A good HOA software is necessary to digitally run your homeowner’s association in a smooth way. This blog post will explore what qualities a good HOA website should have, and 5 of the best HOA website alternatives for you to check out.
What is an “HOA”?
The acronym “HOA” stands for “Homeowner’s Association”. These are communities created to manage and regulate neighborhoods, streets, or even multiple-owner occupancies/buildings. An HOA is often formed to create and enforce regulations governing the properties under its authority. Residents of the community form and control the associations. Membership is typically required to purchase a house in a neighborhood where an HOA has been created. Residents or homeowners pay a certain amount to their association, so the board can work on reinforcing the communal rules. Most of their regulations deal with neighborhood cleanliness and visual organization.
You can find a more detailed explanation of what HOAs are and how they operate in Nerdwallet’s article about HOAs.
How do I manage my homeowners’ association?
Managing an HOA may appear difficult. However, it is a lot simpler than it appears! The most critical aspect of operating your HOA is to behave professionally and methodically. You should also be as open as possible about the HOA fees you collect from your homeowners. This would provide your community with a secure and trustworthy environment.
You can collaborate with a professional if you want to give the most excellent service for your HOA but need help. Legal and financial guidance may be obtained from those who know what they’re doing.
You may also self-manage your HOA, and it doesn’t have to be difficult! You must keep thorough financial records and be willing to seek assistance when necessary. Some HOA managers may encounter issues with HOA management businesses. As a result, one of the simplest methods to self-manage is to use homeowners association software like Raklet. This would make managing and engage with your employees more difficult.
Why HOA Websites are Useful
Here are the top four perks of using an HOA website to run your homeowner’s association:
- Accessibility
If you use an HOA website to run your association, one of its biggest perks is accessibility. Especially in this day and age, trying to run your organization completely face-to-face is very inconvenient. For example, some of your HOA members might not be able to make it to a meeting due to many reasons. As a result, they might miss important news and discussions.
Running a digital HOA platform with discussion boards, announcement pages, and member-to-member contact features will help this process become so much easier. It will be very convenient to access, especially if there is also a mobile app available.
- Member Management
Manage all your HOA community memberships through an extensive association management software. A powerful CRM will allow you to store and export member information, create customizable member profiles with relevant information as well as view all members and their contact info.
- Data Storage
Digital HOA software can keep all your data in one place. You can track and analyze real-time data of membership information, payments, event participation, and more.
A good HOA website will also have these easily exportable, so you can create Excel or Google Sheets files for easy storage. This will save you so much time and effort compared to entering all this information by hand.
- Collecting Fees and Payments
You have to make a certain monthly, bimonthly, or annual payment to your HOA to help keep it running. With HOA websites, you can easily collect association payments and store them together with membership information. See who made payments and when. Warn those who missed their billings with personalized emails or in-platform messages. Save yourself the trouble of using multiple platforms to do all this with an HOA website.
So, what websites can you use to do all of these? Check out our compiled list below:
5 Best HOA Websites for All Your Association Management Needs
5. Rentec Direct
Rentec Direct is one of the most popular property software options. It is mostly focused on homeowners’ rental management, but there are many HOAs that use Rentec for their association as well. Their focused features make them among the top-ranked HOA websites. They have a free trial available, with two subscription plans: One is $35/month, and the other is $40/month.
The Rentec Direct user base seems to be content with their software of choice. Most online reviews are positive, and Rentec ranks pretty high on the list. However, it is possible to find recurring complaints about some common issues. One of them is the lack of a mobile app, which lowers accessibility. Other complaints include minimal customization options (both in HTML and with payment plans), and lackluster customer service.
Rentec Direct has 4.6 stars over 5 on Capterra according to customer reviews. Customers are pleased with the customer service and webinar/blog content features for onboarding and growth.
4. Bitrix24
Bitrix24 is a collaboration platform with a CRM, contacts center, and task/project management tools. You can conduct virtual calls and message others in your association to communicate effortlessly.
Bitrix24 features a built-in visual workplace manager (similar to Trello’s) that makes task division easier. Smaller organizations and businesses mostly use them as an all-in-one workplace manager. Being an HOA management software is not their main business model, but they can still help your association with their extensive features.
They offer free trials and a free limited plan with up to 5 GB of storage space, so you can try their software out anytime. Their higher plans with all their features start at $29,40 per month for 5 users. This can get expensive as your association grows.
Bitrix has mostly positive reviews on Capterra. Users have generally praised their CRM and workload planning features the most. It seems to be a great alternative for task management and online meetings.
However, you should keep their negative reviews in mind as well. One of the most common complaints is the difficulty of their interface. Many have reported that some features are almost hidden away and that the software is really cramped as a result. Other criticisms include slowness and lagging, difficulty with customer service communication, and data analytics that are not detailed enough.
3. Buildium
Buildium is a property management software with many tools that can help your HOA needs. It is among the most preferred HOA websites, and for good reason. You can conduct all your accounting and collect automated payments, list rentals and manage applications and showings through Buildium with ease. Owners and tenants can communicate and share documents easily with your HOA board, as well as make maintenance requests.
Their most limited plan is $50/month. It is fairly expensive, especially if you have’re a smaller community with just a few members. Knowing your association’s qualities and limitations would be the key to making a choice here.
Buildium has 4.5/5 stars on Capterra which is a nice score, there is no denying that Buildium is a very strong contender among all the HOA software. Yet, it also isn’t without flaws. The most commonly repeated complaint is about the lack of customizability. Online reviewers have also pointed out slowness in implementing new features, limited project management resources, and poor customer service.
2. PayHOA
PayHOA is a software specifically designed with HOAs in mind, which makes it among the best solutions. Property managers and HOA board members can easily manage units, track tenant happiness, and collect payments from their platform. Their dashboard also includes messaging and engagement features that help the association members stay connected and updated. You can give $40 per month for up to 50 residential units, and there is also a free trial available.
PayHOA received 4.3/5 stars overall on Capterra. Customers are generally satisfied with the customer service and ease of use. But there are also negative comments about some of the features. Most negative reviews online are about their developing status. They are a relatively new and smaller organization compared to some of the rest, so the team is growing and new features are still being rolled out. As a result, bugs and some slowness are among the most common complaints. Reviewers also note that some key features are missing, such as an online fundraising system and lackluster financial tools.
1. Raklet
Our all-in-one platform Raklet works great as HOA software. Meet all your association management needs through our powerful CRM, easy payment collection and billing features, discussion boards and private messaging for engagement, and many others. Check out the extensive list of features we offer to see how we can help you.
Creating your Raklet account is completely free for up to 50 members. For larger member associations, we start at $49/per month. Our pricing plans are detailed and customizable to fit your needs.
Based on the Capterra reviews, Raklet ranks high for both Ease of Use and Customer Service with ratings of 4.7/5 and 4.8/5 respectively. Users are generally satisfied with having all the necessary features in one place, and the ease of handling financial tasks with Raklet. Reviews show that businesses of all sizes and needs are satisfied with Raklet for finding solutions to their specific needs.
Raklet is listed as one of the top-rated software in several categories on Capterra. You can also check out SourceForge, G2, and GetApp reviews to see how our customers view Raklet.
Launch your free platform today to see how we can help your HOA thrive.
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