Learning center
Plain answers for volunteer boards
Short guides to the questions HOA and condo boards search for at night.
How to collect HOA dues online
A plain guide for volunteer treasurers: choosing a payment method, who pays the fees, autopay, and keeping the books straight.
5 min read
How much should an HOA have in reserves?
What reserves are, what percent funded means, and how to figure what to save each month for roofs, paving and other big repairs.
6 min read
How to write an HOA violation letter
A fair, firm violation letter in five parts: facts, the rule word for word, a deadline, what happens next, and how to reply.
5 min read
How to set an HOA late-fee policy
What a late-fee policy should include, how to keep it fair, and what to check before the board adopts it.
5 min read
How to take HOA meeting minutes
What belongs in board meeting minutes, what doesn't, and a simple template volunteer secretaries can use.
4 min read
How to build an HOA budget
A step-by-step HOA budget for volunteer boards: costs, reserves, a cushion, and turning it into monthly dues.
6 min read
How to prevent HOA embezzlement
How HOA money goes missing and the simple controls that stop it: two approvals, bank statements the whole board sees, and fidelity insurance.
6 min read
Self-managed HOA vs a management company
What a management company does, what it costs, and when a volunteer board can do it with good software instead.
5 min read
HOA treasurer duties: a checklist
What a volunteer HOA treasurer does each month, each quarter and each year, in plain words.
5 min read
How to raise HOA dues without a fight
How to explain a dues increase, give proper notice, and answer owners' questions before they become complaints.
5 min read