HOA Website & BillPay

Started by CliffordL • 8 replies • 787 views

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CliffordL (New Jersey)
Posts: 18

Posted:

Hello Everyone!

Working on bringing our self-managed HOA of 82 homes into today's tech.

My head is spinning from what seems like endless options from companies that provide HOA programs
from client-based software and website inclusion, online bill pay, etc.

We currently have nothing, (abacus in the garage) so arguably even a bad system is better than no system. Id like to avoid that, however.

If anyone cares to share what service they use or at least ones they might recommend, I would be greatly appreciative.

There are many options online, some I contacted but their services were top drawer and beyond our budget. I was hoping to
stay within $100 a month, unless it included the website. The cloud-based offerings looked the most promising. IE: EUnify

Thank you for any help.

Cliff

CathyA3 (Ohio)
Posts: 6,299

Posted:

Here is my take on HOA websites hosting a bill payment service:

I spent part of my career dealing with cybersecurity, and in my opinion HOA-focused sites are less likely to have the kind of security that those dealing with financial information do. I personally would not use something like this. In addition, you'd have to talk to your insurance agent to make sure your HOA is adequately insured if your site is hacked and personal info is stolen. Having to settle a claim like this can be ruinous, and interactive sites will likely cost more to insure than ones that are info only and do not collect personal data.

The service is also not needed. Many banks or other financial institutions offer bill payment options, often free, and these do have the necessary security and insurance in case things go wrong. If you have a PM, they also may offer some kinds of online payment services as well (ours offers this, also for free). I prefer using my bank since that is a "push" transaction (I send the payment) vs. a "pull" (the PM's software initiates the transaction).

So in my view, offering this sort of service carries a risk, for a benefit that may not be needed.

Your mileage may vary.

CathyA3 (Ohio)
Posts: 6,299

Posted:

And I would argue your point that a bad system is better than no system. Risks again. And if it's bad, people won't use it, so why bother? Boards have enough problems to deal with, they don't to create more.

BenA2 (Texas)
Posts: 1,273

Posted:

For our website we use wix.com. It's user friendly and is less than $200 per year for the web hosting and email. We use QuickBooks for bookkeeping and billing. They offer merchant services so you can accept credit card payments. You can either print out invoices or email them. QuickBooks online is a monthly subscription (I think about $20 to $30). QuickBooks desktop is between $200 & $300 per year if I recall correctly.

HenryD3 (Florida)
Posts: 49

Posted:

Cliff,
I setup and run the website for HOA. I also use the same system for a boating club. I would recommend you look at www.ClubExpress.com Very reasonable pricing (less than $50/month for your size) and lots of features. If you want to take a look at our HOA site, let me know.
Good luck.

CliffordL (New Jersey)
Posts: 18

Posted:

Thank You everyone for taking the time to reply.

We have a teleconference with PayHOA, it is probably a bit more than we would like to spend, but it is fully integrated and includes
the website and member portal.

Cathy that is an issue that we had not considered and have forwarded that concern to counsel. I can see where it could land an HOA in
trouble.

Sincerely,

Cliff

MarshallT (New York)
Posts: 414

Posted:

Hi Cliff,

Might I suggest Condo Control Central? https://www.condocontrolcentral.com/

It is a cloud-based software system designed for HOAs (and condos) and comes with many useful features including online payments, amenity booking and announcements. They can also do websites.

MicheleB7 (Florida)
Posts: 24

Posted:

Henry, I don't know about Cliff but I'd like to take a look at your HOA site. We have 63 homes and we're looking to create a site.

HenryD3 (Florida)
Posts: 49

Posted:

MicheleB7
I do not see how to send you a message on this site. I can be reached at [email protected]
Henry

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