How to Turn HOA Hate into HOA Love

Over a quarter of US homeowners live in a community governed by an HOA, according to a YouGov survey from December 2023. However, almost half of those people said they would prefer not to live in an HOA-governed neighborhood. They have negative opinions about these organizations, ranging from how HOAs are governed to how they communicate. What many people don’t realize is that it can be very difficult to run a self-managed HOA without the right digital tools. Having robust homeowners association software to manage your HOA helps you solve many of those problems. Learn more about the common reasons people hate their HOA boards, and how having the right tools can turn that hate into love.

Reason 1: Inconsistent Violation Enforcement

Raise your hand if this scenario sounds familiar: your neighbor Kim just put up a fence. She painted it a pretty shade of light blue. Kim receives no notice from the HOA board, so you figure it’s okay to put up a fence of your own and paint it the same shade. Why do you get slapped with a violation from the HOA and she didn’t? 

Inconsistent violation enforcement stems from the self-managed part of a self-managed HOA. These organizations are run by volunteers, some of whom have full-time jobs, families, and other obligations that keep them from being able to monitor every single violation. Also, it’s sometimes easier to let a violation stand than to have a difficult conversation with your neighbor. Yet, when an HOA board doesn’t enforce rules consistently, a sense of resentment builds.

How Homeowners Association Software Simplifies Violation Enforcement

In many cases, violation enforcement comes down to communication. It’s about a member of the HOA reaching out to the neighbor who’s violating the rules and having a conversation about how to solve the problem. 

The right HOA management software makes it easy for residents and HOA members to have those conversations. The HOA board members can discreetly reach out to the person violating the rules to discuss how to remedy the issue. And if the board is unaware of a violation, an HOA management platform gives residents the opportunity to privately alert volunteers that someone has broken the rules. One-on-one communication reduces tension and helps maintain a peaceful, friendly community. 

Reason 2: Mistrust and a Lack of Transparency 

One of the reasons people start volunteering for their HOA board is because they’re sick of being kept out of important discussions and decisions. So much happens behind closed doors with many HOAs. A lack of transparency sows mistrust, and mistrust isn’t something you want in a neighborhood. 

There’s a reason for the lack of transparency, though, and it goes back to something mentioned earlier. When people volunteer for an HOA board position, they’re taking on that obligation on top of their jobs, their families, and other commitments. Communicating with the rest of the neighborhood about what’s happening with the HOA might not be their top priority. 

How Homeowners Association Software Makes Communication Easier 

Mistrust and a lack of transparency don’t have to plague your HOA’s reputation. HOA management software helps you communicate easily and clearly. 

A robust HOA management platform puts all the information residents ask for–details about finances, meeting notes, requests, and a payment portal–in one place. Instead of residents becoming frustrated because they don’t know what happened at the last meeting, or they don’t know how to request a variance to the rules, they can quickly find exactly what they’re looking for on a single site. 

When residents trust their HOA board, they’re more likely to comply with rules, pay their dues and fees on time, and feel better about living in an HOA neighborhood.

Reason 3: Disorganized Policies 

What time does the pool close? Can you park there? What’s the clubhouse rental policy? 

Another reason people don’t like HOAs is because there isn’t a single source of truth for the association’s policies. Instead, there are multiple versions of the truth, some of which are outdated, and some of which might not have any basis in fact at all. 

When there isn’t a single source of truth, confusion reigns. That creates the aforementioned sense of mistrust in your HOA board. 

How Homeowners Association Software Creates a Single Source of Truth 

An HOA management platform makes it easy for residents to understand what the rules are because all the rules appear in one place. 

There’s no longer a need to staple the newest version to the bulletin board in the clubhouse, or for neighbors to bicker about the latest updates. Everything they need to know is in one place, and more importantly, it’s accurate. 

Reason 4: Poor Communication that Leads to Arguments 

Creating a group for your HOA on Facebook or setting up a page on Nextdoor might have seemed like a good idea originally. However, there’s a very good chance the conversations on either of those sites turned toxic in the blink of an eye. It’s simple, unfortunately: maybe one person posts about an event, and another person comments asking about the time and date, only for a third person to make a nasty comment about something, with the conversation devolving from there. 

Moreover, much of what appears on some of these forums isn’t true. Psychology researchers note that using these forums can make people think crime in their area is higher than it actually is because people frequently report suspicious events (which in reality, aren’t suspicious). 

Poor communication and inaccurate information lead to arguments and bad blood, which hurts the sense of community the HOA is trying to build. 

How Homeowners Association Software Improves Communication to Reduce Arguments

Using HOA management software takes conversations off Facebook and Nextdoor. It streamlines community communications to provide accurate information that reduces the likelihood of arguments. 

The right HOA management platform offers the ability to create conversations and organize them so you’re not sending off an email that quickly becomes an endless thread of replies. Communication becomes cleaner and less confusing. 

In addition, it should give you the option to post one-way communications on a bulletin board, like updates about board policy, and two-way communication, such as questions about who’s bringing hot dogs to the next cookout. 

Reason 5: Unclear Budgeting Processes and Unexplained Costs 

Before you joined your HOA board, how many times did you ask yourself, “What are they spending my dues and fees on?” And how many times did you say, “Wait, the HOA is spending money on THAT? Why?”

After you joined the HOA board, it all became crystal clear. You learned how the HOA’s budgeting process works, and what it needs to spend money on for the neighborhood to thrive. But what about your residents who don’t serve on the HOA board? They don’t understand the organization’s budgeting process or HOA expenses. 

How Homeowners Association Software Sheds Light on Budgets and Costs 

The right HOA management tool helps you share financial information with residents. They no longer have to guess at how much the HOA collects, what it spends the money on, and how it makes financial decisions. 

You can have a section on your HOA app to post finance documents, including budgets. Posting budgets also allows you to have a conversation about expenses and how to cut them. When people understand what the HOA board does with its money and why, they’re less likely to feel negatively about the organization.

Reason 6: Confusing Request Processes

Do most of your residents know how to request to renovate their properties or for maintenance services? Or is the process so confusing, so frustrating, and so difficult that residents either don’t do anything, or they simply renovate or maintain their property on their own? 

If the latter holds true, your HOA has a problem. Confusing processes lead to resentment, especially when it comes to the ability to renovate or request maintenance. The more complicated a process is, the less likely residents will bother with it, which could lead to costly violations and bad blood between the HOA board and them.

How Homeowners Association Software Simplifies Request Processes 

Market-leading HOA management software allows residents to request changes to their properties online. No more paper forms. No more crowded inboxes. You can customize the forms to fit your HOA’s needs, and you can streamline the approval process by designating HOA board members to approve the request. 

Instead of frustration and resentment, there are clear, simple steps for residents to follow. It’s also easier for HOA board members to approve or deny requests because of a digital workflow customized to meet your needs. 

Ready to Run an HOA Your Residents Love? 

People hate HOAs because of a lack of transparency, complicated processes, and poor communication. The good news is that you can change that when you use the right tools. HOA management software simplifies communication, streamlines processes, and can increase transparency for greater trust and satisfaction. 

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