Who Does What on Your Board: President, VP, Treasurer, and Secretary Explained

A plain-language breakdown of condo board officer roles in DC — president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary — and what the DC Condominium Act says about each.

Every DC condo board runs on a handful of officer roles, and confusion about who owns what is one of the most common reasons boards stall out on decisions. D.C. Code § 42-1903.01 requires the executive board to have officers, and § 42-1903.06 addresses officer qualifications and disqualification — but the law leaves the day-to-day division of labor to the association's bylaws. Here's how that split typically works in practice.

President

The president runs meetings, acts as the board's primary point of contact with the property manager and vendors, and generally signs contracts and legal documents on the association's behalf when authorized by the board. A good president keeps meetings on track, makes sure every board member gets heard, and avoids making unilateral decisions that belong to the full board.

Vice President

The VP steps in when the president is unavailable and often takes ownership of a specific portfolio — architectural review, capital projects, or resident communications — so the president isn't the single point of contact for everything.

Treasurer

The treasurer is usually the busiest officer. Core responsibilities include reviewing monthly financials against budget, working with the management company or bookkeeper on reserve contributions, flagging variances before they become a crisis, and presenting the financial picture to owners in plain language at meetings. Treasurers don't need an accounting background, but they do need to actually read the financials every month, not just sign off on them.

Secretary

The secretary maintains meeting minutes, ensures notice requirements under §§ 42-1903.03–.04 are met, and is often the custodian of the association's official records — the same records owners have a right to inspect under § 42-1903.14. Accurate, timely minutes matter more than most new board members expect: they're often the first thing an attorney asks for when a dispute arises.

What DC's disqualification rules mean for your board

Officers can be disqualified from serving under certain circumstances defined in the association's governing documents and § 42-1903.06 — commonly tied to being seriously delinquent on assessments. Boards should confirm current eligibility with legal counsel before removing or disqualifying an officer, since getting this wrong can itself expose the board to challenge.

Getting the division of labor right

The healthiest boards write down who owns what — not just in the bylaws, but in practice — so that a single officer's absence doesn't stall the building's operations. A property manager can help formalize this: standing agendas, financial reporting templates, and a documented escalation path so officers know exactly what's theirs to decide and what needs a full board vote.

Urbaniqa works directly with boards and their officers to keep financial reporting, meeting documentation, and vendor communication running smoothly regardless of who's in which seat this year.