Does Your Community Need an HOA Custom Website?

Homeowners associations are increasingly relying on advanced technological tools to keep up with the demands of running a community. If your HOA is apprehensive about investing in one, consider the benefits of an HOA custom website.

The Advantages of an HOA Custom Website

An essential part of HOA management is staying constant communication with all homeowners. When left in the dark, homeowners can become anxious and weary about what is going on in the community. It can lead to misunderstandings between residents and the board, eventually blowing out of proportion and potentially giving rise to lawsuits.

Homeowners need to know that their HOA board is managing the community and spending their money well. Complete transparency is a necessity. Homeowners also need a medium to express their concerns and opinions. This allows for a collaborative atmosphere and can result in a higher resident satisfaction rate.

Better communication is an obvious benefit of an HOA custom website. However, there are other things a website can improve in an HOA community.

1. Easily Accessible Information

A lot of residents don’t know what the HOA’s governing documents contain. Some HOAs provide a copy of the governing documents to every homeowner upon move-in, but not all do this. Additionally, many homeowners still lose or misplace their copies. When the time comes that they need to refer to them, they need to go through the process of requesting for the documents again.

With an HOA custom website, residents can simply look up the governing documents online. They can view and download copies for themselves, which they can subsequently print out. It’s important for homeowners to have access to the HOA’s governing documents. That way, they can simply check them if they need clarification on certain regulations. This will also make the board’s job easier, as board members no longer need to process requests related to viewing or copying the governing documents.

2. Announcements and Updates

There will naturally be announcements the HOA board needs to make every now and then. While there are other communication tools available, such as text or email, an HOA custom website allows you to post announcements, updates, or upcoming events in a single place. Dedicating a section of the homepage for such information makes it easier for residents to look them up instead of needing to scroll through a bunch of past emails. Furthermore, residents will come across the section every time they visit the website for other reasons. This will encourage more participation and help improve attendance in meetings, social gatherings, and other events.

3. Save Money

It is a well-known fact that many HOA communities spend an exorbitant amount of time and money on printing and mailing. This is especially true for communities with hundreds or thousands of homeowners to deal with.

With an HOA website, you won’t need to rely purely on printed announcements, invitations, and newsletters. This will cut down on the time and money you allocate for printing and mailing. You can instead redistribute the saved time and money to other important matters.

4. Convenient Collection and Payment

Some HOAs use the traditional method of snail mail to collect assessments and other fees, which makes it inconvenient for many homeowners. You can choose to customize your HOA website to integrate a collection and payment function. This will make it easier for residents to pay their dues and for the board to collect them. An additional reminder feature can also help reduce late payments and improve delinquency rates.

5. Post Meeting Minutes

Not all residents can usually make it to meetings, causing them to miss out on important information. An HOA custom website can help with this, too. After the board secretary finalizes and approves the meeting minutes, you can post it on your HOA’s website to make it accessible to all homeowners. This way, those who were absent can simply download a copy of the minutes to familiarize themselves with what happened during the meeting.

A Worthwhile Investment

It’s clear that an HOA custom website boasts plenty of benefits to any community association. That being said, some HOAs think twice about investing in one due to the associated costs. While it’s true that a custom website will cost your HOA money, it can last a long time and is good for a lot of uses. The future is digital, so your HOA should try its best to keep up.