HOA Website

Started by RobertaS2 • 20 replies • 697 views

💬 Join us to post & get advice from 50,000 HOA & Condo leaders.

⚡ Takes 30 seconds

Already a member? Log in

RobertaS2 (Michigan)
Posts: 81

Posted:

I would be interested in learning how different HOAs handle their HOA websites.

At ours, the Board president handles it alone and changes up a lot of things, like the minutes (which -help me this is true) always come out without controversies and always always complement the president on the "wonderful job he is doing.")

We are not sure who should handle or have access to an HOA website. (There were none when this HOA were formed and homes built. It predated web and computer savvy in the general population. How do you talk to a "computer?" "What IS a computer?")

It would help to have some guidance if we ever get it back under control.

GenoS (Florida)
Posts: 4,276

Posted:

We don't have one and therefore there is nothing to maintain.

In Florida a condo association with 150 or more units is required to maintain a website. We're an HOA, not a condo, and even if we were we have less than 150 homes and wouldn't be required to have one.

I was interested several years ago in helping to establish a website for the HOA. For only a couple of hundred dollars a year (possibly even less) we could have had one offering basic features. Management companies can set one up for you and maintain it but the ones we've seen charge more than a couple of hundred dollars a year.

The key is to have people ready, willing and able to set it up and keep it up-to-date. I've seen websites for HOAs in my county that seem to have been active for a number of years and then all of a sudden were abandoned, with no new updates since 2014, for example. That's ultimately the reason I did not volunteer to get involved with a website. On the day I didn't or couldn't do it anymore someone else would have had to take over. There's no one else here who could do it, and I didn't want to be "the website guy" forever.

Last year I found a website for another HOA in my county. Here's a link to it. If we did have a website of our own, this is the way I would like to see it set up. There's a lot of good info on there for the owners in that community. There are sections viewable by the public, sections that are private to the community, and still more sections available only to the board. They have a website committee with volunteers willing and able to contribute to its upkeep. We do not.

RobertaS2 (Michigan)
Posts: 81

Posted:

Thank you.

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,059

Posted:

A Board member handles the website.
Other then minor changes, the job is simply to post the newsletter and the approved monthly board meeting minutes.

If the official minutes do not match what is on the website, then the board should remove that function from the individual.

Who takes the minutes at your board meetings?

CathyA3 (Ohio)
Posts: 6,299

Posted:

When I was on the board, I created and maintained our web site. Now other board members maintain it. The only cost to the association is for web hosting and domain name registration, which is less than $100 per year.

Our site has a section with public information, including our governing documents, plus a section for prospective buyers that explains what condominium ownership is about and how condos are governed. The last section is for homeowners only and is password protected - it contains meeting minutes, the community handbook, newsletters, financials, the most recent reserve study, and other items.

One thing we do not have is a page that allows people to pay their monthly assessments, and I'm adamantly against having this even though some community web sites provide it. For one thing, it's not needed - most people's financial institutions offer some form of bill payment and our PM's company offers ACH transfers free of charge. In addition, community web sites don't typically provide the type of security that financial institutions have, and even these guys have gotten hacked. It's not worth the risk to provide a service that isn't needed.

Our site gets plenty of use, and having information readily available has saved a lot of printing time and money.

I agree with Geno: the web site in his link is very well done.

JohnC46 (South Carolina)
Posts: 14,265

Posted:

Our HOA does not have web site nor plan on having one. Our owners pretty much stay to themselves and as we have no amenities, we are a rather simple HOA to run.

We do have an email address where we ask all owners to send any correspondence to. Even if they call our MC, they will be directed to our Email. [email protected] as an example. Any Email sent is automatically distributed to all BOD Members.

We typically assign a BOD Member to deal with any issue but we also have some assigned duties. As an example, I am VP & Treasurer but I handle all landscaping issues.

RobertaS2 (Michigan)
Posts: 81

Posted:

Very good to hear. Thanks!

RobertaS2 (Michigan)
Posts: 81

Posted:

We have a secretary. But then Board members "amend" the minutes and rewrite or delete history or add things. They used to do it in front of other homeowners. Then, they locked homeowners out of meeting. Minutes may not appear on the website for three to six months. One director quit when the minutes kept changing.

SteveM9 (Massachusetts)
Posts: 3,699

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By RobertaS2 on 10/12/2019 4:58 PM
I would be interested in learning how different HOAs handle their HOA websites.

We never update our website, ever.
But we do update the files in the google drive such as minutes, ccr, bylaws, budgets, invoices, etc.

JohnC46 (South Carolina)
Posts: 14,265

Posted:

I am against an interactive website as to often they turn into a pi$$ing contest among owners. The websitE should be informational only and under control of the BOD.

BarbaraT1 (Texas)
Posts: 821

Posted:

I manage the content for the website of the community I manage. The board approves any content posted. There is a resident volunteer who handles the design and back end stuff - he designs sites for a living.

It's a purely informational site - documents, news of upcoming events, pictures of past events. Minutes are posted as PDFs - not sure why any meeting minutes would mention praise or criticism of the board, it's just a list of facts. The meeting started at x time, y people were present and made z decisions.

RobertaS2 (Michigan)
Posts: 81

Posted:

Thank you. Seems simple and straight forward and helpful.

KellyM3 (North Carolina)
Posts: 2,239

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By RobertaS2 on 10/12/2019 4:58 PM
I would be interested in learning how different HOAs handle their HOA websites.

At ours, the Board president handles it alone and changes up a lot of things, like the minutes (which -help me this is true) always come out without controversies and always always complement the president on the "wonderful job he is doing.")

We are not sure who should handle or have access to an HOA website. (There were none when this HOA were formed and homes built. It predated web and computer savvy in the general population. How do you talk to a "computer?" "What IS a computer?")

It would help to have some guidance if we ever get it back under control.

Roberta - if your HOA board president is handling the website responsibly (and is a responsible officer), I wouldn't worry about it too much. It is okay to outline a transition policy of how the HOA website password would be transferred in the event the president leaves the board. Then, the new officer can change the password.

I'm a board president and use our tiny website to post meeting notices and meeting minutes, primarily. It's non-controversial. As with most things HOA, the smoothness of operations is based, largely, on HOA officer behavior and community respect.

NpS (Pennsylvania)
Posts: 4,216

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By KellyM3 on 10/16/2019 6:04 AM
As with most things HOA, the smoothness of operations is based, largely, on HOA officer behavior and community respect.

Worth repeating.

Sikubali jukumu. Read all posts at your own risk.

NessoC (Arizona)
Posts: 4

Posted:

We have a website committee that takes care of it, we try to put as much important and searchable information as possible on it. Reduces the calls, questions, and concerns. Keeps the transparency high and people love it.

Our communities website: https://silverstoneranch.community/

Costs $200/year using wordpress.com hosting

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,059

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By NessoC on 10/17/2019 12:54 AM
We have a website committee that takes care of it, we try to put as much important and searchable information as possible on it. Reduces the calls, questions, and concerns. Keeps the transparency high and people love it.

Our communities website: https://silverstoneranch.community/

Costs $200/year using wordpress.com hosting

I was surprised that I didn't see the actual governing documents:

Covenants
Bylaws
Articles of Incorporation

MarkW18
Posts: 1,290

Posted:

They are there, https://silverstoneranch.community/governing-documents/

The link is at the bottom of each page under association records.

MarkW18
Posts: 1,290

Posted:

Quote:

Well put together website. One of the best I have seen for a community.

RobertaS2 (Michigan)
Posts: 81

Posted:

Thanks again for all the good help and direction here!

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,059

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By MarkW18 on 10/19/2019 10:51 AM
They are there, https://silverstoneranch.community/governing-documents/

The link is at the bottom of each page under association records.

I see that now.

I was expecting it in the drop down menus on the top.

NessoC (Arizona)
Posts: 4

Posted:

Thanks for the comments, made it myself, pretty easy working with wordpress. Only a couple things to update once a month.

You all are right, need to have governing docs in a drop down! Thanks for the feedback.

🎯 You've read this entire discussion

Join the conversation with 50,000 HOA & Condo Leaders:

✓ Ask follow-up questions
✓ Share your experience
✓ Get expert advice
✓ Access 350,000 discussions

Create Free Account →

⚡ Takes 30 seconds

Already a member? Log in here