How Can Property Management Software Help Organize Condo and HOA Communities?
Just like how landlords must stay organized when collecting rent, managing maintenance requests, and screening tenants, community associations like condominiums and homeowner’s associations (HOAs) have tasks to keep track of, too. HOAs are responsible for charging fees and dues, managing the upkeep of apartments or community features, and reporting to or communicating with residents to make sure rules are followed in a neighborhood or community. Obviously, tracking down residents the traditional way can be a time-consuming hassle — but how can digital platforms help?
Property management software is not only helpful for traditional landlords and property managers but also for condos and HOAs. When managing common spaces like a gym or swimming pool or holding residents accountable for the policies of the neighborhood, it’s important to keep accessible and organized records and financial reports. You can use property management software platforms, such as Innago, to meet HOA needs without paying for expensive or specialized HOA software. It’s versatile and simple to use, and its functionality to serve multiple purposes well makes it easier than ever to manage a community.
Property and HOA management platforms are built with you in mind and include tools to help you keep all of your responsibilities organized in one place. Let’s look into some of the most helpful features to help you better manage your condo or HOA.
Important Features of Property Management Software for Condos and HOAs
Property management platforms usually offer a variety of tools to streamline tasks for HOA managers, but there are some you should definitely look for when picking one for your community. Below, we dive into some of the most useful features of HOA management software or condo manager software and their benefits.
Member management
For self managed associations, condo or HOA management software should be your hub for information on various aspects of your community. One of the most basic methods of keeping track of the members who keep the community alive is member management. With this key feature, you should be able to keep a database of homeowners, board members, contact information, property information, and any other data that is relevant to you as an HOA manager.
Work order management
With this cloud based software feature, you can easily track maintenance requests when residents need help. Some platforms allow you to communicate directly with the community members about work orders and track the process of fixing the issue, all within the software. Maintenance staff should also have access to this feature to update the status of work orders. With all your maintenance tools in one place, orders can be communicated, coordinated, and solved faster, meaning happy residents and a well-kept community.
Built-in accounting
Our society is moving toward online payments for all types of transactions, like online shopping and bill payment. Consumers are increasingly likely to prefer paperless methods of payment with everyday payments, so collecting HOA and condo fees should be as simple and user-friendly as possible when done online. This feature often offers automatic payments, fee collection from community members, and integration with other accounting-specific software platforms like QuickBooks.
Reporting and financial management
With a quality reporting feature, you’ll be able to keep all your data and documents in one place to run reports on the things that matter in your community. For example, if you’re interested in analyzing HOA dues or managing funds for a new community fitness center, a reporting feature should be able to give you the information you’re looking for without having to comb through documents one by one.
Communication
Being an HOA manager doesn’t mean that you only communicate with your community for the sole purpose of keeping them informed. While sending information about garage sales, neighborhood feature updates, and policy reminders is important for the functionality of the community, it’s just as important to create a relationship with the people around you to make sure residents feel heard. At the end of the day, they’re your neighbors! Good HOA management software will allow two-way communication and discussion via a mobile app or cloud-based methods to build a relationship and a stronger community.
Community management
Need a way to keep your finance committee organized and separated from your landscape committee? Look for a platform that offers community management. With this feature, you’ll be able to organize people into subgroups and committees and keep track of which members are involved with each. It’s helpful to know what committee Lucy Landscape is on and the role she has when compared to Finance Frank so you can analyze what each member’s responsibilities are and work efficiently.
One example of a platform with these features is Innago. We offer HOA and condo management software free of charge, allowing you to manage communities of all sizes in addition to providing a full scope of other property management software tools for landlords.
Picking the Best HOA Management Software
When picking the best HOA management software for your needs, you’ll want a combination of some or all the above features. You may value some of these tools more than others, so make sure to put some thought into what matters most to your condo or HOA. Make a list: Is a community management feature important to your HOA? How much are you willing to pay for a service? Will other members of your community be able to navigate the software? As you research, you’ll find that many software products offer the same benefits as property management companies without the associated price tag.
Remember that ease is key. HOA and condo property management software is supposed to help you automate and simplify your responsibilities, not give you a headache. Do your research to find a platform that meets the needs of your community — your residents will thank you!
