What Could an HOA Do With a Community Mobile App?

An HOA community mobile app could provide quick and easy CC&R searches, increase meeting attendance with in-app alerts, mobile surveys, violation reporting, and a community calendar.

HOAs have a reputation of being a bit behind the technological curve. Like anything run by committee or centered around a residential neighborhood, it's true that changes can take time. But as we approach the 20th year of the new millennium, HOAs everywhere are upgrading their tech and improving their direct communication to residents through websites and online resources. An increasing number of HOAs have been benefiting from following online trends, like community calendars and even social media feeds. But what about the mobile app trend.

HOAs can gain a surprising benefit and offer real value to resident members by developing a custom mobile app for your community. Join us today as we explore the most helpful things your HOA could do with a community mobile app.

Quick and Easy CC&R Searches

An HOA is built on it's CC&Rs, and enforcing them is what keeps a neighborhood strong. Not to mention competitively priced. But CC&Rs are hard to read. Residents have a very hard time remembering to check the documents and then, if they do check, finding the rules that apply to their situation. Which leads to accidental violations, fines, and unnecessary conflict.

But an HOA mobile app could change all that.

If you design an app feature that provides quick and easy searches through your CC&R, resident members will finally be able to stay compliant with ease. They can use outline menu navigation to find the right sections, skim the facts, and even get knowledgeable about their CC&Rs on the train or in the doctor's waiting room.

Increase Meeting Attendance with In-App Alerts

HOAs also often struggle with getting resident-members involved in the community. Even those who want to get involved or enact change have a hard time staying connected to the HOA or remembering to attend the meetings. Fortunately, increasing event attendance is something that organization mobile apps are already good at.

In-app alerts mean that any member who has your HOA app downloaded on their phone can get reminders to attend events, make it to board meetings, and remember important neighborhood dates. All with the same kind of friendly mobile notification we're used to getting from any personal app.

Mobile surveys and Votes

That said, with a mobile app you don't even need physical attendance to get your resident members more involved. Many residents sometimes do not have time to make regular meetings. But they can answer a quick phone survey and vote through their apps while on the commute or during their lunch break. 

With a community mobile app for your HOA, suddenly you will be able to gather information from the entire community without meeting attendance, phone calls, mailers, or even emails. You can send a quick survey or vote to every app-holder and get quick, honest feedback in return. This could be an incredible bonus to your decision-making process because you can get a greater representation of the community and information from community members who would otherwise have no chance to participate or make their opinions known.

Violation Reporting Feature

Most HOAs try to be polite but firm about enforcing the neighborhood rules. But up-keeping the neighborhood standards starts with identifying when community members have crossed a line. There will always be voluntary reporters, but a mobile app can make reporting infractions and concerns to the HOA much easier and more direct.

All your community app needs is a simple messaging or reporting feature, something that any app developer can provide. Add a drop-down for the type of report and the ability to quickly snap and attach a photo and your volunteer neighborhood enforcers will delightedly send you pictures and reports of everything they see that might be of interest to the community's board.

On a lighter note, you can use the exact same type of interface to hold fun mobile-based events like Halloween decoration or flowerbed gardening contests.

Sharing the Community Calendar

One of the greatest uses of an HOA mobile app is simply the ability to populate an share your community events calendar. Most HOAs plan a few celebrations and neighborhood events each year, but attendance has always been touch-and-go because residents don't tend to keep track. Even if you have a website, it never occurs to them to check. But a mobile app is only a tap or two away from getting a quick preview of everything planned for the next month or year.

Does your community host an Easter Egg Hunt, summer BBQs, or Halloween and Holiday parties? With an app, residents (especially parent residents looking for kid-friendly events) will be able to quickly check and work attendance into their plans. In fact, you can even add a big easy RSVP button so that the suddenly increased attendance doesn't catch you off guard.

Contact channel for easy access to HOA support

Finally, a mobile app makes it easier for your members to stay in touch. Whether they want to know if your office has a clothing donation box or are standing with their roofers and need to double-check their plan details, member-residents will be able to use a chat or messaging feature in your app to reach out to HOA management whenever they need to.

And on the flip-side, HOAs will also have an easier time reaching their members. Sending alerts, updates, and even private violation warnings is now fast, simple, and takes the message directly to member's personal smartphones instead of waiting to be ignored in a mailbox or email inbox.

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What could your HOA do with a community mobile app? These ideas are only the beginning. No doubt, your team can come up with even more custom features that would benefit your community and members. For more insights into HOA upgrades and management best practices, contact us today!