Your governing documents require proper notice of the annual meeting. For most Texas associations, Texas Property Code Chapter 209 (Texas Residential Property Owners Protection Act) applies too. The rules cover how many days ahead the notice must go out. They cover how you must deliver it and what it must contain. These rules differ by state and by community.
This template gives you a complete, professional notice to start from. Before you send it, check three things against your bylaws and the statute. First, the notice window (minimum and maximum days before the meeting). Second, the delivery method your documents require. Third, whether any vote must be named in the notice. Read the statute at the official source: Texas Legislature: Property Code Ch. 209.
This is a template, not legal advice. Your governing documents and Texas Property Code Chapter 209 (Texas Residential Property Owners Protection Act) control the real requirements, and they change. Does something have legal consequences? Check it against your documents, the statute at the link above, or an attorney licensed in Texas.
The template
Copy it, fill in every [bracketed field], and delete what you don't use. Want the occasional practical resource for self-managed boards? Leave your email. Or skip straight to the document.
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF THE MEMBERS
[Community Name] Homeowners Association, Inc.
A Texas nonprofit corporation
TO: All Members of [Community Name] Homeowners Association
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual Meeting of the Members of
[Community Name] Homeowners Association will be held:
Date: [Day of week], [Month] [Day], [Year]
Time: [Time] ([Time Zone])
Location: [Venue Name]
[Street Address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Virtual access (if permitted by your governing documents):
[Link / dial-in and instructions]]
PURPOSES OF THE MEETING
1. Establish that a quorum is present
2. Approve the minutes of the [Year] Annual Meeting
3. Reports of officers:
- President's report on the past year
- Treasurer's report: financial statements and reserve funding status
4. Election of [Number] directors to the Board of Directors
(candidate information is enclosed / available at [location])
5. [Any other business specifically noticed, e.g. "Vote on the proposed
amendment to Section [__] of the Bylaws (copy enclosed)"]
6. Member questions and open forum
7. Adjournment
QUORUM AND PROXY
The presence of [quorum requirement per your bylaws, e.g. "30% of the
total voting interests"], in person or by proxy, is required to hold the
meeting. IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND, PLEASE COMPLETE AND RETURN THE ENCLOSED
PROXY so the meeting can proceed. Proxies must be received by
[Date/Time] at [return address / drop-off location / electronic method
if permitted].
ENCLOSURES
[ ] Proxy form
[ ] Agenda
[ ] Candidate statements
[ ] [Proposed budget / amendment text / other noticed items]
Questions before the meeting may be directed to [Name], [Title], at
[Email] or [Phone].
Dated: [Date of mailing/delivery]
By order of the Board of Directors,
_________________________________
[Name], Secretary
[Community Name] Homeowners Association, Inc.
How to use it
- Fill every [bracketed field]. Then delete any optional lines you do not need, like virtual access.
- Check your bylaws and the statute before you set the mailing date. Confirm the notice window (minimum and maximum days ahead) and the required delivery method. A notice sent too early or too late may not count.
- Will owners vote on anything beyond the election? Name it in the notice. Owners often challenge decisions that the notice never mentioned.
- Prepare your meeting packet. Include the proxy form, an agenda, candidate statements for board elections, and the proposed budget or any amendment text the notice mentions. Send these with the notice or make them easy to find.
- Know your quorum. Find the number in your bylaws. If the notice goes out and too few owners show up or return proxies, the meeting cannot proceed. Start collecting proxies early.
- Keep proof of when and how the notice went out. An affidavit of mailing or delivery records belongs in the association records.
What this looks like in Lantern
The template is the document. The hard part is getting it to every owner and knowing it arrived. A mail merge can't do that. Here is the same document sent through the app:
The paperwork is the easy part
Lantern gives self-managed communities the rest. You get amenity schedules, an events calendar, notices that arrive, and records that survive board turnover. It is free to start, and you need no board approval.