FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
Getting started
What is HOA Charter?
HOA Charter is web software built for self-managed homeowners associations — the boards who currently run things through email, spreadsheets, and paper. Owners get one place to see documents, vote, report issues, and stay informed. The board gets one place to manage all of it. Every association gets its own private site.
How long does it take to get set up?
The software is no longer the slow part of onboarding. Your board provides your governing documents and owner list, and we handle the setup on our end.
Do owners need to download an app?
No app to download — HOA Charter runs in any web browser, on a phone, tablet, or computer, at your community's own web address.
Can I add HOA Charter to my phone's home screen?
Yes — from your phone's browser, use the share or menu button and choose "Add to Home Screen." That puts a one-tap icon on your phone that opens straight to your community's site, no app store involved. If you'd rather not do it alone, ask a board member and they can walk you through it.
What is the Founding Communities program, and when does it start?
Right now, we're welcoming our Founding Communities. Communities that join now are among our first — you'll help shape the product. Thursday, October 1 is our soft launch — the founders' launch: founders' pricing while we gather feedback from the first communities. Standard pricing starts on a date we'll announce. What you tell us shapes what we build next.
How do owners get their login the first time?
The board sends each owner a one-time sign-in link to set their own password.
What residents can do
What can I do as a resident once I'm signed in?
You can browse the document library, vote on open community matters, and manage your own contact info and password. On the Board plan, you can also submit a request (maintenance, an architectural change, a violation report, a complaint, a suggestion, or a community notice) and track requests you've submitted.
How do I report a maintenance problem or ask for architectural approval?
On the Board plan, use the request form after signing in. Pick the type that fits — maintenance, architectural approval, violation, complaint, suggestion, or community notice — add a description and a photo if it helps, and submit. The board is notified and you can track its status.
Can I see the status of a request I submitted?
Yes — on the Board plan, your requests page shows each one's status (open, in progress, or resolved) along with any note the board has added. You can edit or withdraw a request yourself as long as the board hasn't started working on it yet.
How does voting work?
Each open vote shows the deadline and what's needed for it to pass. You cast your ballot with one click, and you can change it any time before the vote closes. Results are visible to the board immediately and to residents once the vote closes.
What if I own more than one unit?
Your vote is recorded once per unit you own — casting a ballot on a community matter records it for every unit under your name.
Where do I find my association's governing documents?
The document library, available once you're signed in. Documents are organized by category, and each one opens straight from your browser.
Can I ask a question about my HOA's rules?
Residents can ask a question and get the relevant passage from their documents, with the source named.
What the board can do
What does the board's side of HOA Charter look like?
An admin console covering requests, public enquiries, votes and elections, announcements and events, the document library, and owner accounts — everything a board needs to run the association day to day, in one place.
How does the board respond to a resident's request?
Each request can be marked open, in progress, or resolved, with an optional note back to the resident. The resident sees the update on their end automatically.
Can the board post announcements and call meetings?
Yes — the board can post general announcements, dated events, and special meetings (including the petitioner names bylaws typically require), and they appear on the community's public announcements page.
How does the board create a vote or election?
From the admin console: choose a yes/no vote or an election, add a title and description, and (for elections) list the candidates. Results stay private to the board until the vote is closed, at which point residents can see them.
Can the board keep meeting minutes?
Yes — the board can log meeting notes, the issues discussed, and each board member's recorded vote on them, all kept separate from what residents see.
How does the board manage dues records?
Dues balances are entered and tracked in the admin console, and past-due notices can be sent to residents in-app. This is tracking only today — see Payments below for what's planned.
Can the board upload documents and control who sees them?
Yes — each document is assigned an access level (public, resident-only, or board-only) when it's uploaded, so sensitive material like financials stays restricted to the board.
Documents and the assistant
How does the document library work?
Documents are organized by category — governing documents, maintenance records, insurance, meeting notes, financials, and more — with access levels that keep board-only material restricted. Anyone with the right access can search and open documents from their browser.
What is the document assistant?
Residents can ask a question and get the relevant passage from their documents, with the source named.
Does the assistant work for scanned or older paper documents?
Yes — scanned paper documents can be read and indexed, so older governing documents don't need to be retyped to be part of your library. During this Founding Communities period, we confirm with your board before an older scanned document goes in.
Where does the assistant's answer come from?
Residents can ask a question and get the relevant passage from their documents, with the source named.
Can residents upload their own documents?
No — document uploads are a board function. On the Board plan, residents can submit photos with a request (for example, of a maintenance issue), but the document library itself is managed by the board.
Voting and notices
How do I know when a vote is coming up or closing?
The announcements page shows an alert when something is open for your vote, and the vote page shows each deadline in plain language, with extra emphasis inside the last 48 hours.
What happens if a vote's deadline passes?
The vote closes automatically at its deadline, and results become visible to residents at that point — no one has to remember to close it manually.
How does the board notify everyone about something important?
Through announcements and, for larger items, through community notices — a resident can submit one, the board reviews and approves it, and once approved it's posted for every owner to see.
Pricing and the Founding Communities program
What does HOA Charter cost?
Pricing is based on your association's size and the tier you choose — see our pricing page for current rates and what each tier includes.
What is the Founding Communities program?
If you join during our launch window, your founders' pricing and terms are locked for the life of your continuous subscription — see the pricing page for the current details.
What's the difference between the tiers?
Community covers the essentials — documents, the assistant, votes, announcements, and the owner directory. Owner requests and request tracking are part of the Board plan. Board adds full request resolution, structured meeting minutes, and dues tracking. Board Pro is planned — no date. It will be available once online payments are. See the pricing page for exactly what each tier includes.
Payments (planned — no date)
Can residents pay dues through HOA Charter?
Not yet — online dues collection is planned — no date. Today, dues balances and past-due notices are tracked in the app, but payment itself happens outside the platform.
When will online dues payment be available?
It's planned, and we'll let current communities know when it's available — we're not committing to a public date yet.
Will my association's dues money go through HOA Charter's account?
No — when payments launch, money will flow directly from a resident to your association's own bank account. HOA Charter is never in the middle of your funds.
Security and privacy
Can another association see our data?
No — every association's data is kept separate, and access is scoped to your own community.
Are our documents private?
Yes — documents are stored privately, and each one's access level (public, resident, or board-only) controls who can open it.
Who can see our financial records?
Only the board, by default — financial documents are restricted to board-only access unless your board chooses otherwise.
How are passwords handled?
Passwords are never visible to us in plain text, and sign-in links are single-use and expire after a set window so an old one can't be used indefinitely.
Support and who to contact
Something isn't working — who do I tell?
Reach out to your board, or use the Contact form on your community's site if you're not signed in. Board members can route product issues to the HOA Charter team directly.
How do I get help if I'm a board member?
Your HOA Charter contact is available for setup questions, feature walkthroughs, and anything that comes up as you get started.
Is support included, or is it extra?
Support is included — questions about using the software are part of your subscription, not a separate add-on.
Integrations & Limits — what HOA Charter does not do
We'd rather tell you plainly than have you find out later:
- No online dues or assessment collection yet — it's planned.
- No self-service "forgot password" flow yet — a board member sends a new sign-in link if yours stops working.
- No accounting-software sync yet.
- No automated MLS or title-company workflow (like estoppel/resale certificates) yet.
- No dedicated mobile app yet — HOA Charter works fully in your phone's browser.
If something you need isn't listed here or on the site, ask us — we're building the roadmap around what associations actually need.