The HOA-OS Blog
Practical advice, product updates, and community management insights for HOA boards.
HOA Bookkeeping: A Practical Guide for Self-Managed Boards
A step-by-step bookkeeping routine for self-managed HOAs. What to record, how often, and the habits that keep a volunteer board's books clean.
HOA Accounting 101: A Plain-English Guide for Boards
What board members need to understand about HOA accounting without becoming accountants. Fund accounting, the reports that matter, and where money lives.
The Complete Roadmap for Starting and Running an HOA From Day One
Seven essentials for forming an HOA and sustaining it: from petition to governance to ongoing operations.
How to Find Out Who Your HOA Is (And What to Do If You Can't)
Step-by-step methods to identify your HOA and locate contact information for your community's governing association.
HOA Software in Texas: A Guide for Self-Managed Boards
Texas law sets specific deadlines and filing duties for HOA boards. Here is what Chapter 209 expects and how to choose software that keeps your board on the right side of it.
What Is a Declarant in an HOA? Meaning, Rights, and Control
The declarant is the developer who created your HOA - and may still control it. What their rights cover, when control ends, and what turnover means.
Self-Managed HOA: Pros, Cons, and What You're Signing Up For
The real trade-offs of running your HOA without a professional management company.
HOA vs POA vs COA: What's Actually Different
The real differences between HOA, POA, and COA structures — and whether they matter to your community.
Articles of Incorporation for an HOA: What They Are and How to File Them
The legal charter that creates an HOA. What goes in it, why it matters, and how to file it.
How to Start an HOA in an Existing Neighborhood (Without Splitting It in Half)
The complete petition-to-incorporation roadmap for neighborhoods ready to self-govern.
HOA Meeting Minutes: What to Include and Why It Matters
Meeting minutes are the official record of every HOA board decision. Done well, they protect the association. Done poorly or not at all, they create legal exposure.
Self-Managed HOA vs. Management Company: How to Decide
Whether to self-manage or hire a management company is one of the most consequential decisions an HOA board makes. Here's how to think through it clearly.
HOA Parking Rules: How to Write and Enforce Them Fairly
Parking is the number one source of neighbor disputes in most HOA communities. Clear rules and consistent enforcement solve the problem. Here's how to do both.
How to Amend Your HOA's CC&Rs: A Step-by-Step Guide
Amending CC&Rs is one of the most significant things an HOA board can do - and one of the easiest to get wrong. Here is the process, done correctly.
HOA Annual Meeting Guide: How to Prepare and Hit Quorum
The HOA annual meeting is where your community votes on elections and reviews the budget. Here's how to prepare it properly and avoid the most common failure - not reaching quorum.
HOA Short-Term Rental Rules: What Your Board Needs to Know
Short-term rentals through platforms like Airbnb are now a reality in most communities. Here's how HOA boards can set policy, enforce it, and stay on solid legal ground.
What Every New HOA Board Member Needs to Know Fast
The first 90 days on an HOA board set the tone for everything that follows. Here is what new board members need to understand before their first vote.
HOA Insurance: The Coverage Your Board Really Needs
An HOA is protected by several policies, not one. Here is the coverage your board needs, what each type does, and the gaps that catch boards out.
HOA Records Requests: What Your Board Must Provide
Homeowners have a legal right to inspect many association records. Here is what your board must provide, what it can withhold, and how to respond.
HOA Special Assessments: When Your Board Needs One
A special assessment is sometimes the right call and sometimes a sign of a deeper problem. Here is how to tell the difference and handle it well.