Do I write the board or the management company?
Use the manager for ordinary traffic, and use the official address in the documents when it matters. The management company is a vendor. The board is the association. A portal message that nobody prints does not always count as the written request your bylaws or state statute require. If a deadline is running — a hearing, a records inspection, a fine appeal — send it the way the papers say, and keep proof.
Typical process
Day-to-day (work orders, account questions, "please call me"): the manager is the right first stop. That's what they're paid for. Copy yourself. If it's been more than a reasonable time with no answer, follow up in writing.
Anything that preserves a right: hearing requests, records-inspection demands, architectural applications, payment-plan asks, and "I dispute this charge." Check the notice section of the CC&Rs and bylaws. Many say written notice must go to the registered agent, the association's mailing address, or the manager as agent. Some statutes care about the method. A rant on the community Facebook page is not a request.
Practical pattern that holds up later:
- Email the manager so they can actually do the task.
- Mail or email the same letter to the official address in the documents, and to the board if you have a published board email.
- Keep the certified-mail receipt or sent-folder PDF.
- Say the magic words when they matter: "I request a hearing." "I request to inspect the following records." Vague venting doesn't start the clock in your favor.
If the manager and the board are at odds, still use the official address. You can't later be told "we never got it" as easily. If the manager is the problem, copy the board. If the board is the problem, the manager may still be the correct mail drop.
What controls this
The CC&Rs and bylaws' notice provisions, your state's HOA/condo statute (especially records and hearing sections), and the association's registered-agent listing on the state business-entity site. Portals and apps are convenience, not a rewrite of those rules, unless the documents say they are.
Next steps
Look up the association's legal name and registered agent. Put the official address in your contacts. For the letter in your hand, calendar the deadline today and send the request before it expires. Don't withhold dues while you figure out who to write.
When to talk to a licensed lawyer
Talk to a licensed lawyer if a hearing or records deadline is close, if you're not sure the portal filing counted, or if the association later claims they never received a request you thought you sent. Bring the governing-document notice section, the letter, and your proof of delivery.
> This is general information from an AI helper, not legal advice. Confirm it against your documents and your state’s law. If a deadline or hearing is coming up, talk to a licensed lawyer.