HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - May 11, 2018
Published: Fri, 05/11/18
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Apps Aren’t Taking Over the Condo/HOA World (But One Condo Manager Loves His!)
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HOAs and condos could really benefit from an app created specifically for their community, but few are taking that step.
In this week’s tip, we discuss why.
Lou Haverty is on the board of a small condo building in Philadelphia. It’s self-managed, but Haverty says he could see bringing on a management company in the future.
For now, however, his condo members have been doing things themselves, and that includes using Cozy to allow owners to pay their monthly condo fees.
“We have 12 units in our condo,” he explains. “Our condo association doesn’t pay anything to use the basic rent-collection service. Cozy collects a 2.75 percent fee for people who choose to pay their condo fee with a debit or credit card, but it’s free for a direct ACH payment from a checking account.
“I chose to pay my condo fee with a credit card, so I pay a small fee to use it,” he says. “But I like the fact that I only pay one credit card bill at the end of the month.”
Haverty is also liking the app in his board member capacity. “So far, it has been useful because it’s made the monthly collection process more efficient,” he says. “I could see other apps being helpful if they were able to either increase efficiency in terms of simplifying monthly payments or more easily help keep track of our budget in real time.”
There you have it: Evidence that board members are open to using apps.
We’re even hearing that more and more community associations are developing apps that allow members to connect. But we’re seeing very little evidence of that.
Sure, many management companies have apps their clients can download and use.
“We have apps,” states Mary Arnold, CMCA®, AMS®, the Austin, Texas-based national director of training and community association management support at RealManage, an association management firm headquartered in Dallas, Texas, that oversees properties in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, and Texas.
“We have a resident portal that’s part of our platform where residents can do things like submit questions, look at their own account, and make payments,” explains Arnold. “It’s not an app per se for a mobile device.
“We also have a mobile app, CiraMobile, that’s a way for residents to do some of the same things,” she says. “As is often the case with apps, our app may not have the full range of services that the web-based portal has.
“But I’m not seeing associations having apps developed,” adds Arnold.
Find out why, and get an update on a community we reported on in 2016 that created its own app (spoiler alert: Its manager is giddy with the results), in our new article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/3721.cfm
Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President
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Community Association Insurance Made Easy
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Recent articles posted at HOAleader.com:
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Apps Could Help HOAs, But Few are Creating Them
Lou Haverty is on the board of a small condo building in Philadelphia. It's self-managed, but Haverty says he could see bringing on a management company in the future.
Click here to read full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/Apps-Could-Help-HOAs-But-Few-are-Creating-Them.cfm
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Community Association Insurance Made Easy--and 10 Must-Have Endorsements to Save Money and Your Skin
Insurance is critical because a lack of coverage for an unexpected accident--aren't they all unexpected? The good news is that community association insurance isn't as complicated as you may think. In an in-depth webinar on May 31, we'll help you understand this critical tool for your condo or HOA.
Click here to read full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/products/community-association-insurance-made-easy-a.cfm
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New Report: Expect to See More States Limit Fees for HOA Services
In this week's tip, we report on a trend that will likely continue into the future, according to a new report from community association management company Associa®.
Click here to read full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/public/New-Report-Expect-See-More-States-Limit-Fees-for-HOA-Services.cfm
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Heads Up: Your State May Be Considering Caps on the Fees HOAs Can Charge
According to a new report from community association management company Associa®, one trend affecting community associations is that of legislators proposing fee caps on services condos and HOAs provide to owners and residents and on documents produced in response to owners' requests.
Click here to read full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/Heads-Up-Your-State-May-Be-Considering-Caps-on-Fees-HOAs-Can-Charge.cfm
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HOAs, PUDs, and Now We Introduce You to PIDs
A neighborhood association in Waco, Texas, is battling crime and considering creating a public improvement district, which is supposedly similar to an HOA but has more power.
Click here to read full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/HOAs-PUDs-Now-We-Introduce-You-PIDs.cfm
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