If you own a condominium unit, MCL § 559.157(1) is a genuinely useful right: the books, records, contracts, and financial statements concerning the administration and operation of the condominium project "shall be available for examination by any of the co-owners and their mortgagees at convenient times." The statute doesn't spell out a specific request procedure or response deadline the way some states' records laws do, so the practical move is to pin the board down in writing on when that "convenient time" actually is. Section 559.157(2) adds real financial oversight: once an association's annual revenue passes $20,000, it must have its books, records, and financial statements independently audited or reviewed every year by a CPA, though owners can vote by majority to opt out of that requirement annually under subsection (3).
Pair that with MCL § 559.154, which requires the bylaws to make the people who administer the project keep "a detailed account of the expenditures and receipts affecting the condominium project," and to prepare and distribute an annual financial statement to every owner. If you've never received one, that's a direct gap between what the statute requires and what your board is actually doing.
Subdivision HOAs: a thinner, general-corporate right
If you're in an ordinary subdivision HOA, your records right runs through the Nonprofit Corporation Act instead, and it's noticeably thinner. MCL § 450.2485 requires the corporation to keep books and records of account and minutes of shareholder or member, board, and executive-committee proceedings, and to convert any record that isn't already in written form into written form, without charge, for "a person that is entitled to inspect the record." That confirms the recordkeeping duty and a free-conversion right, but notice what it doesn't do: it doesn't spell out, the way the condo statute does, exactly what you can demand or on what timeline. The specific inspection procedure for a subdivision HOA typically has to come from your own bylaws, which is usually more generous and more specific than the bare corporate-law floor.
The authority
The statutes behind this
Cited by name as authority, for your own reading. Informational only, not legal advice.
MCL 559.157
Gives condo owners and mortgagees the right to examine the association's books, records, contracts, and financial statements, and requires an independent audit or review once revenue exceeds $20,000 unless owners opt out.
MCL 559.154
Requires condo bylaws to mandate detailed expenditure and receipt records and an annual financial statement distributed to every owner.
MCL 450.2485
Requires a nonprofit corporation, including most subdivision HOAs, to keep books, records, and minutes, and to convert non-written records to written form for a person entitled to inspect them.
Step by step
How to request HOA or condo records in Michigan
A practical path to get real documents out of a Michigan association, using whichever statutory floor actually covers you.
- 01
Confirm condo or subdivision HOA
Condo owners get the stronger, more specific right under MCL § 559.157. Subdivision HOA owners work from the thinner general duty in MCL § 450.2485 plus their own bylaws.
- 02
Put the request in writing and date it
Since Michigan's statute doesn't set a response deadline, a dated written request is your evidence trail if the board stalls.
- 03
Name the specific records
Condo owners: ask for the books, records, contracts, and financial statements MCL § 559.157 covers. Subdivision HOA owners: ask for minutes and financial records under MCL § 450.2485, and quote your bylaws' own records clause alongside it.
- 04
Ask whether the audit actually happened
If your condo association's annual revenue is over $20,000, confirm the independent CPA audit or review required by MCL § 559.157(2) was performed, or that owners properly voted to opt out under subsection (3).
- 05
Demand the annual financial statement
MCL § 559.154(5) requires condo associations to prepare and distribute one every year. If you've never received one, ask for the current year's in writing.
Straight answers
Common questions
Can I inspect my Michigan condo association's financial records?
Yes. MCL § 559.157(1) makes the association's books, records, contracts, and financial statements available for examination by any co-owner or mortgagee at convenient times.
Does my condo association have to get an independent audit?
Only once annual revenue exceeds $20,000. MCL § 559.157(2) then requires an independent CPA audit or review each year, though owners can vote by majority to opt out annually under subsection (3).
Am I entitled to an annual financial statement from my condo association?
Yes. MCL § 559.154(5) requires the bylaws to provide that the association prepares and distributes a financial statement to every owner at least once a year. Ask in writing if you've never received one.
What records can I get from a subdivision HOA that isn't a condo?
The Nonprofit Corporation Act (MCL § 450.2485) requires the corporation to keep books, records, and minutes, and to convert them to written form for someone entitled to inspect. It doesn't spell out a specific owner request procedure the way the condo statute does, so check your own bylaws for the more detailed right they usually contain.