Too much to do and not enough time. Unfortunately, this is a reality for thousands of HOAs across the United States.
The good news is that help has arrived, and it’s available to work 24/7.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is being celebrated as the next revolutionary HOA solution. Affordable, dynamic and full of potential, HOAs are turning to AI to help them tackle their biggest challenges.
Right now, the majority of HOAs are using AI for communications, but some are also experimenting with maintenance and financial management.
In this article, we will explore some specific ways HOAs are using AI to improve operations, reduce tedious and repetitive work, and get back some valuable time.
Table of contents
What can AI help with?
According to an independent survey conducted by Condo Control, increased costs is the top concern for 31% of communities.
30% are troubled by the fact that there is just too much work to do. Hiring more staff would help, but that costs money.
25% say lack of finances is a top concern.
So, in one way or another, finances are putting a strain on HOAs.
Can AI help you save money? Yes! AI can reduce labor costs, which ultimately saves the community money. We’re not talking about a couple of hours per week. Vantaca has reported that, with the help of AI, management companies completed annual budgets in under 2 minutes. Traditionally, this task would require weeks of manual work.
Some management companies say they have doubled their portfolios without adding staff by deploying AI agents to handle routine tasks.
That sounds promising indeed.
In addition to reducing labor costs, AI can help communities with communication, maintenance, some legal compliance, and even satisfaction rates.
Communication
AI-powered communication systems provide owners with 24/7 access to information, assistance with booking amenities, reporting issues, and answering common questions.
Instead of needing help from a human (property manager or board member), owners can pull out their phones, log on to Condo Control, and share their questions with the chatbot.
AI-driven solutions can tailor communications to individual preferences, analyze feedback to identify common concerns, and even facilitate neighborhood events.
Maintenance
AI can analyze years of data to forecast future breakdowns and repairs. This enables HOAs to anticipate issues and allocate resources more effectively, improving overall operational efficiency and reducing emergency repair expenses.
Owner experience
AI agents can handle general inquiries, ensure requests get in front of the right people, and provide instant responses to billing or maintenance inquiries. Improved responsiveness makes owners feel heard, leading to higher satisfaction rates.
Financial management
From analyzing spending patterns to optimizing budgets, AI algorithms have no problem crunching lots and lots of numbers. These systems are capable of generating detailed financial reports in real time and providing board members with insights to make the most informed decisions.
Implementing AI-driven financial management tools helps HOAs ensure financial stability and maintain trust with owners through more transparent operations. They can release accurate budgets on time instead of scrambling to get the data out.
Top ways HOAs are using AI to improve community operations
| Function | AI application examples | Benefits |
| Administrative Automation | *Document management *Violation tracking *Recording meetings | *Saves time *Reduces errors |
| Financial Management | *Budget forecasting *Invoice processing *Dues collection *Fraud detection | *More stability *Improved transparency |
| Owner Experience | *Auto-directing requests *Providing answers *Automated notifications | *24/7 support *Fewer questions for staff *Faster resolutions |
| Predictive Maintenance | *Equipment repair prediction *Landscaping optimization | *Cost savings *Fewer emergency repairs |
| Security | *AI video surveillance *Real-time alerts | *Enhanced safety *Fewer false alarms |
| Legal Compliance | *Compliance monitoring | *Reduced legal risks |
More streamlined operations
HOAs deal with nonstop documentation. From governing documents to contracts, records must be preserved by the association. This element of HOA management is so important that some states have required HOAs to post records on a website or portal.
Managing and organizing documents is essential but time-consuming; however, it’s even harder to operate if records are scattered.
Intelligent AI document management solutions are available to categorize, store, and retrieve records efficiently, using natural language processing to understand content and context. M-Files and Laserfiche are two good examples. It is also possible to build your own AI systems, or pay someone to do it for you.
You still have to get the records onto the database, but once that’s done, these systems can automate aspects of record-keeping and provide easy access to important documents.
By leveraging AI for document and record management, HOAs can enhance organizational effectiveness, ensuring information is securely managed and accessible when needed.
This next application is pretty cool, even if it relates to violation management. AI video analytics may help HOA communities detect rule violations by monitoring common areas or exteriors for abnormalities that contravene HOA guidelines.
The use of AI for automated violation detection supports fair and efficient enforcement of HOA rules, maintaining expectations and fostering a more civil living environment for owners.
Improved financial health
HOAs need money to operate. Without it, property values (and the properties themselves) crumble. But managing a million-dollar budget is very hard, even if you’ve done it before.
AI can help make this responsibility less burdensome.
HOAs can leverage AI systems to automate AP and AR processes, including invoice processing, data entry and general ledger coding.
Some programs will happily forecast budgets, build actionable reports and make real-time adjustments. It will pick up on overspending, and alert board members when limits are being exceeded.
Select financial AI tech will even suggest cost-saving measures based on what has worked for similar communities. The result? Accurate budgets, realistic assessments, and clearer long-term outlooks.
Faster, personalized communications
There always seems to be a problem with getting messages to owners. Even if management uses email and paper notices, someone’s going to complain that they didn’t receive anything.
AI-powered communication systems are working hard to change that. They can automatically send personalized notifications to owners based on their preferences. These AI systems learn from behavior, too. If someone consistently ignores emails but reads text messages, the system adapts accordingly.
AI encourages self-serve behavior and invites owners to ask it questions, day or night. Some systems will even try to predict what owners will ask based on previous conversations.
Fast and accurate communication leads to happier, more informed owners. But, staff benefit too. They don’t receive so many questions, meaning they get some valuable time back.
Predictive maintenance
Your HOA probably schedules preventive maintenance to avoid sudden breakdowns. Emergency repairs are expensive and disruptive, so avoiding them is always a goal.
AI may not completely prevent sudden system failures, but combine sensors with AI and IoT (Internet of Things), and you’re guaranteed to see a big drop in unexpected repair costs.
Solutions like UpKeep track temperature, humidity, vibration, runtime, and more to detect abnormal conditions and trigger notifications and/or work orders.
Not only can this technology predict issues, but it can also make suggestions to optimize performance.
Implementing AI in predictive maintenance streamlines the upkeep of community amenities and systems while reducing unexpected repair costs.
Enhanced security
Security has always been a challenge for HOAs because solutions are often expensive or resource-intensive. Most associations are not willing to pay a company to monitor footage on their behalf, and if they do capture something on camera, there’s no guarantee they will be able to identify and catch the perpetrator.
AI video analytics may bridge that gap by continuously analyzing video feeds to detect unusual activities, unauthorized access, or potential security breaches in real time.
These solutions make it possible for HOAs to monitor community spaces more effectively, alerting management or staff to incidents as they occur.
Adopting AI video analytics for enhanced security not only improves safety, but also contributes to a more secure living environment for owners.
Compliance assistance
Through the analysis of documents and contracts, AI can help boards and managers identify potential compliance issues, thereby reducing legal risks and associated costs.
Management can also set up simple search engine alerts to notify them of new HOA laws.
A word of warning, though, HOAs are discouraged from using AI to obtain legal opinions, draft legal documents, or amend governing documents.
It does not have the specialized knowledge required to give case-specific advice, or predict legal outcomes reliably.
Furthermore, AI may lack jurisdiction-specific insight, especially for nuanced issues governed by local statutes or evolving case law.
If your HOA requires legal assistance, contact an attorney.
Conclusion
HOAs can usea variety of AI solutions to streamline operations, reduce repetitive work, and cut costs.
Start exploring your options and see what works best for your community.
