HOA Self Management Software Can Help Share Common Spaces

The biggest selling points for most HOAs are the community spaces. You can enjoy the amenities of a pool, clubhouse, basketball and pickleball courts, playgrounds, ponds, parks, and gardens without having to bear the brunt of the cost when they require maintenance. 

But it all only works if every homeowner pays their share in HOA fees (that’s where specific HOA accounting software can help). 

Sure, any software can make keeping track of payees and receiving payments a breeze, but  PayHOA, an HOA self management software, is built for just this. 

HOA Self Management Software Organizes Policies & Documents

Summers can bring new rules or policies for common spaces, which can create unnecessary confusion—like a neighbor trying to enforce outdated pool rules from a three-year-old printed-out email. 

It is handy to have immediate access to the policies, governance, and other important documents, both for HOA members and those who administer the policies. 

Instead of having to dig through piles of mail or old emails or fight about whether Clubhouse Rental Agreement_Final.pdf or Clubhouse Rental Agreement_FinalFinal.docx is the most up-to-date, your residents have a one-stop shop for all their policy questions. 

Because of the central location, amending the policies is a breeze, and you can avoid the confusion that might be caused by printed documents or multiple file version copies with language that differs. A digital repository simplifies it for your residents and for you, the administrator, and frees you both up to work on what matters: creating a community people care about.

Software can be very helpful in policy applications. In addition to making the policies accessible and allowing board members to track violations, the communications side of the HOA-specific software can help neighbors resolve issues without escalation or the need for punitive measures. 

PayHOA’s software even gives boards the ability to conduct surveys and polls within the residents’ platform. You can poll neighbors on issues or even use it to decide the best meeting time. Residents who feel like they are heard are more willing to engage in growing a healthy community.  

HOA-Specific Software Makes Expenses and Budgets Easy.

Paying into your HOA means someone else takes care of all those associated expenses (you and your self-managed board). That’s the cost of the added bonus and peace of mind that come with entry gates and security areas for these shared spaces. 

HOA self management software helps you manage those budgets while giving your residents a transparent look into the HOA finances. 

With PayHOA, you don’t even have to risk sounding frustrated because the budgeting tools are built to be transparent and easy to understand. PayHOA allows you to see how the funds for their repair and maintenance are allocated, and the communication and calendar tools can help you keep track of who is in charge of upkeep. 

That can ensure that you communicate with the right people, keep those responsible in the loop, and avoid wasting effort. 

If the neighborhood pays a lawn service to maintain the common area on Rosewood Drive, the neighborhood gardening club can focus its attention on the clubhouse flower beds.

If Phil knew Bob already did the daily pool cleanup, he could have joined his friends for dinner instead of showing up to clean a clean pool.

That saves time, supplies, and man hours. Small savings add up! What you save can be set aside for emergency repairs, improvements in common areas, or other community needs.

Another bonus of HOA self management software is that you can get a clear picture of how often common spaces are used, and that can help guide decision-making on which spaces to invest in as well as the amount.

Manage & Organize Volunteers and Groups.

Volunteers and community groups are key parts of a successful HOA. Sure, you pay for a service to maintain the pool and to clean the clubhouse after events, but that doesn’t account for the day-to-day needs of your community’s most lived-in spaces.

Volunteers are also the ones who ensure those spaces are used, staging important community events that make the community feel more neighborly. Keeping shared spaces in a good state of repair is crucial for encouraging community groups to make use of them and demonstrating their relevance. 

Say Pete and Woody are both avid gardeners. Thanks to their neighborhood group forums, they can learn about the gardening club, which meets a few times a month to trim the hedges near the entrance and weed the flowerbeds. As a side benefit, they get to know their neighbors better and find greater fulfillment in their community. They’re more engaged, strengthening the community’s overall health. 

These groups of volunteers and community facilitators make the job of an HOA board easier and the neighborhood itself more attractive. But it’s hard work to maintain an organic, grass-roots community. Your board can support these valuable members of your community by giving them the communication tools they need to give and receive feedback, better organize, and plan and promote the events that make your neighborhood and common spaces worth paying for.  

Communication Is the Core of a Healthy Community.

HOA self management software most clearly outperforms traditional accounting software in communications. Unlike Quickbooks or DIY spreadsheets, PayHOA is designed specifically to maintain correspondence between everyone involved in any transaction, which maintains essential transparency. 

While you can use the HOA self management software for sending out physical communications, you don’t have to stress about the physical version not reaching its destination because you have a digital version as well. Digital payment portals give residents the option of forgoing the paper check altogether. 

It’s just as easy to send out a round of invoices as it is to send out a mass message with HOA self management software. The software delivers violations digitally and users can make maintenance and architectural requests. And, when you’re dealing with multiple units, managing less paperwork is a bonus.

HOA self management software encourages active, more accessible community calendars. Some HOAs maintain physical calendars in locations that some residents don’t visit often. A digital calendar is easier to see and harder to miss out on community events, encouraging a more active and engaged community.

Neighbors usually first reach for their most familiar communication tools when addressing an issue, which often end up being social media pages and NextDoor groups. They often create environments that focus on negativity and create animosity between neighbors where none existed before. 

More transparent and community-focused communication tools prioritize de-escalation, pro-community conversation, and better organization, whereas social platforms prioritize highly reactive conversations and topics.

Are You Tired of Managing Your Shared Spaces on Your Own?

Providing common spaces is essential for a community, but parks, paths, and pools cannot be maintained and used by themselves. 

Making it easier for people to get out of their homes and into their communities means that HOA members can make new friendships, learn new hobbies, and build richer, more fulfilling lives. HOA self management software can help take your association above and beyond the basics of property management.

Want to learn how PayHOA.com can simplify managing your shared spaces and benefit your HOA in other ways? Visit our website for more information, and consider booking a call with us to learn more about all our great features.