Top 3 Elements of a Community Association Tech Stack

Whether you’re a property manager with community associations in your portfolio or on the board of a self-managed association, there’s plenty of software out there that can make your job easier.

Done right, a good tech stack makes your operations smoother and still keeps your hands (and hours) free to invest in the human-to-human interactions. Done wrong, though, and you can wind up with a collection of disparate solutions that don’t help you tackle important community management tasks—like wrangling your violations process or automating financials across associations.

With the unique responsibilities community managers face every day, there is a distinct need for software that can streamline their world and keep their association boards happy.

What’s a Tech Stack for Community Association Management?

A tech stack is all the software that you rely on to keep your core business functions running. Although it’s natural to conceptualize a stack in a rigid way that works well for every community management business, the best ones are well-rounded, open, and interconnected.

In general, the major categories that we see in any property manager’s technology stack are what you would expect with most businesses, barring specific needs for property management.

Here are the top 3 elements every community association management company should have in their stack.

#1: A Foundation for Associations

From streamlining accounting and automating financials to making (and taking) payments online, purpose-built software for COA and HOA managementhelps you business thrive while taking care of the day-to-day tasks with features that include:

• Association Management Accounting: Property management accounting software is different from generic accounting software. It includes fields that capture the specific types of revenue and expenses community managers deal with every day. It should connect with your dues payment application and handle invoicing and billing while helping you reconcile your bank accounts.

• Violation Tracking: Good community management software should allow violation reporting, tracking and resolution. It should also facilitate communication between managers and residents to make sure everyone is informed on the status of violations and knows how to resolve them.

• Association Maintenance Tracking: Just like violations, residents should be able to report maintenance issues through the software, and community managers should be able to assign and track them.

• Association Dues, Late Fee, and Assessment Collection: When most people pay for just about everything online, online payments for dues, late fees, and assessments is a must. In addition to recurring payments, your software should handle one-off charges.

• Resident and Board Communication Tools – Communication with homeowners and boards isn’t just about keeping everyone informed…it’s also about building relationships.

#2: Plenty of Room to Grow

A proper tech stack can do more than help manage your day-to-day tasks—it can provide the runway to let your business take flight.

For example, using software that automates the complex task of disclosing information for the sale or refinance of homes can speed up the process (and deliver new revenue if you set the price for this convenience). But it also gives you the space to grow. Freeing up time means you can focus on drumming up new business—which a proper tech stack will make easier, too. Integrating lead generation tools into your stack, can make growing your portfolio just a part of your everyday operations.

#3: Flexibility and Openness

Many community management companies search for the holy grail of tech, but no solution is perfect for every business. One trend that’s become more evident is the movement towards added flexibility with open APIs and app marketplaces that offer pre-built integrations from leading proptech companies. With these, you can connect workflows and data across technology platforms, helping you stack up efficiency in a whole new way.