When you offer homeowners the convenience of online content and functions, you save yourself time and headache. Setting up a community resident portal for each of your communities gives you the power to disseminate information and documents and keep closer contact with homeowners whose property values you strive to protect. Consider these functions and features when setting up a resident portal:
Online Payments |
This typically is the top reason homeowners will access their association portal. Most people are accustomed to paying other bills online and have come to expect this option for the payment of association dues. Make sure the payment vendor integrated with your portal passes on convenience fees to residents, at no cost to the HOA or the management company. Many find points, miles, and other credit card benefits to outweigh the average 3% convenience fee for online processing. |
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Community Documents |
Give homeowners easy access to governing documents, newsletters, and board meeting minutes. Posting these documents to a resident portal reduces phone calls and emails requesting information. In some states, such as Texas, the posting of public documents, CC&R’s, bylaws, and amendments to these is required to be done so on a publicly accessible site. If this is a requirement in your state, make sure that the portal provider you choose can host a public-facing website, or plan on building your own and hosting with another provider. |
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Reservations |
Does the association have a tennis court, pool, clubhouse, or other amenity that needs to be reserved or checked out? Handle reservations through the homeowner portal. For master planned communities with many amenities, a reservation system built into the portal is a must-have. |
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FAQ’s | If you find yourself answering similar questions frequently, post these with answers to the resident portal and direct homeowners to the portal. | ||||||
Links |
Maybe there are external sites with valuable information for local residents, such as the city website, local utilities, news sites, or police and fire department sites. Include links in your resident portal to provide meaningful content for homeowners. Links could be used to highlight area attractions and restaurants, as well. |
When it comes to homeowner resident portals, the idea is to build community. Relevant content and ease of access are key in offering homeowners the convenience of being a part of their community online. As a manager or board member, you benefit by making basic functions and information accessible to residents on a self-serve basis, while providing a space where everyone in the community belongs.
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