The check register / cash-disbursements ledger for the period — every payment out: date, payee, amount, and what it was for.
- Copies of the vendor invoices, especially the big and recurring ones — legal, management, collections, landscaping, insurance, reserves work.
- Bank statements (and credit-card statements, if the association uses cards).
- The general ledger.
Ask for all of it scanned to PDF and emailed, on the 10-business-day clock, and log it in your Records Request Tracker.
What you’re looking for
- Insider payments. Cross-check payees against board members’ names and addresses — an undisclosed insider contract may be void under § 33-1811.
- Unauthorized legal spending. Big legal invoices with no Board vote authorizing counsel are worth a hard look.
- Collections and attorney fees stacked onto owner accounts beyond what § 33-1807 allows.
- Duplicate, inflated, or vague invoices — “consulting,” “miscellaneous,” round numbers with no backup.
- Numbers that don’t reconcile — the summary total should match the sum of the actual disbursements.
Why it matters
Assessments are your money, and the summary is the association’s own presentation of it. The check register and the invoices are the primary evidence of what actually happened — the difference between “trust us” and “show us.” It’s also the heart of a real governance audit: you can’t judge whether a board is spending appropriately from a one-line category.
Your move
- Request the check register, invoices, bank statements, and general ledger for the period — PDF by email, in writing.
- Reconcile them against the summary financials and against the budget.
- Flag insider payees, unauthorized legal spend, and anything vague or padded — in writing, as a question, not an accusation (see how to communicate).
- Escalate a records refusal through an ADRE petition.