As used in this article:
(1) "Board" means the representative body, regardless of name, designated in the governing documents to act on behalf of a homeowners association and govern the association.
(2) "Declarant" means a person or group of persons acting in concert who:
(a) as part of a common promotional plan, subdivide and offer to dispose of an interest the person or group has in a unit in real property; or
(b) reserve or succeed to a special declarant right, which means a right created under the declaration or bylaws for the person or group to retain or exercise authority in addition to regular declarant rights in a unit of real property.
(3) "Declaration" means the recorded instruments, however denominated, that create a homeowners association, including amendments to those instruments.
(4) "Governing documents" means declaration, master deeds, or bylaws, or any amendments to the declaration, master deeds, or bylaws.
(5) "Homeowner" means a declarant or other person who owns a unit in a homeowners association, but does not include a person having an interest in such a unit solely as security for an obligation.
(6) "Homeowners association" or "association" means an entity developed to manage and maintain a planned community or horizontal property regime for which there is a declaration requiring a person, by virtue of his ownership of a separate property within the planned community or horizontal property regime, to pay assessments for a share of real estate taxes, insurance premiums, maintenance, or improvement of, or services or other expenses related to, common elements and other real estate described in that declaration. A "homeowners association" or "association" does not include a vacation time sharing plan organized and subject to the provisions of Chapter 32.
(7) "Homeowners association management company" means a corporation, limited liability company, partnership, trust, association, sole proprietorship, or other similar organization engaging in the business of managing homeowners associations.
(8) "Unit" means an apartment in a horizontal property regime, or a lot in a subdivision.