So what are the consequences if your Bylaws are not signed? Below is an article from the Davis-Stirling.com Newsletter by ADAMS | STIRLING PLC regarding the business of Bylaws and whether it is okay to have them unsigned or not.

QUESTION: The Veteran’s Administration, HUD, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac are now requiring that boards sign their bylaws or sign a certificate stating that the bylaws are the operable bylaws. Some boards are refusing to sign them. They say they have always used the bylaws, therefore they are legal. What does the law say regarding this?

ANSWER: The boards are correct. Unsigned bylaws are legal and associations function perfectly fine with them.

Lenders. Unfortunately, some nearsighted clerk in a little cubicle in Washington DC thinks lending institutions will suffer if an association’s bylaws aren’t signed. Hence the requirement. Even though lenders never read the bylaws, they are now demanding evidence that they are “official.” If boards don’t cooperate, lenders will withdraw loan commitments and escrows will fall through. This creates significant potential liability for boards of directors.

Certification. Boards are reluctant to sign their bylaws because they feel like they are doing something improper by putting their names on a document they didn’t create. They should not be concerned. There is nothing wrong with signing a one-paragraph certification affirming that the bylaws used by the association are the bylaws used by the association.

RECOMMENDATION: Boards should look at the last page of their bylaws and see if they are signed. If not, call your legal counsel and ask him/her to prepare a certification. Then, adopt a resolution authorizing the president and secretary to sign the certification. Staple that certification to your bylaws. You don’t need to record your bylaws nor do you need to redistribute them to everyone in the association. The newly certified set is what gets submitted to all future escrows. Doing so makes you heroes–you just saved the nation’s banking system from collapse.

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For more knowledgeable information regarding the business of HOA’s, visit: The Davis-Stirling.com Newsletter