How HOA Software Helps Prevent Drama (Yes, Really)

Key Takeaways:

• “Neighborhood apps” like NextDoor and Facebook can stir mistrust and arguments, because their purpose is to generate likes and comments.
• Most HOA software includes open communication tools that keep homeowners in the loop regarding changing bylaws, community events, and other issues.
• Volunteer boards can use their HOA payment solution to reach out to members with reminders and updates, increasing transparency and on-time payment.
• Surveys, forums, and calendars empower homeowners to have their voices heard, communicate directly and in good faith with one another, and know what’s happening in their community.
• When homeowners feel seen and heard via their HOA app, they are more inclined to get along with their neighbors and trust their volunteer leadership.

Even if you’ve been lucky enough never to be party to a neighbor conflict, you’ve certainly heard of them happening, and they may have even disturbed the peace of your neighborhood. A lack of communication and confusion about rules can breed passive-aggressive behavior that only escalates over time as tensions are left to simmer. 

Unfortunately, apps like NextDoor and Facebook can fuel these fires, allowing individuals to post largely unmoderated claims and enabling uninvolved commenters to reply with their theories, perpetuating the problem. These platforms are designed for increasing engagement, not disseminating important information, and therefore encourage sensationalization and anger over dialogue and understanding. 

If you’re seeing unnecessary drama arise in your self-managed HOA, free-for-all message boards like these are not the solution, and may in fact be exacerbating the conflict.

HOAs are not without their stigmas, unfortunately. They can get a bad rap for being too strict, ineffective, or an excuse for nosy neighbors to be too involved in your business. But these pitfalls are avoidable — even the interpersonal drama. Yes, really! Finding the right HOA-focused software can help ease tensions in your HOA by increasing transparency and building community.

The unfortunate reality is that miscommunication and undue suspicion can breed conflict and mistrust among neighbors. Most of the time, this tension is a result of a misunderstanding or differing interpretations of HOA regulations and policies. And that means that these issues can be resolved by open communication and clear guidelines. 

The right HOA software for your community should include transparency and documentation features that are easy to access and difficult to misuse (or use in bad faith). When everyone feels like they are in the loop and have a voice in the community, arguments, gossip, and petty retaliation are much less likely.

HOA Software for Better Communities

HOA software provides so much more than just a place for homeowners to pay their dues. These management solutions for self-managed HOAs also boast communication features that build community and head off conflicts before they start. 

Emails, SMS Alerts, and Automated Phone Calls

Get in touch with your homeowners across a variety of communication tools with PayHOA’s management software. Board volunteers have access to send an unlimited number of messages, whether they be targeted to certain groups or a mass communication to all members. 

And since everyone has their preference of how they like to be contacted, your HOA software should give you the option of reaching out across several mediums. With PayHOA, these options include emails, SMS (text) alerts, and automated phone calls. Your members can also opt in for notifications of new alerts directly from their HOA app, and volunteers are able to see which messages have been opened and which emails have bounced back due to an address issue. With this range of alternatives, even the least tech-savvy homeowners are not out of reach. 

Additionally, volunteers can schedule messages to be distributed at a specific time in the future. This means that you can work ahead to set reminders for dues deadlines, community events, and other relevant happenings.

Communication Logs

No more relying on the “he said, she said” that can result from undocumented discussions. Communication logs keep a black-and-white record of all messages exchanged. Homeowners can also consult the log to see a history of all reminders and alerts sent out to the community. Once again, this transparency quashes confusion and encourages open dialogue.

Interactive Calendar

For those dedicated to their day planners, PayHOA also offers an interactive calendar. Volunteers can add important deadlines and events for homeowners to see at a glance. Opening each scheduled calendar event will lead to details such as RSVP dates, contact information for the point person, and relevant guidelines. Instead of searching through their messages for notable dates, homeowners can consult this tool to see what’s coming up in the next week, month, or even year.

Document Sharing

Make your HOA app a one-stop shop for vital information and updates. Volunteers can upload official documents of community interest right into PayHOA’s software, making them accessible to all homeowners. This is an easy way to disseminate meeting minutes, new bylaws, updated city regulations, historical financial records, and other governing documents. Doing so illuminates what the HOA is doing for the community, how dues are being spent, and what is required of members to be in compliance.

Uncertainty about these things can engender suspicion, defensiveness, and general bad feelings among neighbors and towards the volunteer board. Increasing transparency increases trust and the community’s satisfaction with its leadership.

Fair Voting Tools

HOA software should also be an asset when it comes time to elect board members and officers. PayHOA enables the creation of custom surveys that can be used for sharing candidates’ platforms and secure voting. Depending on your bylaws, votes can either be collected anonymously or logged by voters. You’ll also have the option of how you’d like to share the results, whether that’s by percentage or in more granular detail.

Forums

Community message boards should be a place for neighbors to ask for help, offer help, and share pertinent information with one another. Your HOA app should have boards that are designed for these purposes, unlike NextDoor and Facebook, which promote gossip and agitation. With PayHOA, you can create multiple boards for different audiences and control who has access to view each one.

Imagine an online community where homeowners can post about lost pets, share photos of furniture they’d like to give to another good home, or ask clarifying questions about new regulations. When neighbors feel like they know one another and that everyone is invested in maintaining a comfortable, beautiful, and safe place to live, fewer interpersonal conflicts will arise.

With the right functionality, your HOA software can have a major impact on the overall mood and satisfaction level of your community. In addition to making board and officer duties easier for volunteers to manage, the right HOA app will include all the tools you need to share vital information, encourage friendly relationships among homeowners, run fair and controversy-free elections, and document important matters. With less confusion and more transparency, your HOA can avoid those messy situations that lead to unneighborly behavior.

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PayHOA offers an HOA management software solution for HOAs of any size or managerial priorities. To find out if PayHOA fits all your HOA management needs, try our software free for 30 days.